Construction of a new $452 million North Texas State Hospital in Wichita Falls is underway, set for completion by late 2027. The project aims to enhance mental health care access with 200 beds and state-of-the-art amenities. Texas plans to build 6 more hospitals to improve behavioral health treatment across the state.
Texas Health and Human Services Commission photo
The 2024 groundbreaking ceremony for the North Texas State Hospital in Wichita Falls.
Ever since the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) broke ground on Sept. 24, 2024, for its $452 million project to replace the North Texas State Hospital in Wichita Falls, McGough Construction has made solid progress toward meeting the late 2027 completion date.
The 88th Texas Legislature approved the project last year.
"Residents of north Texas will now have better access to essential mental and behavioral health treatments without having to drive hundreds of miles to receive the care they need," Gov. Greg Abbott said.
"As part of a comprehensive plan to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care across the state, this new hospital will offer healing and hope to some of the most vulnerable people in northwest Texas," HHSC Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young said. "The state's unprecedented investment will enhance treatment and help patients return to their homes and communities."
The new hospital will have 200 beds, including 24 for maximum security patients, 136 for non-maximum security patients, 24 for adolescents and 16 for civil commitments.
The facility will include numerous features designed to promote recovery. Single-person rooms will balance privacy and protection for patients, and common activity areas and outdoor courtyards will encourage healthy social interaction.
The "downtown" area of the hospital will provide centralized therapeutic and recreational activities for patients with staff engagement, with spaces such as a general store, café, bank, beauty salon and barbershop, chapel, canteen and greenhouse. This new facility will feature therapeutic spaces in a secure environment for patients experiencing mental illness and include separate spaces for adult patients and those ages 12 and under.
Adjacent to the hospital will be surface parking, gardens and other amenities.
The North Texas State Hospital consists of one campus in Wichita Falls and two in Vernon.
The three-story hospital will have a footprint of more than 410,000 sq. ft. and will be located on the existing hospital grounds. The building was designed by Page Architects.
"One of the biggest considerations is our regulatory compliance, which has more than 2,000 standards that must be met," said Emily Hummel, spokesperson of Texas Health & Human Services. "The original hospital buildings in Wichita Falls at North Texas State Hospital are more than 100 years old and still serving the people of Texas. We hope this new facility will do the same. The new buildings include private rooms, common areas, outdoor courtyards and the use of natural light to promote recovery and healing."
This building will not be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified, but some LEED-type items will be incorporated during construction.
Thus far, McGough Construction has completed the abatement and demolition of existing buildings on site. Construction activities over the next year will focus on utility and site work before foundation and building shell work begin.
Once the building is enclosed, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other crews will be busy.
"The new construction is adjacent to the existing campus, so the contractor is taking safety measures not only audibly," Hummel said, "but also physically to protect the ongoing hospital services from disruption. Services will not be impacted."
The HHSC will construct seven new hospitals over the next few years. The $1.5 billion to fund the projects was approved in 2023 and on June 20, 2024, Abbott announced the new projects to be built across the state.
"Texas continues working to increase access to critical behavioral health treatments for Texans in every corner of our state," 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."
The investment is much appreciated by the HHSC.
"We are extremely proud of the transformation of our state hospital system and the opportunities being created," said Scott Schalchlin, deputy executive commissioner of the HHSC Health and Specialty Care System. "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, design, and construction for new facilities in Amarillo, El Paso, Harlingen, Lubbock and Terrell.
• 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: Building 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.
• 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.
Since 2017, the state has allocated $2.5 billion for capital projects to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care in Texas. In 2024, it hosted grand openings for replacement hospitals in Austin and San Antonio, as well as completing renovations at Kerrville State Hospital. It also opened new facilities at Rusk State Hospital and the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center in Houston.
Construction is ongoing at the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern in Dallas, with the adult unit and pediatric unit slated for completion this summer and spring 2026, respectively. Work is also taking place for a replacement hospital in Terrell.
Irwin Rapoport
A journalist who started his career at a weekly community newspaper, Irwin Rapoport has written about construction and architecture for more than 15 years, as well as a variety of other subjects, such as recycling, environmental issues, business supply chains, property development, pulp and paper, agriculture, solar power and energy, and education. Getting the story right and illustrating the hard work and professionalism that goes into completing road, bridge, and building projects is important to him. A key element of his construction articles is to provide readers with an opportunity to see how general contractors and departments of transportation complete their projects and address challenges so that lessons learned can be shared with a wider audience.
Rapoport has a BA in History and a Minor in Political Science from Concordia University. His hobbies include hiking, birding, cycling, reading, going to concerts and plays, hanging out with friends and family, and architecture. He is keen to one day write an MA thesis on military and economic planning by the Great Powers prior to the start of the First World War.
Read more from Irwin Rapoport here.
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