Southcoast Behavioral Health Expands Services and Capacity

By: Southcoast Behavioral Health via Business Wire

March 16, 2022 at 10:00 AM EDT

Hospital opening two child and adolescent units extending bed capacity to 192 beds

Southcoast Behavioral Health today reinforced its strong commitment to the communities it serves through the addition of a dedicated child and adolescent behavioral health program, expanding the service line from 24 to 48 beds. This is the second bed expansion since the hospital’s opening in 2015. The first expansion of 24 beds occurred in 2019, providing a Dual Diagnosis (substance use disorder) unit. The expected completion of this expansion is the first half of 2023. Southcoast Behavioral Health is operated through a joint venture partnership between Southcoast Health and Acadia Healthcare.

Located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Southcoast Behavioral Health is one of New England's leading providers of inpatient behavioral health treatment. Readily accessible from Cape Cod, Boston, and Rhode Island, Southcoast Behavioral Health delivers compassionate care and hope to children, adolescents, adults, and seniors of all identified genders. The hospital treats a wide array of behavioral health diagnoses.

“We are very pleased to expand our facility to help meet the growing behavioral health needs of our communities,” said Felicia Risick, Chief Executive Officer of Southcoast Behavioral Health. “We are increasing our bed capacity to 192 beds, which will make us the second largest behavioral health hospital in the State. With the addition of a pediatric service line, we can now serve patients through the lifespan, thus aiming to broadly extend healing throughout our communities. I want to thank the entire hospital staff and our partners for their commitment and hard work. This milestone would not be possible without you.”

“Since partnering with Southcoast Behavioral Health seven years ago, they have provided life-saving services to thousands of residents in our area,” said Renee Clark, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Southcoast Health. “The hospital, in collaboration with the Southcoast Health system, has provided services that treat the whole patient. This expansion – the second in the hospital’s history – is an exciting moment for our partnership, as together we continue to invest in the future of our communities.”

“We take great pride in the ongoing success and growth of this hospital,” said Dwight Willingham, Operations Group President of Acadia Healthcare. “Every day we must work to eliminate the stigma around mental illness, overcome fear and misunderstanding, and make sure all those coping with a behavioral health issues know they are not alone. Unfortunately, too many who grapple with mental health illnesses are still suffering in silence. This hospital is a beacon to those in need and provides exceptional quality of care in a safe and welcoming environment to all ages.”

About Southcoast Behavioral Health

Southcoast Behavioral Health (“ScBH”) is currently a 144-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital located on a 21-acre property at 581 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth, MA 02747. Southcoast Behavioral Health is in the Southeast region of Massachusetts, which is comprised of 52 cities and towns. Prior to the build of Southcoast Behavioral Health, the Southeast region of Massachusetts was without a specialized resource for acute behavioral health treatment: Southcoast Behavioral Health is now that resource and permanency.

The services currently provided are: intensive inpatient psychiatric services for male, female, and transgender adults 18+; male, female, and transgender seniors 50+; and adolescents male, female, and transgender 13-17 years old. Disorders treated include: depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, self-harming behaviors, bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, posttraumatic stress disorder, homicidal ideation, schizophrenia, aggression, schizoaffective disorder, psychosis, adjustment disorders and chemical dependency issues secondary to psychiatric issues. Over the last 2 years, Southcoast Behavioral Health has become the primary resource for the Department of Mental Health’s most difficult boarding referrals. For more information, please visit our website at southcoastbehavioral.com.

About Southcoast Health

Southcoast Health is a not-for-profit, charitable organization and the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. As a network of more than 700 physicians, hospitalists, and mid-level practitioners, Southcoast Health is a system of three acute care hospitals — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford (a Level II Trauma Center), and Tobey Hospital in Wareham, and also provides behavioral health services in partnership with Acadia at Southcoast Behavioral Health in Dartmouth. Southcoast Health’s system includes seven Urgent Care Centers, two Centers for Cancer Care, a Visiting Nurse Association, and numerous additional ambulatory facilities that offer convenience and access to services for more than 724,000 residents in 33 communities covering over 900 square miles in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.

About Acadia Healthcare

Acadia is a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services across the United States. As of December 31, 2021, Acadia operated a network of 238 behavioral healthcare facilities with approximately 10,500 beds in 40 states and Puerto Rico. With more than 22,500 employees serving approximately 70,000 patients daily, Acadia is the largest stand-alone behavioral health company in the U.S. Acadia provides behavioral healthcare services to its patients in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment facilities, residential treatment centers and outpatient clinics.