Work on State-of-the-Art Behavioral Health Pavilion to Begin
Earlier this week, a group of staff, physicians, community partners and leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of the Cornell Family Behavioral Health Pavilion.
The new facility, slated to open in 2023 on the SMH-Sarasota Campus at the corner of Osprey Avenue and Waldemere Street, will replace the aged Bayside Center for Behavioral Health located directly across the street.
Target Corp. Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell and wife Martha Cornell donated $10 million to support the creation of the new pavilion, which will bear their name in recognition of their gift. The donation will help fund comprehensive mental health services delivered to the community. The Cornell family, including children and grandchildren, participated in the groundbreaking. (See the family pictured at the top of this story).
The new three-story pavilion will be designed to provide a safe, healing environment for people of all ages. The top two floors will include 82 rooms in four inpatient units tailored to serve the unique needs of different patient populations:
- Geriatric unit
- Child and adolescent unit
- Adult unit
- Acute care unit
The first floor of the pavilion will feature an expanded range of outpatient treatment and counseling programs, community education and support spaces including:
- A partial hospitalization program for adults
- Intensive outpatient programs for youths and adults
- 24-hour assessment center
- A crisis call center
- Individual and group counseling
There will be an abundance of natural light throughout the facility, and other design elements that will help reduce stress and promote recovery.
Research shows an immediate need for a new center that can provide comprehensive behavioral health services:
- Studies indicate that 1 in 5 people suffer from mental illness, and that number has grown since the onset of the pandemic.
- Approximately 1 in every 8 emergency department visits in the U.S. is related to a mental disorder and/or substance use issue.
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., and the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 10-24.
- Florida is among the states with the highest prevalence of mental illness.
“We need to do all we can to ensure the best behavioral health outcomes by providing the full continuum of top-quality inpatient and outpatient care in one state-of-the-art location,” said Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder at the pavilion’s groundbreaking event. “It’s more important than ever that the right programs are available at the right place at the right time.”
David added that behavioral health care has long been an important part of Sarasota Memorial: “As we know, mental health issues can have a significant impact on overall health, so we have provided these services for many decades.” He pointed out that the Bayside Center for Behavioral Health, built about 50 years ago, was not designed to meet current needs, which have evolved and grown tremendously in recent years. The new pavilion will be a major stride forward in efforts to enhance care throughout the region.
“We are deeply grateful to the Cornells for this generous and life-changing gift,” said Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation President Mason Ayres. “Their passion and vision for this project will touch many in our community who are affected by mental health issues.”
Many thanks to all of the dedicated staff, physicians, project team members and partners who will bring this state-of-the-art facility to fruition!
CLICK HERE to see a video of the groundbreaking event. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw85BwhEmc8)
We’ll have updates as the new pavilion begins to take shape!