North Alabama Shoals Hospital Proceed with Behavioral Health Expansion Project

This past Wednesday, the Certificate of Need Review Board of the State Health Planning and Development Agency gave North Alabama Shoals Hospital officials the go-ahead to proceed with their behavioral health expansion project. To improve care for patients in the Shoals and nearby towns, the project will include the construction of a 16-bed juvenile psychiatry unit and the addition of eight (8) adult psychiatric beds. In addition to expanding access to adult psychiatric treatments in the area, the new initiative will offer teenagers specialized psychiatric care. At the moment, Decatur, Alabama, is the closest facility with adolescent psychiatric beds; however, that program frequently reaches capacity and is unable to accommodate the growing demand for services. The opening of the adolescent psychiatric unit at North Alabama Shoals Hospital will help close the gap in teenage mental health treatment in the area by giving patients and their families access to much-needed resources and support.