PHOENIX — A groundbreaking ceremony for a 100-bed behavior health hospital in Mesa was held on Tuesday.

Acadia Healthcare Company began the work on a 12-acre site near Ellsworth Road and Peterson Avenue called the Agave Ridge Behavioral Hospital.

It will provide behavioral healthcare services for both pediatrics and adults.

Tempe-based Adolfson & Pederson Construction will lead the building and the facility is scheduled to open in 2024.

“Beyond putting a shovel into the ground, we are symbolically addressing a very serious health issue that affects our community,” AP CEO Jeff Hansen said in a release.

According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, U.S. Census Bureau and American Hospital Directory, Maricopa County is facing a deficit of nearly 900 behavioral health beds.

Data from the National Institutes of Health has reported that one in every five people are in need of mental health treatment.

This facility will be able to accommodate patients struggling with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

“The death of mental health resources is a national problem that we also face in Arizona,” operations group president of Acadia Healthcare, Dr. Jeffrey Woods, said in the release.

“We are very pleased to announce that construction is underway for Agave Ridge Behavioral. It will be state-of-the-art and provide the hope and healing that residents of Mesa and the surrounding communities need when dealing with complex behavioral health issues.”

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