In October of 2018 Michigan took one significant step toward addressing mental healthcare issues as it broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital in Caro, Michigan. The facility was envisioned to provide patients with improved recovery outcomes in a safer, more welcoming environment, while also addressing the State’s psychiatric facility shortage.
A Psychiatric Facility Shortage:
At the time of this project, there had been a decades-long critical shortage of State psychiatric hospital beds in Michigan and across the country.
The Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit working to improve treatment for severe mental illness, recommended 40 to 60 psychiatric beds for every 100,000 people. However, the National average at the time was only 11.7.
With these numbers, the Treatment Advocacy Center estimated the Country would need an additional 123,300 State psychiatric beds, along with more modern facilities and improved treatment programs, to sufficiently meet patient needs.
Celebrating Progress:
As construction began at the new Caro Psychiatric Hospital, Michiganders paused to celebrate the impact this facility would likely have on improving the State’s care options.
On Friday, October 19, 2018, Governor Rick Snyder and other State leaders joined local lawmakers, hospital staff and the Caro, Michigan community for a ceremonial ground breaking at the construction site.
“The new Caro Psychiatric Hospital will help meet the long-term psychiatric care needs in Michigan,” Snyder said. “The existing Caro Center has served its patients well, but it’s an aging facility, and the time has come for it to be replaced with a modern facility that can provide a better environment for patient care.”
While the Caro Center originally opened in 1914 to care for people with epilepsy, at the onset of this project, the facility had expanded to provide service to adults with serious mental illness from 48 Michigan counties.
“We believe the benefits of a new hospital will affect our patient outcomes, our patient and family satisfaction, patient safety, staff efficiency and satisfaction, as well as organizational outcomes,” said Rose Laskowski, Director of the Caro hospital.
The new hospital was also expected to positively impact the local community, maintaining 360 jobs and adding at least 100 new positions. At the onset of construction, the Caro Center was the second-largest employer in Tuscola County.
Granger’s Role:
Granger Construction was honored to play a role in reducing the national psychiatric facility shortage by serving as Construction Manager for the new Caro Center Psychiatric Hospital.
