Centra and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, an operating division of Lifepoint Health, joined community leaders for a celebratory ribbon cutting to mark the completion of the Centra Behavioral Health Hospital in Lynchburg, Virginia, which is set to open this summer. Through a joint venture, the two organizations announced the new behavioral health hospital in 2023, marking the first of two specialty hospitals to open on the Simons Run Medical Campus.
The new hospital expands Centra’s behavioral health capacity by 25%. With 72 beds and more than 60,000 square feet, it is purposefully designed to serve patients with a broad range of psychiatric needs, including depression, anxiety, post‑traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, psychosis, personality disorders and co‑occurring substance use concerns. The hospital’s design fosters a therapeutic environment through open, airy spaces, spacious patient rooms, community areas and an outdoor courtyard, while flexible clinical spaces support the needs of patients and families in both individual and group treatment settings.
“The opening of Centra Behavioral Health Hospital represents a meaningful step forward for our community, said Richard Tugman, president and CEO of Centra. “By expanding access to specialized behavioral health services, we are directly addressing a longstanding need across central Virginia. It reflects our commitment to ensuring patients and families can access high-quality care close to home.”
Centra Behavioral Health Hospital is supported by a multidisciplinary team of nurses, therapists, psychiatrists and behavioral health technicians. Therapeutic interventions will utilize diversified programming that includes specific therapy models of treatment encompassing the whole person. These treatment models provide evidence-based therapies with distinct short and long-term goals of improving and sustaining mental health.
“I am honored to lead this talented team of behavioral health professionals,” said Taylor Davis, chief executive officer of Centra Behavioral Health Hospital. “I know that with the depth in expertise we have through this partnership, and with the benefit of a new, modern facility, we will be able to bring the kind of care that drives healthier and more resilient communities.”
Lifepoint Behavioral Health is dedicated to delivering high-quality, safe care and demonstrating industry leadership in clinical outcomes for patients. The organization will manage the day-to-day operations of the behavioral health hospital, which joins its national network of 25 free-standing behavioral health hospitals. Lifepoint Behavioral Health champions clinical excellence by advancing a unified ecosystem of behavioral health care that is patient-centered, focused on the whole person, driven by data, and strengthened through innovative partnerships.
“This is an exciting day for our teams as we celebrate the start of our journey providing behavioral health services within this vibrant specialty campus here in Lynchburg,” said Nicki Tessler, president of Lifepoint Behavioral Health. “We know we are stronger through partnership, and we are proud to work alongside a patient-focused community health system like Centra as they realize their vision to make care more accessible, coordinated and community driven. Lifepoint’s mission of making communities healthier inspires this model of collaboration, and we know that together, we can better support emotional health and wellbeing of our neighbors throughout central Virginia.”
Located at 1155 Simons Run, Centra Behavioral Hospital is part of the Centra Simons Run Medical Campus. Later this summer, the second hospital on the campus, the Centra Rehabilitation Hospital will begin operations. Both projects are integral to Centra’s multi-year modernization plan which is the largest facilities and technology investment in the organization’s nearly 40-year history, focused on addressing priority community needs.
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About Centra
Centra is a regional nonprofit healthcare system based in Lynchburg, Virginia. Serving its communities for over three decades, Centra has more than 7,600 caregivers, 500 employed providers and physicians, and a medical staff of nearly 800. Providing care in 50 locations, Centra serves over 500,000 people through critical medical services in central and southern Virginia. Centra is committed to fulfilling its mission of improving the health and quality of life for the communities they serve. For more information, please visit centrahealth.com.
About Lifepoint Behavioral Health
Lifepoint Behavioral Health specializes in providing compassionate care across the behavioral healthcare continuum. Through its 25 behavioral health hospitals and more than 30 behavioral health units, Lifepoint Behavioral Health operates a unified ecosystem of behavioral healthcare through independent operation, contract management and joint venture partnerships with hospitals and providers across the country. Its treatment models are designed to address the unique needs of various patient populations, including adolescents, adults and geriatrics, and utilize evidence-based therapies with distinct short- and long-term goals of improving and sustaining mental health. Lifepoint Behavioral Health is an operating division of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Lifepoint Health.
