Jennie Stuart Health has announced the opening of a new service line to better serve the senior community.
A news release says a new 12-bed geriatric behavioral health inpatient unit is opening at the hospital on West 18th Street in Hopkinsville. The unit will begin accepting patients on New Year’s Eve.
Geriatric behavioral health is a medical specialty that is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in senior adults. The hospital says in its statement that patients are generally around 65 years old and living with depression, anxiety, behavioral disorders or thinking disturbances.
Jennie Stuart CEO Eric Lee says, “With an aging population, geriatric behavioral health is a service that is vital to our community. We are very proud to provide a higher level of care through this service offering. The needs of the senior adult are unique, not only physically but also emotionally,”
The behavioral health unit will also provide support to families of patients, with VP of Nursing and Clinical Services Beth McCraw saying, “One of the ways we can do that is for our professionals to help counsel and train family members on how to acclimate their loved one back into their home or regular lives after a stay at our hospital.”