KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Leaders from across the state were at University Health for a signing ceremony Wednesday. It’s the latest step to making a new mental health facility a reality.
University Health will be the lead on a 300,000 square foot facility located at Belvidere Park. It will have beds to help provide care for a minimum of 200 Missourians. This will provide care services for those going through mental health crises or needing an evaluation.
This will also bring 600 new jobs to the University Health System. President and CEO, Charlie Shields, says they couldn’t have tackled this $300 million investment without serious partnership from the city and state.
“For the state of Missouri, this represents the largest capital expenditure for anything other than roads that we’ve had in decades, so I mean it shows that the legislature is listening, the councils listening, the governors, we had two governors, Parson and Kehoe, listening,” Shields said. “So I think it shows that they understand that need and they’ve been responsive to that need and they’re creating the solutions, so that’s a very positive thing for the regional city and the state.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas was in attendance as the new facility will sit on land the city used to own. This was another step in bringing the plans for this facility to fruition.
”Today is a great day. I commend my friends in Jefferson City, Former Governor Mike Parson, Governor Mike Kehoe and all who made it so we could have that investment the city of Kansas City, our tax payers putting up the land as part of the deal, and the great hospital, University Health, addressing a lot of it,” Lucas said.
At the signing were also representatives from the state’s Office of Administration and Department of Mental Health.
Leaders hope to have doors open on the new facility in 2028. Renderings of what it will look like are expected to be released in the coming months.
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