Carbondale Reporter

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board has unanimously approved Southern Illinois Healthcare's (SIH) Certificate of Need application for expanding and modernizing the SIH Mulberry Center. This inpatient mental health facility is located on the campus of SIH Harrisburg Medical Center. The $20 million project will introduce a new 12-bed medical-psychiatric inpatient unit, enhancing the center's capacity from 30 to 42 beds.

Rodney Smith, SIH Vice President and Administrator of SIH Harrisburg Medical Center, stated, “With this approval, we can move forward to meet a critical need in our community.” He expressed gratitude towards the board for supporting their vision and acknowledged the community's support. "Expanding the SIH Mulberry Center means more of our families, friends and neighbors can receive the mental health care they need close to home," he added.

The expansion project is backed by a consortium comprising regional healthcare and educational institutions aiming to enhance behavioral health services in rural Southern Illinois. The consortium includes entities such as the Egyptian Health Department; Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Services Development; Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission; and SIH.

Increased access to mental health care is vital in Southern Illinois due to frequent full capacity at the SIH Mulberry Center. Annually, nearly 700 individuals have been unable to access necessary care locally. Smith noted that patients often travel long distances or endure emergency room waits for psychiatric beds. “This expansion will change that reality for our region,” he emphasized.

The new unit will cater to patients needing both medical and psychiatric care—for instance, those with acute mental health needs alongside conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Dr. Naeem Qureshi, psychiatrist and medical director of behavioral health at SIH, highlighted that this unit would be "life-changing" for such patients by providing integrated treatment in a dedicated setting.

Funding for this nearly $20 million project partly comes from federal and state grants secured through programs like the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Rural Health Care program and Illinois’ Healthcare Transformation Capital Investment Grant program. To fulfill its vision fully, SIH has initiated a capital campaign inviting community participation.

A public groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled at 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at SIH Harrisburg Medical Center. Residents of Southern Illinois, community leaders, and media are invited to attend this event celebrating an important milestone in improving regional behavioral healthcare access.