Methodist and Acadia Healthcare break ground on behavioral health hospital in Council Bluffs

Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Acadia Healthcare Company held a groundbreaking ceremony today for a state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital serving western Iowa and eastern Nebraska residents.

The event occurred on the site of the future hospital at 3620 S. 24th St. in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and celebrated the previously announced joint-venture partnership between Methodist and Acadia Healthcare. Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital is an affiliate of Omaha-based Methodist Health System.

“According to American Hospital Directory data, there is a shortfall of more than 300 inpatient behavioral health beds in Iowa and Nebraska,” said Dave Burd, president and chief executive officer of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. “This project demonstrates that the need for behavioral health care is urgent, not just nationally, but right here in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.”

Slated to open in 2026, the hospital will be named Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health. The modern campus will have 96 inpatient beds – including 24 beds dedicated to serving the mental health needs of children and adolescents – and provide intensive outpatient services. The new hospital will be a center of excellence, investing in the latest technology and resources to expand access to high-quality behavioral health services in the region.

Graham Construction & Engineering is the project’s general contractor, and Stengel Hill Architecture is the project's architect.

The groundbreaking was attended by Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, along with other dignitaries and leaders from Methodist Health System and Acadia Healthcare.

Attendees saw the future hospital’s site and an architectural rendering, which has been purposefully designed to provide the highest level of treatment to patients who struggle with acute symptoms of mental health and substance use disorders.

Event speakers discussed the hospital’s anticipated impact on the community’s need for additional acute and intensive outpatient behavioral health services. They also reaffirmed Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital’s long-standing commitment to providing high-quality, accessible behavioral health care in the community.

“This project is an important part of helping Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Methodist Health System deliver on our commitment to improving the health of our communities by the way we care, educate and innovate,” Burd said. “Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health will allow us to address the current and future demands of patients with acute symptoms of mental health disorders, and today marks a celebration of such investment in our community’s health and well-being.”

“We’re thrilled to have an opportunity to introduce our vision for Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health to this community,” said Dr. Nasser Khan, MD, chief operating officer for Acadia Healthcare. “We are so proud to be affiliated with Methodist and to work together to expand high-quality care, helping to meet the rising need in this area. This behavioral health hospital will be a strong member of the Council Bluffs community, collaborating with all organizations, hospitals and first responders in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.”

To learn more about the partnership between Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Acadia Healthcare, visit Bluffsbehavioralhealth.com.  

Media coverage

Omaha World-Herald: To help with 'urgent' need, officials break ground on Council Bluffs behavioral health hospital
The Daily Nonpareil: New hospital to expand number of desperately needed mental health beds in Council Bluffs
KETV: Officials celebrate breaking ground on new behavioral health hospital in Council Bluffs
KMTV: Mental health center in Council Bluffs will add desperately needed care
WOWT: Council Bluffs hospitals break ground on new mental health facility