Construction crews in Amarillo placed the final steel beam on the 75-bed Panhandle State Hospital this week. The $159 million facility covers 164,475 SF and will treat adults from a 26-county region. Completion is expected in fall 2027, with hiring for up to 360 positions starting that summer.
Crews in Amarillo set the last steel beam on the Panhandle State Hospital this week, closing out the structural frame of a $159 million inpatient psychiatric facility owned by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Adults referred from a 26-county region across the northern part of the state will make up the patient population. Therapeutic spaces anchor the program, and designers worked outdoor areas and natural light into the building to support recovery.
Amarillo’s project belongs to a statewide building campaign that has drawn more than $2.5 billion since 2017 for replacement, renovation and new construction across the state hospital system. Modernizing aging facilities and adding inpatient psychiatric capacity are the stated aims of that spending. Gov. Greg Abbott and HHS Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth each framed the milestone as a step toward wider access to mental health services in the region.
Ten state hospitals and two residential youth treatment centers currently fall under commission ownership and operation. HHSC announced the milestone in an August 21 news release, which also made photographs and renderings of the Amarillo facility available.
Once finished, the building will measure 164,475 SF and hold 75 beds. Construction is scheduled to wrap in fall 2027, and staffing plans call for as many as 360 full-time employees, with recruitment beginning in the summer before the doors open.