Construction kicked off recently on the Tampa General Health Behavioral Health Hospital, Florida’s first freestanding academic medical behavioral health hospital. The joint venture partnership between Tampa General (a 1,040-bed facility) and Lifepoint Behavioral Health will provide a full range of inpatient and outpatient care in specialized units for pediatrics, adolescents, adults, and geriatrics, and fills a glaring medical need in the area.
The four-story, 83,000-sf hospital will accommodate 96 to 120 inpatient beds. Services for patients with behavioral health issues that are compounded by other medical conditions will be provided in dedicated units.
The hospital will have close ties with Tampa General’s nationally recognized Neuroscience Institute, which provides a wide range of care to patients with neurological disorders. Medical students and resident physicians will receive training from faculty affiliated with University of South Florida (USF) Health Morsani College of Medicine.
“This new hospital will help raise the level of mental health care across the Tampa Bay area,” says Glenn Currier, MD, professor, and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “A facility like this, dedicated to patients with behavioral and mental health conditions, especially those experiencing acute crises or complex conditions, will be an incredible asset. This specialized hospital will also ease the burden on area emergency rooms, which take in the bulk of psychiatric emergencies but have few options for the inpatient care that is so critical for successful management of many behavioral and mental health conditions.”
The conditions that will be treated at the facility are complex, but the structural concept is straightforward—a simple concrete foundation with a steel structure. The exterior will be composed of exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS), masonry, metal wall panels, and large curtainwall window systems spanning multiple floors. Materials and colors will complement Tampa General Hospital’s existing network of buildings on the campus and throughout the city. A thin brick/masonry veneer engineered system (MVES) will be installed using pre-fabricated wall panels.
Located in downtown Tampa, adjacent to a new Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, TGH Behavioral Health Hospital will bolster Tampa’s burgeoning medical district. The facility is expected to open in late 2024.
The facility was made possible, in part, by funding from the state of Florida to address the state's growing mental health crisis. This past legislative session, Senator Jay Collins and Representative Lawrence McClure secured $10 million in the state budget to support the construction of the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, according to TGH.
Owner and/or developer: Tampa General Hospital
Design architect: Stengel Hill Architecture
Architect of record: Stengel Hill Architecture
MEP engineer: CMTA, Inc.
Structural engineer: Skyhook Structural Engineering
General contractor/construction manager: JE Dunn Construction
Related Stories
| Mar 19, 2014
How to develop a healthcare capital project using a 'true north charter'
Because healthcare projects take years to implement, developing a true north charter is essential for keeping the entire team on track and moving in the right direction.
| Mar 18, 2014
6 keys to better healthcare design
Healthcare facility planning and design experts cite six factors that Building Teams need to keep in mind on their next healthcare project.
| Mar 18, 2014
How your AEC firm can win more healthcare projects
Cutthroat competition and the vagaries of the Affordable Healthcare Act are making capital planning a more daunting task than ever. Our experts provide inside advice on how AEC firms can secure more work from hospital systems.
| Mar 13, 2014
Do you really 'always turn right'?
The first visitor center we designed was the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center for the Everglades National Park in 1993. I remember it well for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the ongoing dialogue we had with our retail consultant. He insisted that the gift shop be located on the right as one exited the visitor center because people “always turn right.”
| Mar 12, 2014
14 new ideas for doors and door hardware
From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.
| Feb 21, 2014
Naturally ventilated hospital planned in Singapore
The Ng Teng Fong General Hospital will take advantage of the region's prevailing breezes to cool the spaces.
| Feb 18, 2014
Study: 90% of healthcare providers say Affordable Care Act is 'step forward,' but major revisions needed
Providers are excited about opportunities to address long-term health issues in the U.S., but worries about the transition persist, according to a new study by Mortenson Construction.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 14, 2014
Crowdsourced Placemaking: How people will help shape architecture
The rise of mobile devices and social media, coupled with the use of advanced survey tools and interactive mapping apps, has created a powerful conduit through which Building Teams can capture real-time data on the public. For the first time, the masses can have a real say in how the built environment around them is formed—that is, if Building Teams are willing to listen.
| Feb 13, 2014
3 keys to designing freestanding emergency departments
Having physically disassociated from a central hospital, FEDs must overcome the particular challenges associated with a satellite location, namely a lack of awareness, appeal, and credibility. Gresham, Smith & Partners' Kristin Herman-Druc offers three keys to success.
