New WakeMed health campus aims to transform mental health care

Mental and physical health are often thought of and treated

separately but about 53 acres of land here in Garner

will soon be transformed into a new health campus with

the goal of changing that

Every year 1 in 4 people will need care for

a mental health disorder

WakeMed emergency departments see an average of 1200 patients with

mental health needs each month

Of them about 400 require inpatient care

Right now there are only enough beds for about half

of them

If someone showed up in the emergency room with a

heart attack or a broken leg and we said Hey

great thanks for coming in

That'll be 2 weeks before you get to treatment that

that's really unheard of but that's what happens every single

day for someone who's experiencing a mental health challenge

This land near White Oak Crossing will help change that

with a new 150 bed mental health hospital

Connected to a 45 bed acute care hospital

Our vision is to create somewhere that people are proud

to go

When you show up for a physical health need it

looks the same as it does when you have a

mental health need

Construction is supported by the courage to confront Crisis campaign

spearheaded by the WakeMed Foundation

It is the largest campaign that WakeMed has ever done

More than 32 million of the 50 million goal has

been raised so far

All of it from community donations

Everybody has a story

It's an achievement the foundation says highlights just how big

the need is

This is an issue that really does not discriminate across

class lines

My dream is that we will give people a path

to get the help that they need and that hopefully

that impacts our community in incredibly positive ways

An official groundbreaking here in Garner is set for November

6th

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