Lancaster General Health (LG Health) and Universal Health Services Inc. (NYSE: UHS) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital at 9 a.m. Monday, May 8, on Liberty Street, between Harrisburg Avenue and Thomas M. Armstrong Boulevard, Lancaster.
Patient advocate Jerri Anne Johnson, of Lancaster, shared her personal experiences during the ceremony. Other speakers included LG Health President & CEO Jan L. Bergen; Dr. Karen Murphy, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Health; Larry George, Executive Director, Lancaster County Behavioral Health & Development Services; and Debra K. Osteen, UHS Executive Vice President and President, Behavioral Health Division.
The $30 million, 126-bed facility will provide a wide range of behavioral health services, including:
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Lancaster County’s only adolescent unit
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Medical psychiatric unit for patients with medical conditions
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General and older adult units
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Dual-diagnosis unit
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Partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs for:
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Adolescent, general, dual diagnosis, older adult and substance use
“Improving access to behavioral health services is an identified community need and priority for Lancaster General Health,” said Bergen. “This facility will help accommodate the demand for mental health services in Lancaster and surrounding counties.”
The groundbreaking event marks the start of construction for the one-story facility that will operate through a partnership between LG Health and UHS. The facility will open in spring 2018.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our two organizations to bring together our expertise and resources to address an identified need for behavioral health services in the region,” said Osteen. “UHS is excited to work in partnership with LG Health to bring enhanced treatment options to the community and broaden the scope of services offered to patients and their families.”
The Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital selected Warfel Construction Company as the Construction Manager.
About Lancaster General Health/Penn Medicine
Lancaster General Health/Penn Medicine (LG Health/Penn Medicine), a member of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine), is a 631-licensed bed not-for-profit health system with a comprehensive network of care encompassing Lancaster General Hospital (LGH), Women & Babies Hospital and the Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital (in partnership with Kindred Healthcare). Its membership in Penn Medicine brings together the strengths of a world-renowned, not-for-profit academic medical center and a nationally recognized, not-for-profit community healthcare system.
Outpatient services are provided at Downtown and Suburban pavilions, along with additional outpatient centers and Express and Urgent Care locations throughout the region. Lancaster General Health Physicians is a network of more than 300 primary-care and specialty physicians, at more than 40 offices throughout the region.
Designated four times as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, LGH has been recognized regionally and nationally for clinical excellence and patient safety; and ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s best hospitals in 2016-17 in two specialties.
About Universal Health Services
Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest and most respected hospital management companies in the nation. For nearly 40 years, UHS and its affiliates have focused on meeting patients’ healthcare needs across hundreds of local communities.
Today, UHS subsidiaries own and/or operate more than 240 acute care hospitals and behavioral health facilities in 37 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.K. In 2015, UHS facilities provided care to more than 2.5 million patients.
UHS constantly strives to put patients first while adhering to the highest clinical performance standards. Over the past four years, 83 UHS facilities have been designated Top Performer in Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission. In the Behavioral Health Division, over half of UHS’s eligible facilities received this distinguished recognition for the quality of our services.