Prisma Health's New Behavioral Health Facility Receives $5 Million Donation

The Upstate region faces a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds, forcing thousands of patients to seek treatment as far away as the coast. Dr. Karen Lommel, executive medical director of behavioral health operations at Prisma, highlighted the importance of local treatment options, stating that more than 3,000 patients are referred to facilities outside the Upstate annually. The new hospital, part of a $138 million effort, aims to enhance accessibility for adults and children.

Dave Brereton, chairman and founder of Tecsys, expressed his personal connection to the cause, noting his family's involvement in foster care and adoption, and emphasized that the hospital's true impact would be measured by the lives it changes, not just its physical structure.

This facility will replace the Marshall I. Pickens Hospital, which has 65 beds, nearly doubling the current capacity and greatly increasing the availability of beds for children and adolescents in the Prisma system.

The Prisma facility is part of a broader trend in South Carolina, where other medical systems are expanding their mental health services. Recently, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System launched an 11-bed inpatient Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit to cater to patients aged 12-17 in Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties.

Nationally, mental health initiatives are also progressing, with the U.S. Department of Education granting $5.3 million to the Charleston County School Districts to enhance mental health services for students, facilitating the hiring of additional school psychologists.

In South Carolina, mental health has gained increased attention, with Governor Henry McMaster declaring May as Mental Health Month in 2019. The Vital Spartanburg plan, initiated in 2024, aims to reduce mental health distress and related crises in the area, marking a shift from planning to action this summer. Although drug overdose deaths have declined by 33 percent statewide due to these focused efforts, suicides have risen by 9 percent, indicating ongoing challenges.

Prisma’s new behavioral health hospital is seen as a critical resource to help combat the mental health crisis in the Upstate. Dr. Lommel emphasized, "Mental health is health," underscoring the critical need for timely and appropriate treatment for mental illness.

Contact Avery Beaton at 864-504-5625.