The new Arizona State Hospital forensic unit construction is on track and progressing nicely. We’re in the home stretch now- and the contractors are putting the finishing touches on the project. The new facility will be a huge help and will be much more conducive to helping our patients on their recovery path. It’ll also really improve the working conditions for our dedicated staff- and will make their mission to help our patients alot easier. Environment really does influence how well you can implement programming to help patients.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for the first week in October. Shortly after that, we’ll begin executing the transition plans developed by our transition teams and our patients will begin moving in to the new facility- which looks more like a college campus than a hospital. The capacity of the new units will accommodate all of our forensic patients- although we’ll continue to operate the community re-integration unit out of the former adolescent treatment building.
Later this fall the 50+ year old Forensic WICK Units will be shut down and mothballed. By the way- the WICK Units were named after Samuel Wick, MD, who was the Superintendent of the Arizona State Hospital during the 1950s and early 60s.
