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mokenamessenger.com News
the Mokena Messenger | January 19, 2017 | 11
Silver Cross introduces plans for behavioral health hospital in New Lenox
Megann Horstead
Freelance Reporter
In 2012, the Tinley Park
Mental Health Center
closed, which left Will and
Grundy counties with more
limited services for area residents
with mental health or
substance abuse issues.
Dubbed as Silver Oaks
Hospital, this expansion –
which totals to a two-story,
68,000-square-foot facility
that would be built on the
New Lenox campus – would
provide 100 beds, as well as
inpatient and outpatient services.
At a Jan. 11 press conference,
Silver Cross officials
and other community leaders
came together to discuss
the proposed $22 million
capital development.
Among those in attendance
were Silver Cross
President and CEO Paul
Pawlak; Silver Cross Vice
President of Business Development
and Chief Strategy
Officer Ruth Colby;
Will County Executive
Larry Walsh and Will County
State’s Attorney James
Glasgow.
“We look at the whole
perspective of healthcare
and we felt that this time
there was one area that really
needed some attention,”
Pawlak said. “I think we all
know that just about one out
of every four Americans unfortunately
suffer from mental
illness or substance or
chemical abuse.
“That’s a high number.
So, we’ve been looking at
this subject for a number
of months, and then in December
our board at Silver
Cross approved us to build
a 100-bed psychiatric hospital
on the Silver Cross
campus.”
Silver Cross partnered with
US HealthVest, a behavioral
healthcare company, to move
forward with Silver Oaks. To
add, the project will be fully
Pawlak (from left), Will County Executive Larry Walsh and
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow chat before
talking to the media about the development plan.
funded by US HealthVest,
Colby noted.
“They’re going to be able
to bring inpatient, outpatient
and ER programs that
we currently don’t have,”
Pawlak said of US Health-
Vest’s involvement. “This is
going to be a vast improvement
for mental health services
in Will County.”
To advance the project, a
certificate of need application
must be filed to the Illinois
Health Facilities and
Services Review Board by
February.
Continuing care for the
community
In 2012, the Tinley Park
Mental Health Center
closed, which left Will and
Grundy counties without an
outlet to offer services to
area residents with mental
health or substance abuse issues,
as well as a place for
victims of abuse to turn to.
Silver Cross does run an
existing 20-bed inpatient
unit for individuals 18 years
and older, as well as adult
outpatient treatment programs
to address those issues,
but officials recognize
that what the hospital has
now is not enough.
In Will and Grundy counties,
there are more than
8,000 cases of individuals
suffering from mental
health related issues, Colby
shared. She noted roughly
60 percent of those seeking
inpatient acute mental
healthcare go to units outside
the area.
That’s why erecting Silver
Oaks would be a “godsend”
in the community, Glasgow
said.
“We’re a county of over
700,000 people,” he added.
“It’s long overdue.”
Silver Cross, too, outlined
how many cases they encountered
in 2016: 77,990
emergency visits, 21,153
inpatient admissions and
165,600 outpatient registrations.
Glasgow added Will
County’s courts need facilities
like Silver Oaks to function
at optimum level.
The proposed New Lenox
Silver Cross Hospital President/CEO Paul Pawlak addresses the media regarding the
announcement of a proposed $22 million capital development plan for a behavioral health
hospital in the New Lenox campus. Photos by James Sanchez/22nd Century Media
hospital would mirror facilities
like Linden Oaks Behavioral
Health in Naperville,
which provide a wide range
of mental health and behavioral
programs for adolescents
and adults.
The project holds a number
of benefits to the community,
including job creation.
Silver Cross would
add 200 jobs for New Lenox
area residents.
Baldermann said he is
proud to know the way the
community has embraced
Silver Cross since relocating
to New Lenox.
“This is an area at one
time over a decade ago was
talking about 2 millionsquare-feet
of retail,” Baldermann
said. “While as
we know the way shopping
is done nowadays, that’s
changed – and in my opinion,
to our benefit.
“Silver Cross has a been
a wonderful partner with us
here in New Lenox, and we
are thrilled to see the expansion
of quality healthcare
services for our residents
and for the entire area.”
Construction for Silver
Oaks, if approved, would
begin late summer and the
building would open in
2019. For more information
on the plans for Silver Oaks
or updates, visit www.silvercross.org.
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