Governor Greg Abbott announced seven new state hospital projects to better serve people in need of inpatient psychiatric services. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) projects are funded by $1.5 billion approved by the Governor and the Texas Legislature in 2023 to expand, renovate, and build new facilities across the state.
“Texas continues working to increase access to critical behavioral health treatments for Texans in every corner of our state,” said Governor Abbott. “Last year, I signed a law to provide crucial funding to expand and build new, modern mental health facilities throughout Texas. 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. I thank my partners in the Texas Legislature and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for working tirelessly to increase access to mental healthcare resources that will serve Texans for generations to come.”
“We are extremely proud of the transformation of our state hospital system and the opportunities being created,” said Deputy Executive Commissioner for the HHSC Health and Specialty Care System Scott Schalchlin. “These projects will improve the well-being of even more people across the state. We’re not just building hospitals — we’re rebuilding lives.”
The following projects are in various stages of planning and design, with many slated for construction later this year:
Panhandle State Hospital (Amarillo): Constructing a new state hospital to serve 75 patients in a non-maximum-security unit. Budget: $159 million.
Lubbock Psychiatric Center: Constructing a new state hospital with a 50-bed maximum-security unit. Budget: $121 million.
Terrell State Hospital: Constructing a 250-bed replacement hospital. Budget: $573 million.
North Texas State Hospital – Wichita Falls: Constructing a 200-bed replacement hospital. Budget: $452 million.
Rio Grande State Center (Harlingen): Expanding current facility to add a 50-bed maximum-security unit. Budget: $120 million.
San Antonio State Hospital: Renovating an existing building to add a 40-bed maximum-security unit. Budget: $15 million.
El Paso Psychiatric Center: Planning and land acquisition to expand the current facility by 50 non-maximum-security beds. Budget: $50 million.
Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature have provided $2.5 billion since 2017 for capital projects to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care in Texas. HHSC hosted grand openings this year for replacement hospitals in Austin and San Antonio. In addition, HHSC completed renovations at Kerrville State Hospital and opened new facilities at Rusk State Hospital and the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center in Houston.
Construction continues on the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern in Dallas. The adult unit and pediatric unit are slated for completion in summer 2025 and spring 2026, respectively.
HHSC owns and operates nine state hospitals and one residential treatment center for youth. State hospitals provide inpatient psychiatric services to individuals on civil commitments and competency restoration services for people on forensic commitments who have been determined incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity.
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