Construction kicks off for Dallas’ first state behavioral health hospital
State and local government officials joined leaders from UT Southwestern, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and Children’s Health to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern – the first state mental health hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and one that is desperately needed to address the region’s lack of state inpatient beds.
The mental health facility will be located at the corner of Medical District Drive and Harry Hines Boulevard near Zale Lipshy Pavilion – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and Parkland Memorial Hospital.
The 200-bed adult facility, with completion anticipated by late 2025, is funded by the state. A 96-bed pediatric wing – supported through a separate donation from Children’s Health – should open in 2026.
State funding to build the adult hospital is part of more than $1.2 billion appropriated by the Texas Legislature since 2017 to replace, renovate, or expand state hospitals in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Kerrville, and Rusk. Currently, the closest such hospital is in Terrell, more than 30 miles east of Dallas.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is partnering with UT Southwestern to design, construct, and operate the Behavioral Health Center.
“Texas is making an unprecedented investment in helping people with serious mental illness,” said HHSC Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young. “Throughout the state, we are expanding, renovating, and rebuilding our state psychiatric hospital system from the ground up. When complete, this much-needed hospital will offer hope, healing, and recovery for the most vulnerable Texans living in the surrounding metroplex.”
“UT Southwestern is pleased to partner with the Health and Human Services Commission to address important unmet needs for behavioral health care in our region,” said UTSW President Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D. “In addition to providing much-needed access to inpatient care for those suffering from serious mental illness, this new hospital will provide an opportunity to develop innovative models of care and in parallel provide a training ground for the full spectrum of health care professionals needed for a comprehensive mental health workforce.”
To promote the health and healing of patients, current designs for the new building include abundant natural lighting, a landscaped outdoor courtyard, and an open-air balcony with tables.
Key to the design process is a large community engagement campaign, said Hicham Ibrahim, M.D., UT Southwestern Associate Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Ambulatory Services. Dr. Ibrahim, also a Professor of Psychiatry, told those gathered how the design team sought input from patients, families, behavioral health providers, and other community stakeholders to create a state-of-the-art facility that will offer private patient rooms and bathrooms, as well as ample access to daylight and nature. The Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern will also provide several unique, high-quality clinical programs that will be innovations in the state hospital system.
The pediatric wing that Children’s Health is funding will complement the adult facility and address another growing need, said Christopher J. Durovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Health.
“The statistics are startling,” Mr. Durovich said at the groundbreaking. “One in 3 Texas children experiences a mental health disorder each year. In the last year, we’ve seen a 31% increase in mental health-related emergency room visits among teens.”
Longtime legislative supporters of a state mental health hospital for Dallas also spoke, led by state Sen. Jane Nelson, who has chaired the Senate’s Finance and Health and Human Services committees.
“We have been working on many fronts in Texas to address the growing need for mental health services,” Sen. Nelson said. “Securing funds for this hospital was a wise investment that will have a major positive impact on our ability to care for Texans in need of treatment.”
Sen. Nelson praised Dr. Podolsky for his tireless work to get the new state behavioral health hospital placed in Dallas, which included traveling to Austin to help educate legislators about the need.
“The new Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern is an exciting and long-overdue addition to our region’s ability to address mental health challenges,” said state Rep. Toni Rose, another speaker at the ceremony. “The full range of patient services offered by the new hospital, combined with UT Southwestern’s world-class research, truly marks a new day for mental health care in North Texas.”
State Sen. Royce West, also present at the event, called for additional resources to address the growing need for mental health support in Dallas-Fort Worth. He characterized the Behavioral Health Center as a critical step.
“The new hospital fills a great need in our community for more psychiatric hospital beds. I am proud to have worked on this project since the beginning of the 85th Legislature in 2017,” Sen. West said. “I am particularly excited that this facility will provide patients a true continuum of psychiatric care – both inpatient and outpatient – to help treat those persons suffering from severe mental illness.”