It’s being built on the third floor of the new $36 million tower and related facilities being built at the North Davis hospital.
It’s being built to meet a need in Davis County and the nation for such services, says Michael Jensen, the hospital’s CEO.
“One in four people in the U.S. will experience some sort of mental health problem in the course of a year,” he said.
A 20-bed unit for inpatient psychiatric services is under construction, and was formally announced earlier this month.
“There is currently a tremendous need for additional mental health services as inpatient psychiatric units throughout Northern Utah frequently run at full capacity,” said Jensen.
“Unfortunately, this shortage of inpatient psychiatric services often causes delays in much-needed care, which puts patients – especially those needing crisis-level care – at serious risk,” he said.
The expanding number of aging adults is contributing to the challenges of providing adequate resources for mental health services, Jensen said.
As one ages, problems with depression, anxiety and dementia dramatically increase, he said.
About 2 percent of people aged 55 and above have severe and persistent mental illness in the nation, and that percentage is projected to double over the next 30 years.
With the completion of this facility, Davis Hospital will have about 200 beds, along with many other services, as administration there said it strives to meet the needs of the growing community.
The hospital opened in 1976 as a Humana-owned and operated facility. It has seen many expansions, additions, since that time, and is now opened by IASIS.
The availability of inpatient psychiatric services has been very limited within Davis County. Many people have had to travel to Ogden or Salt Lake City for such services.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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