DAVENPORT, Iowa-- Genesis Health System officials are excited to show off these renovations at their West campus. These additional rooms and revamped community center are part of the hospital's behavioral health expansion plan.
Genesis presented these ideas to the Health Facilities Council back in February. At the hearing a free standing psychiatric hospital, Strategic Behavioral Health or SBH, was blocked from building in Bettendorf.
Part of the board's reasoning to stop SBH from building was to give local hospitals a chance to expand to reach the mental health need.
Genesis says they're right on track.
"Our plan is to have all of this up and running by July 3," says Genesis Vice President Ken Croken.
Now the hospital has 13 new in-patient mental health beds, 10 new adult beds and three new adolescent beds, bringing the total number at Genesis up to 36.
"Between Genesis and UnityPoint, we have in-patient behavioral health covered quite well," says Genesis psychiatrist Dr. Jeffery Weyeneth.
But SBH disagrees.
"We are offering and have shown there is a need for 72 additional beds, not 10 here and three here. Them adding a few beds is not going to remove a need for building a psychiatric hospital at all," says Strategic Behavioral Health President and Founder Jim Shaheen.
SBH will present again to the Iowa Health Facilities Council on July 7 to get approved to build.
"We feel great. We think we're going to be granted. We're excited about becoming a part of the community," says Shaheen.
