COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) – Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Acadia Healthcare Company have broken ground on construction of a new facility that will focus on mental health.
The future Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health building will be located at 3620 S. 24th Street in Council Bluffs.
“According to data from the American Hospital Directory, Iowa and Nebraska are short more than 300 inpatient behavioral health beds,” said Dave Byrd, president and CEO of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. “This project demonstrates that there is an urgent need for behavioral health care, not only across the nation, but here in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.”
The mental health hospital will have 96 inpatient beds, 24 of which will be dedicated to child and adolescent care.
“Patients are suffering in the emergency department. They’re suffering on the medical and surgical wards,” said Jeffrey Woods, president of Acadia Healthcare. “What they really need is comprehensive, state-of-the-art mental health and substance abuse care.”
Bird told 6 News the project is estimated to cost $55 million and will create 200 new jobs once it opens.
Dr Syed Pirzada Sattar said the hospital was needed due to a lack of facilities to cater to the mental health needs of the capital region’s residents.
“We have a shortage of mental health providers, counselors, therapists and psychiatrists for adults, children and those seeking addiction treatment,” Sutter said, “on top of that we have a major addiction problem with alcohol and methamphetamine. We also closed the Glenwood Resource Center and all of the people that were housed there are now part of our community.”
“All of this is dwindling the resources available for mental health treatment, which is why I believe this is so important,” Sutter continued.
Methodist church officials expect the building to be completed and operational in early 2026.
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