MT. GRETNA, Pa. (WHTM) — A psychiatric hospital in Lebanon County, WellSpan Philhaven officially completed a $7 million renovation, and held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan. 27 to celebrate.
According to WellSpan, the recent renovation was perused in order to address the growing need for mental health services across South Central Pennsylvania. Though WellSpan Philhaven just recently completed this renovation project, it is not the first time the Mt. Gretna-based hospital has expanded in the recent years.
Back in 2019, WellSpan Philhaven completed an expansion project which resulted in creating space for an additional 15 patient beds. The most recent renovation project expanded the adult inpatient unit, relocated certain outpatient offices on the 200-acre campus, and expanded the hospitals capacity by another 22 inpatient beds – bringing this hospital to a total of 140 patient beds.
This is almost a 40% increase in the number of beds in WellSpan Philhaven over the past three years.
According to WellSpan, this recent renovation is part of a $30 million commitment, which also includes renovations to the WellSpan York Hospital.
“Over the years, we at WellSpan Health have seen firsthand the need to expand access to behavioral health care, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for WellSpan Behavioral Health Dr. Kenneth Rogers. “In 2022, WellSpan saw a 30 percent increase in behavioral health patients compared to 2021. That is why we have and will continue to invest into growing and expanding our behavioral health services.”
WellSpan Philhaven currently has more than 20 different programs and services, which are available to adult, pediatric, and adolescent patients at the Mt. Gretna campus. According to WellSpan, some of mental health conditions that they address consist of:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and much more
Currently, WellSpan Behavioral Health services has multiple full-time and part-time positions available, according to their website. If you are interested in applying you can click here.
According to Vice President of Inpatient Services for WellSpan Behavioral Health Mantha Kotsalos, WellSpan Behavioral Health serves 64,000 patients across six counties.
