A new major expansion at the only hospital in Howard County, Maryland, adds a behavioral health unit to help cut down on emergency room wait times.

The new Behavioral Health Unit at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center in Columbia more than triples the number of beds for mental health services. The $10.3 million project is the hospital’s first bed capacity expansion in more than 15 years.

It is expected to open to the public Monday.

“Mental health is just as important as physical health,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “It allows people to seek help, receive proper treatment and lead fulfilling lives.”

The Maryland Hospital Association reports hospital visits for behavioral health increased from about 10.5% in 2013 to over 18% in 2021, and that number continues to rise.

“We are taking a giant leap forward and helping so many of our neighbors who unfortunately are suffering in silence,” Ball said.

Dr. Andy Angelino, the director of psychiatry for the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center in Columbia, said the hospital gets around 250 new mental health services patients each month, and the facility didn’t have the dedicated space to give them the help they need.

“The time when they come in is one of the most critical times for them. It’s very difficult,” Angelino said. “The space that we had was not exactly what you would call healing and comforting. Howard County is now a place where people are going to get the kind of health care and the kind of mental health care and behavioral health care that they truly deserve.”