By HFT Staff

Prisma Health leaders were joined by Gov. Henry McMaster and state officials to officially break ground on Prisma’s new behavioral health hospital, a $138 million 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. 

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 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. 

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.