East Alabama Health has opened a new $44 million, 54,000-square-foot mental health facility on its north campus. The facility will expand inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services, including East Alabama’s inpatient psychiatric capacity from 28 to 40 beds.
“Mental health care is an essential part of overall wellness, and meeting that need in our community has long been a priority,” said Laura Grill, president and CEO of East Alabama Health. “From the design to the construction, every detail of this facility reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional care while preserving the dignity and respect every patient deserves.”
The inpatient units are expected to open in mid-January. Sarah Nunnelly, chief strategy and business development officer at East Alabama Health, will serve as administrator of East Alabama Medical Center North.
In addition, outpatient services through East Alabama Psychiatric Services are relocating to the new facility, creating a centralized hub for patients seeking psychiatric care.
“We are severely lacking in mental health beds, so this goes a long way in trying to gain access for people who have mental health needs,” said Kimberly Boswell, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health. “We’ve been talking about this project for a while, and as we drove into the parking lot and we came up the hill, I saw this beautiful, beautiful facility and was completely blown away.”
The adult inpatient units of the hospital are separated into dedicated male and female wings, each with its own common area and outdoor courtyard. There are 10 beds each for adult females and adult males.
In addition, the facility also includes a short-term child and adolescent unit, and a long-term adolescent unit. Both units are equipped with a classroom, allowing patients to continue their education while receiving treatment.
The long-term adolescent unit is the only such unit in the state. Patients can continue their education up to receiving a high school diploma from Opelika City Schools, with support from the facility’s onsite SACS-accredited school, East Alabama Academy. It also includes a hands-on learning kitchen, where adolescent patients can gain skills to achieve greater independence.
Construction of the facility took just 22 months, but the idea for the facility began in 2022, and was supported by state, county and city partners. During the design stage, psychiatry staff members provided input on how the facility could best serve the needs of the patients being treated.
To accommodate the increased number of beds, East Alabama Health has added six mental health providers since 2023 — five psychiatrists and one clinical psychologist — and launched a psychiatry residency program to train and retain physicians in the region.
