Texas Takes Early Steps to Repair Or Replace Its Aged Mental Hospitals
Style Magazine Newswire | 1/12/2018, 6:47 a.m.
Austin State Hospital photo by Shelby Tauber
Texas leaders are taking the first steps to make long-awaited fixes to state hospitals built in the 19th and 20th centuries that serve Texans who need mental health services. Texas Health and Human Services Commission officials said they are receiving $47.7 million to begin needed construction for existing state hospitals. The funding is part of the $300 million authorized by the Legislature during the 2017 session. The first phase of improvements includes remodeling projects to expand capacity at the Kerrville and San Antonio state hospitals, adding beds to the Rusk State Hospital and planning for a new hospital in Houston. It also includes developing plans for reimagining the Austin State Hospital and San Antonio State Hospital, which were serving about 530 people combined during a 2016 review. The state is estimating it’ll cost $235 million to build new facilities in Austin and an estimated $270 million for a new San Antonio hospital.
