BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – LewisGale’s Behavioral Health Hospital is making the move from Salem to Botetourt County.
Botetourt County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the project in a public hearing on Tuesday night.
The proposed site is in the Joel Smith Industrial Park on Avery Row in Blue Ridge.
Chris Finley, a LewisGale Hospital spokesperson, released the following statement on the project.
”As a leading provider of healthcare in Southwest Virginia, LewisGale Regional Health System is constantly evaluating gaps in access to care and developing approaches to better meet the needs of the community and our patients.
In recent years, we have made significant capital investments in building our networks – including expanding services in our four hospitals, opening two freestanding ERs, Blue Hills and Cave Spring, and the construction of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at LewisGale Medical Center – so our patients have more convenient access to the highest possible quality of care. The demand mental health services is anticipated to continue to increase over the next five years; LewisGale has prioritized expanding services to better serve the greater community.
We’re committed to continuing to work to meet this growing need and are excited about the opportunity to develop a new mental health facility to serve our communities. We look forward to working with the state and Botetourt County to fill the existing gaps in access to mental health care and to provide high quality healthcare in our communities.”
Chris Finley, LewisGale Hospital spokesperson
The hospital aims to provide in-patient and out-patient services, including adolescent programs, adult programs, alcohol and drug treatment and crisis evaluation.