The pandemic has highlighted the need for Lakeland Regional to expand mental health services, according to Alice Nuttall, LRH's associate vice president for mental health services.
Nuttall said it was estimated that one in five, or 20%, of adults could have benefited from some form of behavioral health services prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. More recent studies say it's become one in three since the pandemic, she said.
The new behavioral health center, designed by Orlando-based HuntonBrady Architects, incorporates the healing properties of natural light and the environment. It will consist of three freestanding, single-story buildings with landscaped courtyards between the buildings.