A Grand Junction psychiatric hospital is scheduled to begin accepting patients Dec. 11 at its newly expanded facilities.

Mind Springs Health, an organization that provides services in Western Colorado, operates West Springs Hospital, the only inpatient psychiatric hospital between Denver and Salt Lake City.

Following a $34 million expansion project, the hospital offers 64 beds, doubling the number of patients that can be treated at the inpatient facility. The expanded hospital also includes dedicated child and adolescent wings, indoor and outdoor recreation spaces and enhanced visiting areas.

Pitkin County Commissioner Greg Poschman was among those honored during the grand opening events for their efforts to raise funds for the expansion. Poschman publicized the project on social media and made personal appeals to donors to help address the shortage of psychiatric beds.

A $2 million challenge grant included a $1 million gift from a Roaring Fork Valley family, a $500,000 grant from the Alpenglow Foundation in Basalt and a total of $500,000 in additional gifts from the Roaring Fork and Vail valleys.

“With exactly zero inpatient psychiatric beds in our valley, local hospitals and law enforcement bear the brunt of these emergencies without the resources to handle them,” Poschman said.   “We have to address this and bring more local resources to combat our exceptionally high suicide rates.”

St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction contributed $2.5 million to the project, while the Colorado Health Access Fund of the Denver Foundation contributed $2 million.

Other major contributors included Alpine Bank, the Boettcher Foundation, Caring for Colorado Foundation, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and Claude and Irene Conner.