Holyoke Medical Center Submits Proposal to Expand Psychiatric Bed Capacity
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) has submitted a letter of intent and project proposal to the Massachusetts Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality to expand psychiatric bed capacity.
The letter, sent on June 19, notified the Determination of Need Program that HMC will be completing an application for an additional 64 psychiatric beds. If approved, this will increase the hospital’s total capacity to 84 psychiatric beds, which will serve adult and geriatric populations.
“Our plan is to build a three-level, 68,000-square-foot, 84-bed behavioral-health pavilion on our campus and near the medical center,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems. “We have completed a comprehensive review and been working with architects and community stakeholders on finalizing building design.”
The Holyoke Medical Center Behavioral Health Pavilion proposal includes 48 adult psychiatric beds, 36 geriatric beds, and 4,000 square feet of shell space for future expansion or uses to be determined later. Population statistics and competitive analysis suggest that there is a need within a 14-mile radius of Holyoke Medical Center for 52 adult psychiatric beds and 36 geriatric psychiatric beds.
The proposal also includes a parking analysis and parking-garage study, which could provide an additional 60 to 180 parking spaces.
Holyoke Medical Center is partnered with Signet Health Corp., assisting the hospital in the delivery of behavioral-health services by providing management and consulting services. The Leo Brown Group, a full-service healthcare real-estate development and solutions company, will design and build the facility.
It is estimated that, once approved by state and local officials, the new facility will take 18 months to complete and become operational.