Renovation of a medical facility in Wichita Falls, Texas. Conceptual plans call for the renovation of a medical facility.

https://abc13.com/post/texas-begin-construction-7-new-psychiatric-hospital-projects/14986814/ Texas will begin building seven new state psychiatric hospital projects this year as it continues to attempt to address the mental health crisis. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission projects are funded by $1.5 billion, which lawmakers approved in 2023 to expand, renovate, and build new facilities across the state. The agency owns and operates nine state hospitals and one residential treatment center for youth. Gov. Greg Abbott detailed the plans in a press release Thursday. "Last year, I signed a law to provide crucial funding to expand and build new, modern mental health facilities throughout Texas," Abbott said. "These new state hospital projects will help ensure that Texans experiencing a mental health issue have access to mental health professionals and high-quality treatments to address their needs." A majority of these funds will be used to construct the new Panhandle State Hospital in Amarillo and the Lubbock Psychiatric Center, as well as a 250-bed replacement for the Terrell State Hospital and a 200-bed replacement for the North Texas State Hospital in Wichita Falls. Around $120 million will be used to add a 50-bed maximum-security unit at the Rio Grande State Center in Harlingen, and $15 million will be used to add a 40-bed maximum-security unit at the San Antonio State Hospital. The state is also planning to buy land to expand the current El Paso Psychiatric Center by 50 non-maximum-security beds. State hospitals treat mostly forensic patients - people transferred from county jails or the state prison system because they were determined to be incompetent to stand trial or because a jury found them not guilty by reason of insanity. In 2023, a little over 60% of adults treated inside state hospitals came from the criminal justice system, either from county jails or the prison system. Over the past two decades, the state has reported a 38% increase in people who are found incompetent to stand trial. And as of last year, more than 2,300 people were waiting in Texas county jails for months and sometimes more than a year for the kind of intense therapy and medication treatment available only through the state's psychiatric hospital system. At the urging of county jail officials, state lawmakers undertook a massive funding operation to repair or build new state psychiatric facilities. Since 2017, lawmakers have provided $2.5 billion to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care in Texas. Replacement hospitals in Austin and San Antonio have already had their grand openings, and both are expected to be up in running later this summer. "We are extremely proud of the transformation of our state hospital system and the opportunities being created," said Deputy Executive Commissioner for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Health and Specialty Care System Scott Schalchlin in a news release. "These projects will improve the well-being of even more people across the state. We're not just building hospitals - we're rebuilding lives." __________________ https://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/texas-to-begin-construction-this-year-on-seven-new-psychiatric-hospital-projects/article_ee326f08-300a-11ef-a057-b7657b9d1473.html 200-bed replacement for the North Texas State Hospital in Wichita Falls. ____________ The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is an agency within the Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) system. The Procurement and Contracting Services (PCS) division of HHSC administers solicitations for HHS. The state hospital system serves persons with mental illness. The 88th Texas Legislature has appropriated funds for repairs or new construction of state hospitals or other state-funded inpatient mental healthcare facilities. HHSC intends to optimize and modernize the physical infrastructure where state-funded inpatient psychiatric care is provided. HHSC is committed to a system of care that serves the diverse needs of Texans and improves access to mental healthcare services. Selection of an architectural and engineering design professional for the Projects will be done through a two-stage process as set out in Article 5, Solicitation Response Evaluation and Award Process. Responses to this RFQ must be received in the format specified in this RFQ no later than the deadline for submission of Solicitation Response as set forth in Section 3.1 of this RFQ. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES The 88th Texas Legislature appropriated $452 million for the design and construction of a 200-bed replacement hospital at 515 Kemp Boulevard, Wichita Falls, Texas, 76308, and $159 million for the design and construction of a new 75-bed hospital in Amarillo, Texas. HHSC is soliciting the services listed herein in accordance with Texas Government Code Chapter 2254, Subchapter A, the Professional Services Procurement Act. HHSC is requesting qualifications from professional design firms to provide complete programming, design, including FFE design, and associated Construction Administration services for the design and construction of the two projects described below. It is the intent of HHSC to have an aggressive design and construction schedule. The scope of Project 1 may also encompass demolition of major components of surrounding buildings and utilities as needed to implement the design, including replacement, restoration, or renovation, hazardous materials abatement planning, and consulting services. A mandatory requirement of Project 1 is the assessment of existing campus utilities; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems; and capacities for implementation of the design to extend the useful life of the new building(s) for more than 50 years. Site improvements to existing campus drives, parking, ramps, sidewalks, landscaping, landscape irrigation and campus utilities shall be implemented, as necessary, to accomplish the intended goals of Project 1. As of July 18, 2024, an issuance of short-listed firms and result from request for qualification of a design firm has not been released. *Project information, including timeline and contacts, has been obtained through public sources. The content management team continues to pursue additional details; however, the contact(s) listed have yet to disclose or confirm any information. Inquiries should be directed to the contact(s) listed.