Construction begins on new state psychiatric hospital in Dallas

DALLAS - Construction begins Monday on the state’s newest psychiatric hospital in Dallas.

The hospital will be built at the southwest corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Medical District Drive.

Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature approved more than $200 million in funding for the project.

RELATED: First state psychiatric hospital to be built in Dallas County

It’s a partnership between Texas Health and Human Services and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Texas ranks last when it comes to mental healthcare access, according to a recent report from Mental Health America.

The new hospital will have 200 beds for adults in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

Some of the psychiatric beds will go to inmates deemed incompetent to stand trial who need a place to get help. That includes hundreds of inmates in the Dallas County jail.

Children’s Health is also contributing funding for a 96-bed pediatric wing.

The facility is expected to be completed in 2025.