Tuscaloosa, AL – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is ordering construction to resume on a new Bryce mental hospital in Tuscaloosa and revising plans to close other mental health facilities.
Bentley announced a new plan for the state mental health agency on Friday.
He says work will resume on the new, 268-bed Bryce after a temporary stoppage a month ago.
Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility and North Alabama Regional Hospital will remain open, contrary to an earlier plan. But Searcy Hospital in Mt. Vernon and Greil Memorial Hospital in Montgomery will still close.
In February, Mental Health Commissioner Zelia Baugh announced a plan to close four of six mental illness facilities and treat all mental illness patients in community settings. Bentley says those plans are changing after meetings with patients' relatives and others.
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