CHARLOTTE — Atrium Health is committing $340 million over five years to expand behavioral health services across the Charlotte region. The health care system’s investment includes opening a new behavioral health hospital location, expanding inpatient and outpatient capacity and enhancing emergency and urgent care services.
Bed shortage
The investment comes as North Carolina faces a statewide shortage of roughly 1,500 behavioral health beds. Rapid growth in the Charlotte area has heightened demand for medical care, with an average of more than 150 people moving to the region each day.
New hospital
The centerpiece of the plan is a new behavioral health hospital location that will feature 168 inpatient beds for children and adults. In addition to inpatient care, the facility will offer day hospital programs providing intensive daytime treatment, creating capacity equivalent to about 40 additional beds. Atrium Health representatives stated that the organization will renovate an existing structure to expedite the opening timeline.
“Atrium Health plans to renovate an existing building, allowing it to bring critical services online in 2028, 12 to 18 months sooner than otherwise possible,” Atrium Health officials said in a statement.
‘Critical services’
The broader initiative encompasses workforce development programs, expanded community-based services and enhanced emergency and urgent care capabilities. Atrium Health has served as the primary mental health safety net provider in Mecklenburg County for more than four decades.
“For more than 40 years, Atrium Health has served as a behavioral health safety net provider for Mecklenburg County, caring for some of our community’s most vulnerable patients and maintaining critical services because our community depends on them,” Atrium Health said.
Existing facilities in Davidson and Charlotte will continue operating as access points for outpatient and crisis care.
Addressing a need
The expansion seeks to alleviate rising demand in local emergency departments, where behavioral health visits have increased 13% over the past six years. Adolescents accounted for 17% of those emergency department visits during that timeframe, while pediatric patients made up 26% of behavioral health emergency visits last year. Outlining the goals of the expansion, Atrium Health noted, “This $340 million commitment will transform behavioral health care by addressing immediate capacity needs while building a stronger system for future growth.”
Renovations on the selected building are planned to allow Atrium Health to bring the new behavioral health hospital services online in 2028.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.
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