In a sizeable push to cope with Austin's mental health bed shortage, Ascension Seton Hospital and Acadia Healthcare are teaming up to boost behavioral health services. The partnership aims to expand the Cross Creek Hospital, located in Northeast Austin, from its current 106 inpatient beds to a whopping 196. This substantial increase is poised to address the critical need for more mental health care facilities in the region.
By joining with Acadia, Ascension Seton looks to mitigate the challenges of the mental health crisis. The state of Texas, dogged by a lackluster ranking of 45th in the nation for bed availability, has seen an overwhelming majority of state hospital beds unfortunately taken up by incarcerated patients, reported by the Austin American Statesman. The Treatment Advocacy Center's 2024 dossier underscores a startling figure where 64% of these beds were occupied by individuals from the prison and jail system in 2023.
According to the Austin American Statesman, Greg Hansch, executive director of NAMI-Texas (National Alliance on Mental Illness), welcomes the expansion, believing that greater private sector involvement is integral to compensating for the state's shortcomings. "It seems like this partnership is getting at all those things," Hansch said, referring to the critical aspects of expanding capacity, utilizing space effectively, and training more mental health professionals.
The merger will not only expand services but also offer a lifeline to the existing staff of Ascension Seton Shoal Creek’s inpatient behavioral health associates. While the details of the agreement between the two healthcare giants were not disclosed to the public, the Acadia staff has reportedly promised, KVUE reports, to employ these professionals at the expanding facility set to be completed in late 2024.
In addition to serving the adult population, Ascension Seton will continue to manage the Grace Grego Maxwell Mental Health Unit for pediatric care at Dell Children's Medical Center. The bolstered Cross Creek Hospital, henceforth known as Cross Creek Hospital Together with Ascension Seton, will also double as a training hub for medical students and professionals aligned with Dell Medical School.
