Blair Drug and Alcohol Partnerships has been awarded $772,000 to create a behavioral health unit at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Altoona, Altoona Mirror reported Feb. 9.
The funding comes from the state's Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
The unit, which will be located in the hospital's emergency department and will provide emergency psychiatric care, will cost $1.3 million in total. UPMC has obtained $250,000 through the U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services and has asked the Altoona city council for $100,000 and the Blair County Commissioners for $200,000 in funding.