Valleywise opens final unit of behavioral health hospital in west Phoenix

PHOENIX — The Valleywise Health System celebrated the opening of the final behavioral health ward at its mental health hospital in west Phoenix on Wednesday.

This brings the Valleywise Behavioral Health Center – Maryvale campus to 192 in-patient beds. It also has an emergency department with a laboratory, imaging and a pharmacy, plus offers out-patient services as well. Their full-service ER sees about 100 patients a day. 

The Maryvale behavioral health hospital has eight units with 24 beds each. The units have single and double rooms, with a common area to play games or watch television.

Gene Cavallo, senior vice president of behavioral health for Valleywise, expects most available beds to be full come Friday as they have 30-50 people on their waitlist daily. The average stay is two-three weeks, but some stay for more than a year while they wait for a bed at the state hospital to become available.

New Valleywise mental health ward facing staff shortage

Although the final unit is now complete, Valleywise only has enough staff to fill 16 of the 24 beds this week.

“So to open up eight [beds] we need one nurse, we need two behavioral health techs, we need one psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner,” Cavallo said.

The Maryvale campus has a 20% turnover rate for direct care staff and are still looking to hire. “A lot of people left health care as an occupation after the pandemic,” Cavallo said.

They had to adjust their pay scale in order to compete for employees. They were also able to offer retention and signing bonuses thanks to American Rescue Plan Act funding. 

Valleywise is the sole provider of court ordered mental health evaluations in the county. The Maryvale campus has courtrooms inside the building, so they don’t have to transport patients to get them in front of a judge.

“So that when our patients go to the courtroom, rather than having to try to figure out how to get them downtown Phoenix for a court hearing it just happens right here in the building,” Cavallo said.  

Valleywise spent millions transforming west Phoenix building

Valleywise purchased the building from Abrazo Health in 2018 for $7 million and has since spent between $80 million and $100 million transforming it into a behavioral health hospital to meet the needs of the West Valley. 

Valleywise had originally planned to add 400 behavioral health beds to their main campus on Roosevelt and 24th streets, but when they heard the old Maryvale hospital was being sold, they jumped on it.

“We couldn’t wait that long to add more beds. So, when this opportunity to get this facility came to pass, it really started folks in our organization, our board thinking well what else could be do here,” Cavallo said.  

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