BETTENDORF -- Strategic Behavioral Health has been given the green light to build a mental health facility in Bettendorf.
Strategic Behavioral Health was able to prove there was a demand for their services and they were granted a Certificate of Need. The state board approved it with a simple majority vote of four to one on Thursday, July 20th.
This was the out-of-state company's third attempt at approval. This time, there were two new board members who both voted "yes."
The out of state group plans to build a 72 bed inpatient mental health hospital in Bettendorf and also have outpatient services.
UnityPoint Health Trinity and Genesis Health System executives have been the biggest opponents to the project. Some health leaders say local providers can take care of mental health services on its own.
Some left unhappy with the board's decision.
"It’s been a long process. Obviously we are disappointed in the decision but we will take a pause and take a step back and see what the next step is going to be. At the end of the day it’s about the patients." said Dennis Duke with Robert Young Center.
Strategic Behavioral Health says the approval will give people in the Quad City areas more behavioral health treatments to choose from.
"There are people hurting and need treatment. All we wanted to do and what we are going to do is bring services to those people in collaboration with the other providers," said Jim Shaheen with Strategic Behavioral Health. "At the end of the day the patients and families won."
Strategic Behavioral Health expects to close on the land within 30 days.
The building process will take about one year and then it will start accepting patients.