TERRELL, Texas — After a five-year long-fought battle by Representative Keith Bell, the 88th Legislature approved in its state budget a total of $573 million in funding to construct a much-needed 250-bed replacement campus at Terrell State Hospital (TSH).
TERRELL, Texas — After a five-year long-fought battle by Representative Keith Bell, the 88th Legislature approved in its state budget a total of $573 million in funding to construct a much-needed 250-bed replacement campus at Terrell State Hospital (TSH).
Representative Bell began on this mission to improve the Terrell State Hospital immediately after being elected to office in 2019. After countless meetings and correspondence with officials from the City of Terrell, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), and other critical stakeholders, the funding for this capital project is finally appropriated.
The funding allocated from Senate Bill 30 will go towards constructing a 250-bed replacement campus at TSH that includes 50 maximum security beds, 140 forensic beds, 35 adolescent beds, and 25 civil beds. The new campus will become a vital part of the continuum of mental health recovery services as it addresses important unmet needs in the region for inpatient treatment for those suffering from serious mental illness. Challenges facing the aging facilities in Terrell are exacerbated by the state's growing need for space to provide treatment for the acutely mentally ill caused by population growth and an increase in mentally ill inmates.
"I've worked hard on many fronts with regional partners and state agencies these past years to illustrate to my colleagues in the legislature the vital responsibility Texas has in addressing the critical infrastructure needs that face our state hospitals, especially Terrell State Hospital, which hasn't had renovations or major maintenance done since the 1970s."
This state hospital in Terrell will continue to serve as a center of excellence for workforce training which is paramount in ensuring quality care to the greater regional community and serves as a major economic asset for the City of Terrell. This academic partnership between TSH and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (UTHSCT) is expected to grow during the new campus design and construction phase as they provide expertise in behavioral health nursing, psychiatry resident, and psychology post-doctoral fellow experiences from the medical center.
"The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has a long history of partnering with Terrell State Hospital to meet the public mental health needs of East Texas. I'm thankful to them for the collaborative relationship we've fostered throughout this five-year-long project. Our partnership with them is vital to the success of Terrell State Hospital."
The Terrell State Hospital design phase will start this year, with construction to begin in the Fall of 2024.