GEORGETOWN, Del. — Before the groundbreaking ceremony took place Nov. 2, a standalone psychiatric facility did not exist in Sussex County. Now, a new $25 million psychiatric hospital in Georgetown is expected to bring 133 jobs as well as crisis care to the people who need it most.

The hospital, owned by Red Bank, N.J.-based SUN Behavioral Health is scheduled to open by May 2018 and Wilmington, Del.-based Fearn Clendaniel Architects is leading the design process along with Morristown, N.J.-based NK Architects. The position of general contractor is still up for bidding.

According to a statement from the Sussex County Post, initial talk of the project was spurred by concerns voiced to SUN Behavioral Health by CEOs from three downstate health care institutions; Jeffrey Fried at Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Healthcare, Terry Murphy at Dover, Del.-based Bayhealth and Steve Rose at Seaford, Del.-based Nanticoke Health Services.

“This will be a hospital that really is part of a community-wide solution,” said Steve Page, SUN Behavioral Health CEO in a statement. “We are just a piece in the pattern. This will be part of a community effort to solve mental illness and addiction disorders for those suffering in Sussex County. This hopefully will be an important missing piece.”

State lawmakers fast-tracked the hospital’s plans to meet mental health care needs in the community.
Photo Credit: Fearn Clendaniel Architects

The closest free-standing psychiatric center or hospital is in Dover, Del., 36 miles away from Georgetown.

“I just can’t put my head to rest at night knowing that we need this service, when we hear from families who tell us how urgent the need is,” said Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, D-Middletown, chairwoman of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee in a statement.

That’s why SUN Behavioral Health’s 93,000-square-foot psychiatric health care facility will be a welcomed fixture in the Georgetown community. The facility will also have inpatient beds for those with mental health and addiction treatment needs, as well as intensive outpatient treatment within the community.

“Our mission is to partner with communities, to solve unmet needs for those suffering from mental illness and addiction disorders,” said Page in a statement.

One of the biggest challenges came when SUN Behavioral Health’s competitor King of Prussia, Pa. -based Universal Health Services tried to fight the construction project in court. Universal Health Services alleged that the hospital was not properly approved for construction in the first place and came with too many beds.

State lawmakers proposed a bill, which nullified any legal battle and allowed the hospital to continue construction. The bill passed the state Senate and the House of Representatives and was signed by Gov. Jack Markell this year.