JPS Health Network is nearing the completion of a new behavioral health outpatient center which, when it opens in early August, will allow it to better serve the people of Tarrant County.
The upgraded clinic, which is currently under construction along Hemphill Street north of Rosedale Avenue, will replace the existing Hemphill Behavioral Health Outpatient Center. The current clinic is located at the corner of Hemphill Street and Allen Avenue in Fort Worth.
“This is going to be a better facility in just about any way you could imagine,” said Zelia Baugh, Executive Vice President of Behavioral Health at JPS. “It’s a much newer building than what we’re working in now, and it will have all new furniture and equipment. Patients will benefit simply from being in a much more refreshing space.”
"It's going to be so much more convenient and efficient for people."
Other benefits of the new site include:
- The larger space will allow the ability to have an on-site laboratory to process tests more quickly and efficiently, providing information needed to help patients get well.
- The clinic will be easier to get to, with much more on-site parking than the Hemphill Behavioral Health Outpatient Center is able to offer.
- There is a bus stop located directly out front of the new building for patients who rely on public transportation to get to their appointments.
- A primary care physician will be located at the new site, allowing patients to get their physical and behavioral health needs taken care of at the same time, requiring them to make only one trip to the clinic instead of multiple journeys to different locations.
- The larger facility will allow many more patients to be served on an out-patient basis by JPS.
“It’s going to be so much more convenient and efficient for people,” Baugh said. “It will allow us to do our jobs better.”
Teneisha Kennard, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Ambulatory Services at JPS, said the current Hemphill clinic serves about 20,000 people a year. She predicted the number of patients the new site can handle will be dramatically increased.
The current Hemphill Behavioral Health Center will be demolished after the new one opens, making room for much-needed parking at the Main JPS Campus.
“It’s just going to be a better place to be,” Baugh said. “It will be much more comfortable for people coming here for care.”