(Albany, New York)- The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) announced the opening of the new $350 million Bronx Behavioral Health Campus in the Morris Park section of the Bronx, New York City. The new 436,310-square-foot facility features modern amenities for the 156-bed Bronx Psychiatric Center, the 86-bed New York City Children’s Center- Bronx Campus, and an expanded 188-bed residential village providing transitional and supported housing to adults with behavioral health issues.

“Throughout the history of our agency, the Office of Mental Health has understood the role that healing environments play in an individual’s recovery. The beautifully designed Bronx Psychiatric Center and the Bronx Campus of the New York City Children’s Center represent the State’s continued commitment to the City of New York and its most vulnerable residents. This new campus offers safe and secure facilities for individuals with mental illness to find hope, realize recovery, and build resiliency in a setting that exemplifies the best of what New York State has to offer,” said Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan.

The project was managed by DASNY, from the design that began in 2008 to its completion in December 2015. More than 5,000 workers, with approximately 18 percent from the Bronx, were employed in its development. Over 30% of all contracts were delivered to Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises, exceeding New York State’s goals.

“DASNY is proud to have partnered with the Office of Mental Health in delivering the state-of-the-art Bronx Psychiatric Center and the Bronx Campus of the New York City Children’s Center as we continue to strengthen New York’s safety net. This new facility will provide comfort, security and the tools its inhabitants need to help them recover and restart their lives. Constructing, and often financing, the infrastructure that comprises the essential fabric of our communities is at the core of what DASNY does,” said DASNY President and CEO Gerrard P. Bushell.

The new campus replaces the current Bronx Psychiatric Center, which opened in 1963, and Bronx Campus of the New York City Children’s Center, which opened in 1969 as Bronx Children’s Hospital. It offers a modern mental health treatment environment designed to provide services in a respectful manner within a safe, secure, and inspirational setting. The inpatient buildings feature secure indoor and outdoor recreation areas, cutting-edge electronic monitoring technologies, motivating educational settings, and comfortable living quarters. All treatment areas within the inpatient buildings were specifically designed to put patients at ease and provide a safe working environment for OMH employees.

In addition to the inpatient buildings on the new Bronx Behavioral Health Campus, the development also includes a new residential village, which expands the availability of much- needed supported, transitional, and crisis housing for New York City residents with mental illness. In total, three OMH residential programs will be operational on the site; a 48-bed Apartment Treatment program, a 96-bed Transitional Living Residence, and a new facility for OMH’s 44-bed Horizon House-Haven House crisis residence.

“The Bronx Campus of New York City Children’s Center has a proud history of service to children with serious emotional disturbances and their families, and we will continue such service through the years in this modern and accessible facility. To serve as inspiration for the resiliency they will build there, the children have named each new unit in the building. Hope. Unity. Dream. Life. These words will guide us as we help these children find the success they deserve as they look towards happier and healthier futures,” said Acting Interim Executive Director of the New York City Children’s Center- Bronx Campus Marcia Alkins, MA.

“Bronx Psychiatric Center provides first-rate mental health care to thousands of New Yorkers each year. The new architecturally welcoming space, brightened by natural light from hundreds of windows and surrounded by thoughtful landscaping, will help our patients feel connected to the outside world and feel hopeful for the future. The open design of the treatment units will enable our employees to provide better supervision of patients and have the space they need to provide safe one-on-one care,” said Bronx Psychiatric Center’s Acting Executive Director Anita Daniels, MS, RN-BC.

The campus features a new Central Services Building to provide support services to both the inpatient buildings and the residential village. This building contains administrative offices, a centralized kitchen, maintenance shops, and other services that were previously scattered throughout the campus. The consolidated location of these services allows for more efficient operation of the new buildings and reduces duplicative systems throughout the campus.

In its new location, the Bronx Behavioral Health Campus is more closely integrated with the immediate neighborhood and transforms what was a secluded campus into a connected part of the community. Adjacent to the facility is a recently constructed Residence Inn and Applebees Restaurant, which provides visiting family members with nearby food and lodging options. The close relationship with the surrounding area will help patients feel less isolated and more hopeful for their future return to the community.

The campus is constructed to operate as an energy efficient building, with a pending goal of LEED-Silver certification from the United States Green Building Conference. This energy-conscious construction should reduce the facility’s energy consumption by 21% or nearly $300,000 annually.

Flickr Album of Bronx Behavioral Health Campus, Creative Commons Attribution, available here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/nysomh/8jX5LH
B-Roll Video of the Campus for Media, MP4 Format, available here: Bronx Behavioral Health Campus Video