TACOMA — Washington state health officials have approved a plan for a new 120-bed psychiatric hospital in Tacoma.
The News Tribune reported that the Department of Health approved the plan by the Tacoma-based alliance of MultiCare Health System and CHI Franciscan Health System. The agency also rejected a competing application by a California company, Signature Healthcare Services, for a similar facility in Pierce County.
Signature, which operates psychiatric hospitals nationwide, had asked the agency to approve both projects, saying there’s a growing need for mental health care in the county.
Pierce County has had a severe shortage of psychiatric beds since Puget Sound Hospital closed in 2010.
Construction will begin this year on the $41 million new facility, which will be built on the Allenmore Hospital campus. It’s expected to open in 2018.
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