Mental Health Care in Salt Lake Valley Gets Major Boost with Opening of New Behavioral Health Center at Intermountain Health Alta View Hospital
Mental health care in the Salt Lake Valley is getting a major boost thanks to an investment by Intermountain Health in a new state-of-the-art Behavior Health Center in Sandy, uTAH that will significantly increase access to mental health care and specialized services for patients throughout Salt Lake County.
The new 56-bed Behavioral Health Center at Intermountain Alta View Hospital opens for patient care in June and doubles the number of patient beds for behavioral health care offered by Intermountain Health.
Salt Lake County community leaders, hospital officials, behavioral health experts, and patients joined together today for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally unveil the new Behavioral Health Center at Intermountain Alta View Hospital in Sandy, followed by a community open house.
The new center brings much needed mental health resources directly to the community closer to home – making high quality, compassionate care more accessible than ever before, according to local mental health experts.
According to NAMI Utah, one in five adults in Utah struggle with their mental health, so the need for resources is vital. Thanks to this new facility, there’s now more hope – and help – for patients needing services in the Salt Lake Valley.
“By reducing travel barriers and expanding timely access to expert care, the center will play a vital role in strengthening community well-being,” said Scott Roberson, president of Intermountain Alta View Hospital. “These new resources will help ensure individuals and families in our community receive the behavioral health support they need, right when they need it.”
The new center includes a walk-in behavioral health access center for those in crisis, a specialized medical withdrawal management program, and a unique Maternal Mental Health Unit for new moms needing mental healthcare – the first of its kind in Utah.
The Maternal Mental Health Unit is one of the unique features of the new center. It’s a groundbreaking inpatient program created to support the mental health needs of women during pregnancy and throughout the first year after childbirth.
This dedicated inpatient unit provides compassionate care, separate from other behavioral health units, where moms receive support and resources to promote healing and resilience for both parent and child.
This dedicated unit recognizes that mental health conditions during pregnancy and the postpartum period are both common and treatable, and that mothers deserve specialized care designed specifically for them.
Unlike traditional psychiatric units, this Maternal Mental Health Unit is separate from other inpatient behavioral health units and intentionally designed for the unique emotional, psychological, and physiological needs associated with pregnancy and early parenthood.
“What makes this program especially meaningful is its whole‑family, compassionate approach to recovery,” said Janet Hintze, RN, chief nursing officer for Intermountain Alta View Hospital. “This Maternal Mental Health Unit is about meeting mothers where they are – during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives – and surrounding them with expert, compassionate care designed just for them and their families.”
Care is delivered by clinicians with expertise in perinatal psychiatry, trauma‑informed care, and maternal‑infant bonding, ensuring treatment plans reflect both the safety of the parent and the well‑being of the family.
The unit serves individuals experiencing serious perinatal and postpartum mental health conditions, including postpartum depression, severe anxiety, postpartum psychosis, trauma‑related disorders, and substance‑use related mental health concerns affecting pregnancy or the postpartum period.
These conditions can significantly impact not only the individual’s health, but also family stability and early bonding – making timely, specialized intervention critical.
Treatment plans are individualized and often include psychotherapy, medication management, and supportive family involvement. When appropriate, care planning considers the mother‑infant relationship as part of healing, reinforcing the importance of bonding and reducing stigma surrounding maternal mental health.
“This unit will make a significant impact for women in our community who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges during a very vulnerable time of their lives,” said Liz Owens, chief executive officer of YWCA Utah. “I can’t be happier to have this resource available to serve our community and the many women and families who the YWCA helps each and every day.”
Other features of the new Intermountain Alta View Hospital Behavioral Health Center:
- Behavioral Health Access Center
Walk-in crisis treatment, observation, and fast access to mental health treatment from licensed behavioral health professionals for adult patients age 18 and older. Pediatric walk-in crisis care is available at the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital – Taylorsville campus.
- Medical Withdrawal Management (detox)
Recovery from substance abuse can be challenging. The new center provides full medical help for safe withdrawal management to support patients every step of the way. Adult beds for inpatient care Alta View Hospital’s behavioral health inpatient unit provides a safe, therapeutic and spacious environment to treat anyone with a mental health emergency.
For more information on the new Intermountain Alta View Hospital Behavioral Health Center, click here.
NOTE TO MEDIA: Images and video available upon request.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a nonprofit health plan called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.
