PROVIDENCE – Care New England Health Systems has started construction on a 25-bed short stay unit at Butler Hospital, Gov. Daniel J. McKee announced Wednesday.
The units, which are set to open in 2024, are meant to provide care for patients with mental health needs and reduce overcrowding at emergency departments.
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For years emergency departments in Rhode Island and across the country have been overcrowded, partly because of a shortage of health care workers. This issue also intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic as respiratory viruses circulated and has been compounded by a behavioral health crisis.
These additional short stay units will help alleviate the strain on hospitals by creating a space outside of emergency rooms for those with behavioral health issues to seek treatment, said Ana Novais, assistant secretary of R.I. executive office of Health and Human Services.
“The short stay unit will address the growing mental health crisis and make the delivery of service more immediately available by creating a space for the initiation of treatment outside of emergency rooms for those seeking help for behavioral health issues,” Novais said. “This unit will help us address our strategic priority focused on addressing addiction, improving behavioral health, and combatting stigma.”
The units are designed to house many different populations by using a flexible pod system to make sure patients’ access to care isn’t affected by space limitations. For example, isolation rooms can be provided and there is the ability for adolescent beds to flex up or down.
The renovations are supported by $4 million in federal funds granted to the state along with $8 million provided by McKee and the General Assembly from State Fiscal Recovery Fund, according to, Mary E. Marran, COO and president of Butler Hospital.
These funds allows the hospital “to have a substantial impact in eliminating the issue of Emergency Department boarding or closed beds due to infections such as COVID,” added Marran, who is also president of The Providence Center and senior vice president of Care New England Service Line.
“I want to thank all government leaders involved in this proposal – from our Congressional Delegation to our Governor and colleagues at EOHHS, as well as members of the General Assembly for these important investments in our healthcare system that will result in shorter wait times and less overcrowding at hospitals across the state,” Marran said.
McKee said the project also falls under one of the pillars of his administration’s Rhode Island 2030 Plan to reduce chronic illness and improve health outcomes.
“This important project will provide behavioral healthcare through mental health and substance abuse treatment, crisis intervention, and other services,” McKee said.
