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Riverside Behavioral Health Center Raises Final Steel Beam on New Psychiatric Emergency Department

(WYDaily/Dominic Catacora)
(WYDaily/Dominic Catacora)

HAMPTON — To celebrate the next phase in its construction process, Riverside Behavioral Health Center (RBHC) held a beam-signing event Wednesday, Nov. 16.

The RHBC expansion project was announced earlier this year. At Wednesday’s event, team members joined with community members, leadership, and local political representatives in signing a final steel beam before lifting it to the construction site.

Riverside Health System is promising to bring a “First of Its Kind Psychiatric Emergency Department to the Region.”

“I’ve been here for just over three years,” said Chief of Behavioral Health and Medical Director of Adolescent Services at RBHC Dr. Ryan McQueen, in an interview with WYDaily. “When I got here I didn’t know any of this was on the radar. So this is pretty amazing to see this growth and this expansion, and it feels wonderful to be a part of.”

The new building will provide 24/7 support for community members who may be experiencing a psychiatric crisis. Riverside’s goal is to support the mental health of the community across the region by offering professional aid for those with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other conditions.

(WYDaily/Dominic Catacora)

“Behavioral health is still the toughest part of healthcare,” CEO of Riverside Health System Bill Downey said as he addressed the crowd of attendees. “It does not get the attention it needs, and we certainly hope that this construction project, with the programmatic changes that are ongoing, that we will see that continued awareness of behavioral health services.”

The project broke ground in June. Riverside’s latest addition is scheduled to open in the latter half of 2023.

“We also have here already in-patient treatment for adolescents and adults, that’s for 12 years and older,” said McQueen. “We also have substance abuse treatment, which is an intensive outpatient program. Our therapists will figure out which program the patients have to go to. We already have an area now where patients can come in and can be evaluated by therapists to see if they need to come into the hospitals.”

For more information on professional services provided by RBHC, head over to its official website.

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