The McKee Administration shared news Wednesday that Care New England Health System has begun construction of a 25-bed short stay unit at Butler Hospital. Renovations for the new unit are funded through the State Fiscal Recover Fund (SFRF) to recover from the pandemic as approved in the Governor’s budget and by the General Assembly as well as federal funds provided by the Congressional Delegation.
“This important project will provide behavioral healthcare through mental health and substance abuse treatment, crisis intervention, and other services,” said Governor Dan McKee. “This project falls under one of the three pillars of our Administration’s Rhode Island 2030 Plan – to create a healthier Rhode Island where we reduce chronic illness and improve health outcomes.”
The 25-bed short stay unit will allow for patients with mental health needs to seek treatment initiation at the new facility instead of overcrowded emergency departments at local hospitals. The unit will be designed to accommodate multiple distinct patient populations achieved through flexible pod systems to ensure that access to care is not impacted by physical space limitations. Examples include the ability to flex up or down adolescent beds, provide isolation rooms, and help various adult populations to ensure our system remains flexible and nimble.
“The short stay unit will address the growing mental health crisis and make the delivery of service more immediately available by creating a space for the initiation of treatment outside of emergency rooms for those seeking help for behavioral health issues,” said Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Assistant Secretary Ana Novais. “This unit will help us address our strategic priority focused on addressing addiction, improving behavioral health, and combatting stigma.”
“The $8 million in SFRF funds provided by Governor McKee and the General Assembly, combined with an additional $4 million in other federal funds, allows our hospital to have a substantial impact in eliminating the issue of Emergency Department boarding or closed beds due to infections such as COVID,” said Mary E. Marran, MS, OT, MBA, President and Chief Operations Officer, Butler Hospital; President, The Providence Center; Senior Vice President, Care New England Service Line. “I want to thank all government leaders involved in this proposal – from our Congressional Delegation to our Governor and colleagues at EOHHS, as well as members of the General Assembly for these important investments in our healthcare system that will result in shorter wait times and less overcrowding at hospitals across the state.”
The construction manager is DPR Construction and the Architect for the project is CannonDesign. The engineers are from BR+A Consulting Engineers. The renovated site is set to open in 2024.
Founded in 1844, Butler Hospital is the state’s only non-profit, free-standing psychiatric hospital providing adults, seniors and adolescents specialized assessment and treatment for all major psychiatric illnesses and substance abuse. Butler Hospital is a part of Care New England Health System that employs approximately 900 full-time and part-time clinical and non-clinical staff.
This project was supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0136 awarded to the State of Rhode Island by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
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