Renovations are well underway at Bellefonte Hospital and Recovery Center in Greenup County. The new treatment center will help fill an urgent gap in treating Kentuckians with substance use and mental health needs—and will serve as a major area employer.
Recently, Community CEO Jonathan Frazier gave us a tour of the psychiatric facility at the Bellefonte campus. Here are all the things we learned.
So when will the facility open? The psychiatric portion of Bellefonte Hospital and Recovery Center is expected to open near the end of 2023 with the addiction treatment facility to open soon after.
“Without the community this would have never been possible,” said Frazier.
On campus the psychiatric building will have its own cafeteria doubling as a multimedia site.
“We’re excited that we were able to create a facility that was multi-purpose to suit the needs of the patients that we serve,” added Frazier. “We can have some recreation in the area. Watch some movies and even have larger groups to bring in guest speakers for mental health support.”
Safety and patient accessibility to staff was paramount when considering renovating the building. The patient access area will be equipped with the latest and best technology to care for patients.
“This is where treatment will occur along with everyday interaction with our qualified professionals,” Frazier elaborated. “When we designed this we wanted to keep the integrity of the previous architecture but as well as add the component that our staff is available right here on site.”
Group rooms are within eye shot of therapist offices. traditionally in hospitals the therapist is on the admin wing or in some cases patients may have to make appointments. Frazier says they wanted to remove any barriers for people in crisis.
“We are all people, we’re just one choice away from being in a crisis,” said Frazier. “If I’m in crisis I want to be in a place that reminds me of home and feels like home.”
Patient rooms, where they will stay during the duration of their stay will have two patients.
“We put money where our mouth is and invested in top of the line equipment and supplies,” added Frazier.
Amenities will be personalized for their accommodations according to Frazier. Renovation crews have made all bathrooms state-of-the-art and deemed safe by our regulatory compliance entities.
Frazier was named Community CEO earlier this year. He brings more than 15 years of experience in healthcare executive leadership. Most recently, Frazier served as Market CEO for NeuroPsychiatric Hospitals, a network of inpatient psychiatric facilities headquartered in Indianapolis.