Banner Psychiatric Center opens in Scottsdale
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Aug. 24, 2010) -- Members of the community and Banner Health leaders attended a grand opening ceremony for the Banner Psychiatric Center on the Banner Behavioral Health campus.
The event marked the completion of a $2.2 million renovation project to create a center to ease behavioral-health-related holds in hospital emergency departments.
The center, which opens Sept. 1, has an observation area for 24 patients and will be staffed 24/7 with physicians, nurse practitioners, RNs, behavioral health technicians and counselors. Banner Health Foundation provided more than $580,000 to help fund the renovation.
Patients in crisis will be admitted to the Banner Psychiatric Center for assessment, rather than being held for hours or days in a hospital emergency or inpatient room until they can be seen by qualified professionals.
U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell lauded Banner for its significant investment in the community, as well as meeting a critical mental health need and helping the economy with job creation. “I am continually impressed with Banner and its investments that extend beyond health care, and I hope more corporate entities will follow Banner’s example,” said Mitchell.
"The Banner Psychiatric Center is desperately needed," said Pat Little-Upah, CEO of the BPC and Banner Behavioral Health Hospital. “More and more, behavioral health patients are turning to hospital Emergency departments to seek help, but the majority of hospitals do not have trained psychiatric help available at all hours. The Banner Psychiatric Center fills that need.”
Becky Kuhn, president of Banner Arizona East Region, said, “Pat and her staff deserve our deepest thanks for providing critically needed inpatient and outpatient care for children, teens and adults faced with psychiatric, behavioral health, or chemical dependency challenges.”
Banner Health Emergency departments reported approximately 350 psychiatric holds per hospital in the West Valley and East Valley and more than 1,200 holds at larger hospitals in Phoenix and Mesa for 2009. The average hold time was approximately four hours, but some patients were held multiple days until a psychiatric bed was available.
“We are working to make the psychiatric care and treatment of patients more efficient in Maricopa County,” said Robert Williamson, MD, medical director for the Banner Psychiatric Center and ConnectionsAZ, the physician group that will manage the center.
CONTACT:
Banner Health Public Relations
Nancy Neff, (602) 747-3105
Craig Fischer, (602) 747-4447
Twitter: @BannerHealth
