Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Services

Community access to vital behavioral health services was significantly expanded this year with the opening of the new Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital in July. The $30 million, 77,000-square- foot, 126-bed facility is a joint venture between LG Health and Universal Health Services. It replaces a 36-bed inpatient unit at Lancaster General Hospital, and is the first free-standing facility of its kind in Lancaster County.

The new hospital addresses our community’s significant need for increased access to behavioral health services. It provides not just enhanced treatment access, but also offers a variety of treatments that meet an individual’s unique needs. The hospital offers the county’s only dedicated inpatient unit for adolescents; a dedicated women’s trauma unit for victims of sexual assault or domestic abuse; and day treatment services for adolescents, adults and seniors. An estimated 30,000 county residents have been diagnosed with a behavioral health condition.

The hospital’s design is different from a typical behavioral-health facility, interior courtyards with walking paths and outdoor therapeutic space benefits patients and staff alike, along with active day rooms and quiet rooms and a gymnasium. An on-staff chaplain helps address patients’ spiritual needs and a movement therapist certified in yoga instruction leads daily sessions for patients, physicians and staff.

A community open house in June featured Heisman Trophy winner and former professional football player Herschel Walker, who openly spoke about his personal journey overcoming mental-health concerns.