MEETING URGENT
MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AT A CRUCIAL TIME FOR PATIENTS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, HOLYOKE MEDICAL CENTER IS CREATING NEW INPATIENT UNITS FOR ADULTS AND SENIORS.
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IN APRIL 2020, Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) responded quickly when 40 veterans living at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke needed temporary housing, repurposing several units to accommodate them. This year, HMC is taking urgent action once again by converting that space into psychiatric inpatient units for adults and seniors. The $6.5 million construction project will provide desperately needed services for patients with behavioral health concerns.
The two units—one with 18 geriatric psychiatry beds and one with 16 adult psychiatry beds—are expected to open this spring.
A NATIONAL CRISIS “There’s a critical shortage of mental health resources, not just in our community, but across the state and nationwide,” says Simon Ahtaridis, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at HMC. “Our new inpatient units are coming at a
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