East Alabama Health celebrates grand opening of $44 million mental health facility

OPELIKA, Ala.—East Alabama Health celebrated the grand opening of its new mental health facility, East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) North, on Dec. 17. Located within East Alabama Health’s North Campus, the new facility will expand access to inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care in response to a statewide growing need.

The 54,000-square-foot facility, built by Bailey-Harris Construction of Auburn, includes specialized units for adults, adolescents and children seeking inpatient care, as well as increased space for East Alabama Psychiatric Services (EAPS), which provides outpatient mental health care. 

EAPS is scheduled to begin seeing patients on Monday, Dec. 22, and the inpatient units at East Alabama Medical Center North are expected to open in mid-January. Sarah Nunnelly, chief strategy and business development officer at East Alabama Health, will serve as administrator of East Alabama Medical Center North.

“Mental health care is an essential part of overall wellness, and meeting that need in our community has long been a priority,” said Laura Grill, president and CEO of East Alabama Health. “From the design to the construction, every detail of this facility reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional care while preserving the dignity and respect every patient deserves.”

The opening ceremony brought together hospital leadership, state government and agency officials, local elected leaders and other community partners who played a role in making the project possible.

Increasing Alabama’s Psychiatric Bed Count 

 

The need for more psychiatry beds in Alabama is crucial. Statistics show that one in five Alabamians have experienced a mental health episode. EAMC North stands to address this need by increasing its inpatient psychiatry bed count from 28 to 40.

“We are severely lacking in mental health beds, so this goes a long way in trying to gain access for people who have mental health needs,” said Kimberly Boswell, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health. “We’ve been talking about this project for a while, and as we drove into the parking lot and we came up the hill, I saw this beautiful, beautiful facility and was completely blown away,” 

The adult inpatient units of the hospital are separated into dedicated male and female wings, each with its own common area and outdoor courtyard. There are 10 beds each for adult females and adult males.

In addition, the facility also includes a short-term child and adolescent unit, and a long-term adolescent unit. Both units are equipped with a classroom, allowing patients to continue their education while receiving treatment. 

The long-term adolescent unit is the only such unit in the state of Alabama. Patients there may continue their education up to receiving a high school diploma from Opelika City Schools with support from the facility’s onsite SACS-accredited school, East Alabama Academy. It also includes a hands-on learning kitchen, where adolescent patients can gain skills to achieve greater independence. 

A Community Focused on Giving Hope 

 

Turning the vision of EAMC North into reality involved the support of an entire community. Though the timeline of initial groundbreaking to the grand opening ceremony was just over 22 months, the support for the project extended nearly four years. 

Having recognized a growing need for mental health care, East Alabama Health officials began working with community members in 2022, as well as state, county and city partners, to secure funding for the project. 

“I was blessed to have served as a first responder before entering politics, and I have seen firsthand that this issue is not partisan and does not care about a person’s economic status—it affects everyone,” said Alabama State Rep. Joe Lovvorn (District 79). “Thinking of the people who will receive care at this bright, beautiful facility and who will have access to the services they need just highlights how this will change lives for so many people and so many families along the way.”

During the design stage of the project, psychiatry staff members provided input on how the facility could best serve the needs of the patients being treated. Those ideas are reflected in the completed building by the intentionally bright and windowed common spaces, activity and therapy rooms, and patient and family visiting areas. 

For Alabama Sen. Jay Hovey (District 27), the new facility underscores East Alabama Health’s commitment to the health of the region. 

“This hospital and its leaders understand that they are a vital part of this community,” Sen. Hovey said. “The patients and community members who will be served by this facility are a growing segment of our population, and our hospital leaders understood that and made a commitment to step in and make sure that those needs will be met.”

Outpatient Expansion and Psychiatry Residency Program  

 

To ensure care remains accessible for community members, East Alabama Health has added six mental health providers since 2023—five psychiatrists and one clinical psychologist—and in July 2025 launched a Psychiatry Residency Program to train and retain physicians in the region. 

“I’ve seen the incredible vision of our hospital leadership become a reality both through the physical construction of this building, and through the growth of our practice,” said Austin Luker, M.D., medical director and psychiatrist at EAPS. “We’ve added psychiatrists, psychiatry nurse practitioners and a clinical psychologist. 

“Through the leadership of Dr. [Peter] Lusche, we started a residency program and successfully recruited eight wonderful residents who are now here training to become the next generation of psychiatrists.” 

The new EAPS location features a progressive, modern look, and has more than 15 provider offices. The private offices and consultation rooms line the hallways, giving patients a safe, quiet place to meet with their provider for therapy, medication management and follow-up care.

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About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion, East Alabama Medical Center North in Opelika, and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital that is currently under construction to add 30 critical care beds. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,800 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.