SANFORD – Construction of the new behavioral health unit at Sanford Medical Center of Southern Maine Health Care is set to begin, with a view to a spring or summer opening next year.

Ultimately, the unit, which will be operated by Maine Behavioral Healthcare, will accommodate up to 42 patients in a mix of private and semi-private rooms, but will open with capacity for 30 in the first year, hospital officials have said.

Demolition and renovation inside the hospital building to create the unit will begin next week, SMHC spokeswoman Allison Kenty said on Thursday.

Those using or driving by the facility in the next couple of days are likely to see large demolition containers and staging near the Emergency Department entrance and handicap parking spots near the ED will be relocated and signed. Construction trailers will be located at the rear of the building, she said.

“Everything is on schedule and we’re excited about it,” said Kenty.

The project will include renovations to former inpatient areas of the Sanford campus that have been vacant since the fall of 2015, and other improvements to the hospital’s infrastructure.

The inpatient behavioral heath unit will replace a similar, but smaller unit currently located at the Biddeford campus. Currently the Biddeford unit can accommodate 12 patients, who stay an average of eight to 10 days.

The $11 million behavioral health project will generate over 50 new jobs, and provide critically needed bed capacity for York County patients who are experiencing short-term crises with diagnoses like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, said SMHC CEO Nate Howell in announcing the project earlier this year.

In 2018, behavioral health cases increased 20 percent, with more than 250 cases each month at the emergency departments in Biddeford and Sanford, hospital officials said. The increase led to unacceptable wait times, said Dr. Robert McCarley, psychiatrist and vice president of medical affairs at Maine Behavioral Healthcare.

“The lack of short-stay beds in York County for patients with behavioral health needs is resulting in unacceptable wait periods for these patients who desperately require care,” said McCarley in a January news release announcing the project.

Southern Maine Health Care and Maine Behavioral Healthcare are both members of MaineHealth.

Behavioral health patients will still be seen in emergency rooms on both campuses, and if determination is made that the patient needs inpatient care, that will take place in Sanford.

SMHC Sanford Medical Center plans an open house at the facility on Oct. 8, Kenty said.

Those who want to track progress on the project may do so at: www.smhc.org/construction.

“We’re anxious to get started, and to fulfill our re-commitment to Sanford,” said Kenty.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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