El Paso Psychiatric Center

Description

In November 1991 a State Constitutional Amendment authorized the sale of 87 million in general obligation bonds to construct the El Paso Psychiatric Center EPPC The Center was to be owned by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and developed in conjunction with Thomason Hospital Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Life Management Center for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services El Paso State Center and the El Paso County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Services known collectively as the El Paso Psychiatric Center Coordinating Council EPPCCC

In October 1992 the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation approved submission of bonds for sale for the cost of planning and design Remaining bond funding was used for the construction of the Center A groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 2 1994 and construction was completed in May 1996 with an opening in August This legislative session secured 222 million for operating funds for the biennium Additional funding was appropriated for furniture and equipment

The Center is located on property leased from the El Paso County Hospital District adjacent to the west end of Thomason Hospital the countys district hospital Center construction was coordinated with long range planning on the medical campus which includes the Center and Texas Tech University Regional Academic Health Center and Texas Tech Medical Center educational facilities

The El Paso Psychiatric Center was a coordinated effort to deliver accessible comprehensive acute care through the collaboration of the institutions and agencies composing EPPCCC and other community agencies The Centers purpose is to deliver high quality coordinated individualized psychiatric patient care to teach and train health care professionals and engage in research The Center is a new approach to collaborative community efforts in the state and a model for other developmental projects for mental health care delivery

From January 2001 through August 31 2002 El Paso Psychiatric Center was under the oversight of the Texas Department of Mental Health Mental Retardation TDMHMR On September 1 2002 EPPC became the tenth state mental hospital comprising TDMHMR Since September 1 2004 the center is under the oversight of the Department of State Health Services DSHS

El Paso Psychiatric Center EPPC is a 74bed psychiatric hospital that provides hospitalization to the citizens of far West Texas The hospital is managed by the Department of State Health Services

EPPC provides care through two services Adult Psychiatric Services and Child and Adolescent Services The adult services program consists of one acute admission unit one sub acute care unit and one specialty unit for long term care and forensic services The child and adolescent program offer services to children from 5 to the age of 12 and adolescents to the age of 17

El Paso Psychiatric Center is accredited by the Joint Commission which is an independent notforprofit organization which set standards for and evaluates health care organizations in accordance with nationally recognized guidelines They focus on the hospitals ability to provide safe highquality care To earn and maintain accreditation an organization must undergo an onsite survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years EPPC was last accredited in 2006