Penn State Health unifies psychiatric and behavioral health services to expand access across central Pennsylvania
Penn State Health has unified all psychiatric and behavioral health services under a single identity: Penn State Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. The move includes the integration of inpatient and outpatient services previously provided at Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (PPI), strengthening the health system’s ability to deliver coordinated, evidence-based care while advancing its academic mission of education, research and innovation.
Inpatient psychiatric services for adults, adolescents and children will relocate to Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill. Fifty-three beds will open July 13 on the hospital’s third and fourth floors – a move first announced in late 2024 to transition PPI inpatient services to the site.
Holy Spirit Medical Center will continue to operate as a full-service, 293-bed acute care community hospital and Level II Trauma Center. Its existing 31-bed behavioral health unit and outpatient programs will become part of Penn State Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
A unified, interdisciplinary model of care
“Penn State Health is fully committed to providing critical psychiatric and behavioral health services throughout central Pennsylvania,” said Dr. Erika Saunders, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Penn State Health. “By unifying these services and combining the strengths of our professionals, we are enhancing patient care, efficiency, collaboration and innovation.”
The unified model at Holy Spirit Medical Center will offer:
- A full interdisciplinary care team supporting patient recovery and family engagement
- Care for patients with behavioral health needs and complex medical conditions
- Specialized programming tailored to individual conditions and levels of need
- Dedicated, secure inpatient units for general adult psychiatry, older adult psychiatry, high-acuity care, child psychiatry and adolescent psychiatry
- Continuation of advanced therapies, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- A new transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) program for conditions including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and smoking cessation
Outpatient services remain in Harrisburg
Outpatient services will continue in Harrisburg, with select programs moving to newly renovated spaces:
- Third Street Clinic (adult and child/adolescent partial hospitalization and outpatient programs) relocates to 1521 N. 6th Street – effective Aug. 10.
- Advancement in Recovery (AIR) Program relocates to 100 N. Cameron Street – effective Sept. 8.
- Division Street Clinic (adult outpatient services) remains at its current location.
A seamless transition
Penn State Health teams have been working to ensure continuity of care for patients and minimal disruption for clinicians, staff, educators and researchers.
“Our goal is to ensure that these vital services remain available and accessible to patients throughout the region,” said Leslyn Williamson, regional president of Holy Spirit and Hampden medical centers. “By bringing services together under a unified structure, we are strengthening collaboration, improving efficiency and expanding innovation.”
Penn State Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Health will also continue training the next generation of behavioral health professionals – including psychiatrists, psychotherapists, advanced practice clinicians and nurses – while delivering psychiatry, psychology, neuropsychology and addiction recovery services across central Pennsylvania.
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