COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital is partnering with Acadia Healthcare to build a 96-bed behavioral health center in Council Bluffs. On Tuesday city and healthcare leaders broke ground on the project.
- "As we have increased the number of people trying to get treatment. We realize and recognize how little resources we have,” said Dr. Pirzada Sattar, medical director for behavioral health at Jennie Edmundson.
- “Across the country, we routinely see two, three, four, six months delays for people just to gain access to a therapist, or prescribing physician, or a nurse practitioner to help manage their psychiatric or substance use conditions,” said Woods.
- The center will offer inpatient and outpatient care for mental health and substance use disorders.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors whose loved ones have experienced a mental health emergency know how difficult it can be just to find them a hospital bed when they need it.
I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
I'm in Council Bluffs at the site of what will be a brand-new mental health facility aimed at alleviating some of that problem.
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Acadia Healthcare, a nationwide behavioral health company, broke ground Tuesday on a new, mental health center in Council Bluffs.
"As we have increased the number of people trying to get treatment. We realize and recognize how little resources we have,” said Dr. Pirzada Sattar, medical director for behavioral health at Jennie Edmundson.
He says demand for mental healthcare increased during the pandemic, especially for young people.
“Most adolescents are waiting in ERs, waiting for a bed. And since, the COVID, the number of people asking for help has multiplied,” he said.
There are limited inpatient spots in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. Methodist cites data showing a shortfall of 300 beds in Iowa and Nebraska.
On Tuesday, Sattar told me Jennie Edmundson's 24 beds were full with 12 more patients waiting. Some may go to a hospital in another part of the state to find care.
"That's why it's so important for our community to have this resource close to us," he said.
Doctor of Nursing Practice, Jeffrey Woods from Acadia Healthcare, says it’s part of a national trend, including access to outpatient services.
“Across the country, we routinely see two, three, four, six months delays for people just to gain access to a therapist, or prescribing physician, or a nurse practitioner to help manage their psychiatric or substance use conditions,” said Woods.
“When someone is asking for help. Emotional help, emotional trauma, we need the help now. We need the help right at that moment,” Sattar added.
The new behavioral health center will have 96 beds, including 24 for children and adolescents. It will also include outpatient programs for mental health and substance use disorders. The center is expected to open in 2026.
