Methodist and Acadia Healthcare Begin Construction of Behavioral Health Hospital in Council Bluffs Page 1

Methodist Health and Acadia Healthcare are breaking ground on the new Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It is scheduled to open in 2026. (Photo: Daniel Johnson/Methodist Health System)

The event, held at the future hospital site at 3620 S. 24th St. in Council Bluffs, Iowa, celebrated the previously announced joint venture partnership between Methodist and Acadia Healthcare. Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital is a subsidiary of Omaha-based Methodist Health System.

“According to data from the American Hospital Directory, there is a shortage of more than 300 behavioral health beds in Iowa and Nebraska,” said Dave Burd, president and CEO of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. “This project demonstrates that the need for behavioral health care is urgent, not only nationally, but also here in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.”

The hospital, scheduled to open in 2026, will be called Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health. The modern campus will have 96 inpatient beds, including 24 dedicated beds for child and adolescent mental health, and will offer intensive outpatient care. The new hospital will be a center of excellence, investing in the latest technology and resources to expand access to high-quality behavioral health services in the region. Graham Construction & Engineering is the general contractor on the project, and Stengel Hill Architecture is the architect on the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held by Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, along with other dignitaries and leaders from Methodist Health System and Acadia Healthcare.

Attendees saw the site of the future hospital and an architectural rendering, which is purposefully designed to provide the best possible treatment to patients struggling with acute symptoms of mental health and substance abuse.

Speakers at the event discussed the hospital’s anticipated impact on the community’s need for additional acute and intensive outpatient behavioral health services. They also reaffirmed Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital’s longstanding commitment to providing high-quality, accessible behavioral health care in the community.