Permian Basin legislators and hospital CEOs worked together to bring what will be a behavioral health facility that will be located between Odessa and Midland as soon as 2024.
Senate Bill 8, legislation directing how the state will spend federal dollars allocated to Texas under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, was passed out of the House and Senate on Monday. The legislation includes $40 million for a behavioral health center that will be constructed and operated by the hospital districts of Midland and Ector County. State Reps. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, and Tom Craddick, R-Midland, worked together to ensure the funding was included in the final version of the bill.
“This $40 million to construct a new mental health hospital will improve quality of life in Odessa, Midland and throughout the Permian Basin. Russell Tippin and Russell Meyers worked together, Rep. Tom Craddick and I worked together and Odessa and Midland worked together on this. I’m thankful we were able to get this done for our region that desperately needs better access to mental health services,” Landgraf said.
The center will include 100 inpatient beds and outpatient psychiatric care facilities, along with a crisis stabilization unit, professional offices, and counseling and therapeutic spaces appropriate for all ages.
Texans who live in the Permian Basin currently have to drive to Lubbock or San Angelo to access similar care. Also, law enforcement officials often have to drive those in a mental health crisis to facilities, which takes the officers away from their primary duties and also places a burden on family members being placed far away from Midland and Odessa.
“In the weeks and months after the Aug. 31, 2019, mass shooting, local leaders in Odessa and Midland identified the need for additional behavioral and mental health services in our region. COVID-19 put that discussion on hold momentarily. I’m thankful that we kept the drum beat going, and that our communities have come together to accomplish this important goal. I’m proud of our work together,” Landgraf added.
Senate Bill 8 now heads to the governor’s desk for signature, the final stage in the legislative process. If SB 8 is signed into law, it is expected that the Permian Basin behavioral health center will be completed by 2024.
MCH President and CEO Russell Tippin said via email that mental health is the number one public health need in the Permian Basin “and this funding is a massive step in the right direction.”
“We are thrilled to partner with our friends at Midland Health to start this venture and be the top provider of mental healthcare in West Texas. We also want to thank State Rep. Brooks Landgraf and State Rep. Tom Craddick for their efforts in making this dream become a reality.”
Tippin previously said he and MMH President and CEO Russell Meyers have been discussing the issue for a long time and agree behavioral health services are the “greatest need” facing the Permian Basin.
Both hospital boards have already approved the joint effort proposed by Tippin and Meyers.
In a news release, Craddick stated that West Texas has a dire need for quality mental healthcare. “The mental health hospital is a great stride towards meeting the mental health needs of West Texas. I am honored to have worked on securing this funding and look forward to this facility being a resource for generations to come.”
