SMH Awarded $5.9 Million State Grant to Enhance Mental Healthcare in Sheridan County – Hospital to launch capital campaign to raise matching funds for $12.8 Million Project
On November 16, Sheridan Memorial Hospital (SMH) was awarded a $5.9 million grant from the State Land and Investment Board to develop an Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, Healing (EmPATH) and Crisis Stabilization Unit to serve the Sheridan County region.
This critical project will help address the growing mental health and behavioral health needs of our community by providing psychiatric urgent care, crisis stabilization, inpatient psychiatric beds, and therapy space. The total cost of the project is $12.8 million and the SLIB grant requires a one-to-one match.
Over the years SMH has invested heavily to provide a safe environment for behavioral health patients and staff. Currently, the hospital provides tele-psych services, security on-site 24 hours/day, patient support staff, additional full-time licensed clinical mental health professionals, and transportation to get patients to appropriate treatment facilities.
The region does not, however, have the appropriate level of treatment and service for behavioral health patients to meet their needs close to home. Many patients must be transported to treatment facilities far outside our community. The development of the EmPATH and Crisis Stabilization Unit is an opportunity to invest in facilities that will support the mental and behavioral health needs here in Sheridan County.
Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Mike McCafferty, expressed his gratitude to everyone who’s working on improving mental health in our community. “Addressing the mental and behavioral healthcare needs of our community is a priority for Sheridan Memorial Hospital. We are grateful to our local, regional, and statewide partners who are working with us to provide additional mental and behavioral health care resources that our community deserves.”
Sheridan Memorial Hospital partnered with local, regional and statewide stakeholders to develop its plan to enhance community partnerships addressing mental health care needs for our region. The hospital looks forward to working with partners, foundations, and community members in making this critical project for our community a reality.
This project will launch quickly as the SLIB grant designates that it must be completed by 2026.