Innovative hospital part of effort to improve behavioral health care statewide
Prisma Health and state leaders break ground on $138M inpatient behavioral health hospital in the Upstate supported by $100M in state funds
EASLEY, S.C. – Prisma Health leaders were joined by Gov. Henry McMaster and state officials to officially break ground today (May 19) on Prisma’s new behavioral health hospital, a $138 million state-of-the-art facility that will double the healthcare system’s inpatient behavioral health capacity in the Upstate.
The three-story facility is being built on a 46-acre tract off S.C. 153 near Easley. Construction on the hospital, made possible by $100 million in state funds, is expected to take approximately two years. The 134,621-square-foot facility is licensed for 112 beds and will replace Prisma’s 65-bed Marshall I. Pickens Hospital, built in 1969.
“Thanks to this extraordinary investment from the State of South Carolina, we are doubling our inpatient behavioral health capacity and creating a state-of-the-art healing-centered hospital — right here in the Upstate — that will bring essential services closer to the people who need them most,” said Prisma Health CEO and President Mark O’Halla.
“This project represents a transformational investment in the future of behavioral health in South Carolina,” said Gov. McMaster. “By increasing access to inpatient services for both children and adults, we are addressing one of our most pressing health care challenges. Prisma Health’s new facility is a shining example of how strategic public-private partnerships can deliver impactful care for our people.”
The public-private partnership is supported with $100 million in state funds appropriated to the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) by the state’s General Assembly. The pivotal state funding will be with one-time, non-recurring dollars and is intended to grow psychiatric inpatient and outpatient capacity.
“The need for increased access to enhanced behavioral health services in the Upstate has never been more necessary,” said Sen. Thomas Alexander, president of the S.C. Senate. “This coordinated effort between the legislature and Prisma Health is a significant step forward in addressing this longstanding need in our communities. The new facility is a testament to Prisma Health’s commitment to the State of South Carolina.”
Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives Murrell Smith said, “This transformational project has been many years in the making, and it shows what we can accomplish through strong public-private partnerships. Prisma Health has long been a leader in innovation, and this new behavioral health hospital is another example of their commitment to filling critical gaps in care across South Carolina.”
Said O’Halla, “We believe behavioral health deserves the same innovation, compassion, and excellence that we bring to every other aspect of care. This groundbreaking isn’t just about construction, it’s about transformation. We are working to transform healthcare for the people and communities we serve.”
The need for inpatient psychiatric treatment has climbed in the Upstate in recent years, with the combined admission rates from Pickens, Oconee and Greenville counties jumping by nearly 50%. Last year, more than 1,000 behavioral health patients, including children as young as 6, were transported to facilities as far as the coast because there weren’t enough licensed psychiatric beds in the Upstate.
The new hospital will significantly expand access, reducing the need for distant patient transfers and enabling patients to stay closer to their families and crucial support networks, said Dr. Karen Lommel, the Robert A. Jolley Jr. Endowed Chair of Psychiatry and Community Health for Prisma Health in the Upstate. Lommel, an adult and child-adolescent psychiatrist, is the medical director of Prisma’s behavioral health hospital. She is also an emergency medicine physician with Prisma.
The new facility will quadruple the number of beds available for adolescents and children to help meet the critical community need. It will also provide expanded care for adults, including older adults.
Patient care at the new hospital will be delivered in a uniquely healing, nurturing environment. Its innovative design will feature best practices such as patient-centric settings, natural lighting, views of nature and even access to secure outdoor courtyards. Studies show such behavioral health designs with natural light can help with sleep regulation, improved mood and time to recovery.
Lommel envisions the new facility becoming a behavioral health resource that provides outstanding care to patients but also helps the community better understand mental health and mental illness.
Another step toward that goal, the hospital’s Sargent-Wilson Wellness Center, was unveiled at the groundbreaking. Made possible by a $1 million gift from the Sargent Foundation, the center will provide patients recreation and educational programming but also serve as a resource hub for community members. For Sargent trustees Teresa and Dr. Bob Wilson, the support is personal, following the loss of a family friend to mental health challenges.
“This much-needed hospital would not be possible without the power of this public-private partnership and all the people behind it,” said Lommel. “Prisma cannot do this work alone. But thanks to incredible state and community support, Prisma will be able to meet the growing mental health needs in our communities.”
Construction of the new hospital, along with the recent tripled capacity of Prisma’s outpatient day treatment services in the Upstate through its new Behavioral Health & Wellness Pavilion, are part of Prisma’s $143 million expansion of outpatient and inpatient mental health services in the Upstate.
About Prisma Health
Prisma Health, which manages the Laurens County Hospital, is a private nonprofit health company with over 32,000 team members, 19 acute and specialty hospitals, 3,131 licensed beds, 320 practice sites, and more than 5,900 employed and independent clinicians across its clinically integrated inVio Health Network. Each year, Prisma Health serves more than 1.6 million patients in South Carolina and Tennessee. Connect with Prisma Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter/X.
