AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – State leaders are highlighting the importance of Amarillo's psychiatric hospital after a land deal was completed.
“The need to address mental health issues cannot be overstated,” said Sen. Kevin Sparks, 31st District.
The establishment of Panhandle State Hospital will have a significant impact on the local community by increasing access to health care and economic vitality.
“The people who actually work there are going to have long-term employment and the people who fill those positions are going to benefit our economy, but more importantly, it's the patient care. That's honestly the biggest benefit of building a state facility,” said Rep. Faw Price, R-Amarillo, Texas.
Rep. Four Price announced the completion of a land lease agreement between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas A&M University System.
The 88th Texas Legislature provided $159 million in state funding.
The hospital will have 75 beds to accommodate people experiencing mental health crises who require hospitalization-level care.
An educational partnership with West Texas A&M University will enable Amarillo to not only meet current healthcare demands, but also prepare for future needs, further strengthening our healthcare workforce.
“We're going to be able to educate more family nurse practitioners, MSNs, BSNs, and, to me, especially, the technical support staff people that make a behavioral health hospital function, which is a very specialized type of care,” said WTAMU President Dr. Walter Wendler.
The hospital will also play a key role in addressing prison overcrowding by providing proper care for people with mental illnesses who may be incarcerated due to a lack of adequate treatment options.
“This will help counties throughout the Panhandle because if you talk to any sheriff or county judge, and I've talked to dozens of sheriffs and county judges over the last 14 years, they all agree the biggest problem they face is what to do with people who suffer from mental illness in county jails. They have no place to go,” Price said.
Panhandle State Hospital will be built at the former Texas A&M Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 6610 W. Amarillo Blvd.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services plans to break ground on the hospital later this year and begin accepting patients in the fall of 2027.
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