120925...R MH BEHAVIORAL 5...Liberty...12-09-25...John Luellen, MD, State Presiudent, Ohio, Mercy Health, delivers his remarks during the ribbon cutting event for the new Mercy Health Behavioral Hospital...by R. Michael Semple

LIBERTY — A year after fulfilling a promise to provide specialized care to people who need it to regain functionality after a major injury or surgery, hospital officials returned to an adjacent site Tuesday to fill a gap in the Mahoning Valley for those facing mental health concerns.

Mercy Health-Youngstown and its partner, Tennessee-based Lifepoint Behavioral Health, cut a ribbon Tuesday afternoon to mark the ceremonial opening of their new joint-venture behavioral hospital.

The 61,900-square-foot facility features 72 beds, spacious patient rooms, community areas, outside courtyards and therapeutic clinical spaces designed to support the needs of patients and families.

The facility will start accepting patients in early January.

Dr. John Luellen, Mercy Health’s state president, said before the ceremony that the facility’s need was recognized in 2019.

“That vision was really born of where we felt gaps existed in care to serve the citizens of the Mahoning Valley,” Luellen said. “A gap looks like the services for rehabilitation we are providing next door. A gap looks like the services in behavioral health — the building you see today is an example of that gap being closed.”

Luellen added it’s not every day that individuals battling mental health problems have the chance to be cared for in a state-of-the-art facility.

As for those problems that patients can receive support for, Luellen said it varies — including depression, psychosis and “people with any one of a number of other behavioral health challenges.”

“We could provide care to patients who have drug and substance abuse problems. It is not a rehabilitation hospital,” Luellen said.

Luellen acknowledged that Mercy Health does have mental health care at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital on one of the upper floors.

“We have 42 beds at St. Elizabeth. This hospital allows us to expand that by 72 patients,” Luellen said. “We have the opportunity — if we so desire — to further expand this building, as well.”

Luellen said both voluntary and involuntary patients will be cared for at the new facility, adding that the hospital does not have plans for the St. Elizabeth facility at this time.

The hospital marks the second specialty facility for Mercy Health in partnership with Lifepoint at the Belmont Avenue campus. The partners celebrated the opening of their rehabilitation hospital in November 2024.

Lifepoint Behavioral Health will manage the day-to-day operations of the health hospital, which joins its network of 25 free-standing behavioral health hospitals across the country.

“We have a vision, and that vision is to transform and redefine behavioral health care,” said Nicoletta Tessler, president of Lifepoint Behavioral Health. “That includes partnerships, and that especially involves how we innovate and how we build a unified ecosystem of care.”

Joseph Caruso, chief executive officer for Mercy Health Behavioral Hospital, recognized the staff that’s been put together.

“I’ve witnessed the tireless work preparing for this moment. And I know that together, we are laying the groundwork for something that is going to last — or it’s going to outlast us all,” Caruso said. “May we be able to bring this vitally needed care that transforms individuals and builds healthier and more sustainable communities.”