New Psychiatric Hospital Opens in Rural North Carolina
ECU Health Behavioral Health Hospital, a joint venture between nonprofit ECU Health and Tennessee-based Acadia Healthcare, opened in Greenville as a 144-bed facility providing inpatient and intensive outpatient psychiatric services to adults and children, with 24 beds designated for pediatric patients. The hospital addresses a significant gap in eastern North Carolina: 31 counties have no psychiatrist, and 67 of the state’s 100 counties have no child psychiatrist, according to the University of North Carolina’s Sheps Center. Patients in the region previously had to travel to the Triangle area or across the state for intensive psychiatric services.
ECU Health CEO Michael Waldrum stated the hospital “ensures that whether you live in a small, rural farming town, a coastal community, or anywhere in between, you have access to world-class behavioral health care close to home.” Michael Lang, chair of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at ECU Health, noted that patients previously had to travel long distances and wait years for evaluations. The hospital will be staffed by ECU Health physicians and serve as a teaching facility for East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, potentially doubling the psychiatric residency cohort. Plans include opening an outpatient mental health center next to the hospital in 2026.
Concerns About Partner Organization’s Record
Acadia Healthcare has faced significant scrutiny. In June 2024, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a report accusing Acadia and three other major behavioral health companies of “putting profits above the safety and treatment of children,” operating facilities with “minimal therapeutic treatment in deficient physical settings” to “maximize per-diem margins.” In September 2024, the New York Times reported Acadia held patients against their will for financial rather than medical reasons based on interviews with more than 50 current and former Acadia staff. In October 2024, the Department of Justice announced Acadia’s nearly $20 million settlement resolving allegations of unnecessary billing to Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare, along with claims of insufficient staffing and inadequate treatment planning. The settlement included resolution of allegations that staffing failures resulted in “assaults, elopements, suicides and other harm to patients.” Acadia entered the settlement without admitting guilt.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2025/09/03/ecu-health-and-for-profit-giant-acadia-team-up-to-open-new-psychiatric-hospital/