Prisma Health’s $138 Million Plan Addresses Behavioral Health Crisis in South Carolina
By Fay Harvey
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Prisma Health, the largest healthcare organization in South Carolina, has announced a $138 million plan to build a new 112-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital in the state’s 10-county Upstate region. The project aims to meet the growing demand for behavioral health care in the area.
The new 132,430-square-foot hospital will replace the Marshall I. Pickens Psychiatric Hospital (MIPH). Built in 1969, MIPH can only serve 1,500 patients a year, leaving approximately 1,200 Upstate-area patients in need of psychiatric care. Due to the lack of space, excess patients must be transported to different facilities outside the region.
According to Prisma Health, mental health needs and crises have been increasing in the Upstate population. Over the past six years, for example, the counties of Pickens, Oconee and Greenville have seen combined inpatient psychiatric admission rates increase by nearly 50%.
“South Carolina is no stranger to the behavioral health crisis sweeping our nation, and the inpatient and outpatient services in our state to support our citizens are woefully insufficient,” said S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster in a statement on Prisma Health’s website. “This project is an important step forward in addressing the statewide need for an expansion of behavioral health services.”
The three-story behavioral hospital, which is set to provide intensive care for all ages, will sit on 46 acres on the corner of Pickens County and U.S 124 land. Included in the plans are 112 licensed beds, quadrupling the number of child and adolescent beds from 10 to 40, with 72 beds reserved for adults.
Expanding access to inpatient care will be particularly beneficial for Upstate youth, as Prisma Health’s facility is the only behavioral health hospital in the region serving children aged 12 and under. Due to limited space at MIPH, children have previously been referred to other cities such as Columbia and Charleston, adding extra burdens for families. The new facility design emphasizes a healing and supportive environment, with each patient care unit offering both private and semi-private rooms.
Funding for the facility is supported by $100 million in state funds appropriated to the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) by the state’s General Assembly, according to Prisma Health.
“By doubling our inpatient capacity and creating a state-of-the-art, healing-centered facility, Prisma is bringing essential behavioral health services closer to home,” said Mark O’Halla, president and chief executive officer of Prisma Health, in a statement. “Prisma Health is committed to caring for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, which means operating the facility with an annual financial loss. This project is only possible due to the state’s investment, which enables us to meet the growing need for behavioral health care in our communities.”
Besides creating more space inside the hospital, Prisma has also increased staffing. Over the past six years, the number of psychiatrists, advanced practice clinicians and physician trainees has quadrupled to increase access to health services.
In 2019, Prisma also launched a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program, followed by a second adult psychiatry residency program in Greer in 2020. The programs aimed to establish a local training pipeline to help solve the growing national shortage. Prisma also plans on spending $7 million in addition to the $138 million on expansion projects for the Greenville Memorial Hospital campus associated with behavioral health services.
Prisma Health is finalizing the architectural and construction documents for the facility and has submitted an application for a Certificate of Need to the State, a requirement before construction can start. The organization is targeting a spring 2025 start date, with construction expected to take about two years.