Crews this week set the final steel beam on the replacement Wichita Falls State Hospital, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission said Friday, marking the topping out of a $452 million, 225-bed psychiatric hospital scheduled to be finished in late 2027.
The 411,505-square-foot building will serve adults and children who need inpatient psychiatric care, according to the commission. Its design includes outdoor therapy areas and natural light throughout. The Wichita Falls campus dates to 1922, when the Legislature authorized a psychiatric facility for the area.
Gov. Greg Abbott said in the release that Texas has spent more than $2.5 billion since 2017 to modernize its state hospitals. HHS Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth called the new building a key investment in the state's continuum of behavioral health care.
Terrell and Dallas
Wichita Falls is one of several projects in the commission's building program. One is in Terrell, where HHSC is building a 275-bed replacement for Terrell State Hospital. The commission's project page puts its budget at $573 million, approved by the 88th Legislature, with substantial completion expected next year.
Dallas already has the newest piece of the system. The 292-bed Texas Behavioral Health Center, with 200 adult and 92 pediatric beds and run by UT Southwestern Medical Center, held its ribbon cutting June 16. Children's Health contributed $261 million toward its pediatric wing, according to HHSC.
