Patrick-Murray Administration Breaks Ground on New Psychiatric Hospital

Watch Lieutenant Governor Murray’s Speech

WORCESTER — Lt. Governor Timothy P. Murray joined the mental health community in celebrating the groundbreaking for the new Department of Mental Health (DMH) psychiatric hospital on the grounds of the current Worcester State Hospital. The 320-bed, state-of-the-art facility is scheduled for completion in early 2012.

“This facility will serve the critical needs of patients and families from across the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray. “Years of hard work on the part of the Worcester delegation, especially Senator Chandler and Representative Pedone, made today’s groundbreaking possible. I thank them, Secretary Bigby and Commissioner Leadholm for their strong support of this project and for people struggling with mental illness.”

Hosted by DMH Commissioner Barbara A Leadholm, M.S., M.B.A., and Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) Commissioner David Perini, the event also featured Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby; State Senator Harriette L. Chandler (D-Worcester); State Representative Vincent A. Pedone (D-Worcester); and State Representative James J. O’Day (D-Worcester).

This is the first time since the 1950s that the Commonwealth has built a psychiatric facility. The state-of-the-art design by Ellenzweig Associates of Cambridge is a national model that fosters recovery and rehabilitation. The facility will include a 260-bed adult hospital, a 30-bed adolescent inpatient facility and 30 adolescent intensive residential treatment beds. General obligation bonds provided through the Legislature and supported by the Administration provide the $302 million in capital funding for construction of the new hospital. The project is managed by DCAM and under construction by Gilbane, Inc.

DMH will close the current Worcester State Hospital and Westborough State Hospital over the next several years and consolidate inpatient bed capacity in the new facility.

Massachusetts has been a leader in caring for people with mental illness since it built the first public psychiatric hospital in the nation. In recent decades, advances in care and treatment for individuals with mental illness, together with recognition of the need to partner with consumers to sustain their recovery in less restrictive environments, have shifted DMH’s focus to supporting clients in the community. Inpatient care is a critical component on the continuum of care that will now include the new DMH hospital, a state-of-the-art therapeutic environment that will foster recovery and promote opportunities for patients to transition to independent living in the community.

“Today’s groundbreaking represents a milestone that has not been seen in more than a 100 years,” said Commissioner Leadholm. “Together with hundreds of diverse partners and stakeholders, we are making history for the Commonwealth, the Department of Mental Health and for the adults, adolescents and families who face the challenges of mental illness every day and rely on us to support them on the road to recovery.”

“This is among the largest and most important projects in the nearly 30 years of our agency’s history,” said DCAM Commissioner David B. Perini. “It represents a tremendous commitment on the part of the Patrick-Murray Administration in bringing state-of-the-art mental health care to those most in need, and we look forward to continue working with DMH as we deliver on that commitment.”

“Worcester has a legacy of being at the forefront of mental health treatment in the United States,” said Sen. Chandler, who served on the Facility Feasibility Commission, the legislative body that made the recommendation for the new hospital. “This new state-of-the-art hospital will provide Massachusetts residents and their families with the kind of cutting edge facilities and care that they deserve.”

Rep. Pedone also served on the Facility Feasibility Commission and championed a new DMH psychiatric hospital for central Massachusetts. “I'm honored to be part of this historic day in the Commonwealth,” he said. “Great things can happen when the executive and legislative branches of government work together. People in our community struggling with mental illness will be well served for generations in this new mental health wellness center.”

About the Department of Mental Health (DMH)

Part of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, DMH provides services to adults, children and adolescents with long-term or serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance; provides early and ongoing treatment for mental illness; and conducts research into the causes of and treatments for mental illness. Through state-operated inpatient facilities and community mental health centers and through community services and programs provided by nearly 200 mental health providers, DMH directly serves 21,000 citizens, including about 3,500 children and adolescents, with severe and persistent mental illness and serious emotional disturbance.

# # #