Senior care leader National HealthCare Corporation (NYSE American: NHC) is expanding its behavioral health services. In 2022, NHC will open two new behavioral health hospitals in Maryland Heights, Missouri and Knoxville, Tennessee. NHC currently offers behavior health services at the Osage Beach Center for Cognitive Disorders in Osage Beach, Missouri.

The Maryland Heights Center for Behavioral Health, a 16-bed geriatric hospital, will provide psychiatric care to geriatric patients who require inpatient hospitalization due to mental disorders, including cognitive illnesses. The hospital will be adjacent to NHC HealthCare Maryland Heights, a 220-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.

The Knoxville Center for Behavioral Medicine, a 64-bed hospital, will provide a comprehensive continuum of care for adults and geriatric patients with psychiatric, emotional, and addictive disorders. Partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs will be offered with individualized treatment plans based on clinical need. The hospital is the result of a partnership among NHC, Tennova Healthcare, and The University of Tennessee Medical Center.

“We are experiencing a mental health crisis in America,” said Shawna Nymeyer, PhD, vice president of behavioral health at NHC. “Nearly 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental health problem in their lifetime. When a mental health crisis occurs, having access to high quality, safe, and compassionate care is critical. We are proud to provide this much-needed care to patients in Maryland Heights and Knoxville.”

“Expanding our behavioral health services is essential to the communities we serve,” said Steve Flatt, chief executive officer of NHC. “We are committed to providing a comprehensive continuum of care and adding behavioral health services to these new markets to allow us to offer even more resources to our patients and communities.”

Nymeyer brings with her 30 years of experience with previous roles in administration and has served in a clinical capacity as a clinical psychologist. She was most recently the executive director of psychiatry and behavioral health at Horizon-Health Lakewood Health System in Staples, Minnesota. Click here to learn more about Nymeyer.

For more information about NHC’s behavioral health service line, click here.

About National HealthCare Corporation

NHC affiliates operate for themselves and third parties 75 skilled nursing facilities with 9,473 beds. NHC affiliates also operate 24 assisted living communities, five independent living communities, one behavioral health hospital, 34 homecare agencies, and 28 hospice agencies. NHC’s other services include Alzheimer’s and memory care units, pharmacy services, a rehabilitation services company, and providing management and accounting services to third party post-acute operators. For more information, visit www.nhccare.com

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