The project will be fully funded by the state, governor’s office spokesman Dan Tierney told the Dayton Daily News.
“The capital budget signed (Friday) includes an allocation of $10 million for planning, land acquisition and initial design work for a new state-of-the-art mental health hospital in the Miami Valley. As such, the site has yet to be determined,” Tierney said.
“While the current capital budget would cover these initial expenses, funding for architectural design and construction would be part of future capital budget negotiations. »
Local officials say the new facility is needed – and has been since the old state mental health facility closed 16 years ago – but the long lead time means other solutions are needed in the meantime.
Montgomery County Probate Judge David Brannon said a group of leaders from law enforcement, health care, courts and mental health services have been meeting for some time to find ways to address pressing mental health challenges in the community.
“We all went into this thinking we wouldn’t have beds, so what’s our plan? “, did he declare.
He said those efforts will need to continue as the region waits for a new hospital to come online.
Meanwhile, some of these efforts are going in the wrong direction. Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services recently announced budget cuts impacting mental health service agencies. And in May, the county’s crisis response provider announced it would end its contract with Montgomery County.
DeWine said Friday that the Dayton area hospital would be “very similar” to the one in central Ohio that opened in May. That facility took multiple two-year budget cycles to build, starting with former Gov. John Kasich in 2018.
The new Central Ohio Behavioral Care Center in Columbus has 208 beds. Tierney said the Dayton facility is expected to have 216 beds.
State officials say a facility in the Dayton area is needed to relieve pressure on the Columbus facility and Summit Behavioral Healthcare in Cincinnati.
“As the Governor emphasized during the capital budget bill signing (Friday), building a statewide support system for Ohioans facing challenges mental health remains one of its top priorities,” Tierney said.
