Governor Greg Abbott announced the groundbreaking of the new Panhandle State Hospital in Amarillo, a project funded with $159 million approved by Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature. The hospital is set to be completed in 2027.
“Texas is delivering on its promise to expand healthcare to rural communities across our great state,” said Governor Abbott. “This Panhandle State Hospital—the first state-operated facility in the region—will provide Texans greater access to mental health professionals and high-quality care close to home. I thank the Texas Legislature and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for their work to increase access to mental healthcare for Texans in every corner of our state.”
HHS Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young emphasized the importance of local healthcare access: “Texans are better served when they have access to healthcare closer to home, and that is why state leaders and HHSC have invested in facilities like the Panhandle State Hospital,” she said. “When completed, this hospital will offer hope and healing to some of the most vulnerable people in the Panhandle.”
The facility will cover 164,475 square feet with 75 beds, offering inpatient psychiatric services designed according to modern mental healthcare standards. It will include common activity areas and outdoor courtyards for social interaction.
This marks the first state-operated hospital within a 26-county area. Since 2017, over $2.5 billion has been invested by Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature into replacing, renovating, and building state hospitals across Texas as part of efforts to modernize facilities and improve psychiatric care accessibility.
HHSC manages nine state hospitals along with one residential youth treatment center catering to individuals experiencing mental illness who require evidence-based treatment or have legal determinations related to their mental health status.
For further details on state hospital construction projects, information can be found on HHSC’s Changes to the State Hospital System page.
