Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed will break ground Nov. 6 on a two-hospital campus that integrates acute care and mental health services, The News & Observer reported Oct. 13.
The Garner, N.C.-based “whole health campus” will include a $214 million, 45-bed acute care hospital and a $125 million, 150-bed mental health hospital called the WakeMed Mental Health & Well-Being Hospital.
More than 1,500 patients a month go to WakeMed emergency departments and hospitals needing mental healthcare, Micah Krempasky, MD, chief medical officer of WakeMed Mental Health & Well-Being, told the Observer. Only about half of them need inpatient psychiatric care. The psychiatric hospital will hold patients for an average of five to seven days, which will help reduce the shortage of services in the area.
The dual-hospital campus will integrate physical and mental health services so patients can receive medical care alongside mental healthcare.
The hospitals are expected to begin accepting patients in early 2029.
