SPRINGFIELD – Baystate Health announced a new collaboration that will result in a new behavioral health hospital with more beds than the medical system currently has.

The proposed $43 million hospital would be located possibly in Holyoke and could be opened in 2022, pending permitting and construction. It would have 120 beds and would replace the behavioral health units Baystate has at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield and Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer. The 29 behavioral health beds at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield would remain.

Dr. Mark A. Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, led a press conference that introduced officials from Kindred Behavioral Health, a Louisville, KY, based company with 1,700 locations in 46 states.

In a written statement, he said, “In building a state-of-the-art behavioral health facility to serve the area’s most vulnerable patients, we recognize that such a major undertaking could not be achieved without a quality partner. Kindred’s strength in building and operating specialty hospitals coupled with Baystate’s behavioral health clinical expertise is the perfect fit. We are looking forward to creating an unparalleled community resource dedicated to the needs of all behavioral health patients.”

Rob Marsh, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Kindred Behavioral Health, said, “Never has behavioral health been more important.”

He described the new hospital would be “state of the art” and would be a nurturing, healing place.”

Kindred would manage day-to-day operations of the hospital, and Baystate Health psychiatrists and advanced practitioners would provide care under the medical leadership of Dr. Barry Sarvet, chair of Psychiatry at Baystate Health.

Sarvet said currently there are not enough bed and patients have been transported “far and wide.”

Keroack said Baystate has learned a lot though the pandemic and seen the increasing value of tele-health in reaching and treating patients.

Emergency care services will continue to be provided at all Baystate Health hospitals, and the treatment of medically complex patients will continue at Baystate Medical Center in its Adult Psychiatric Treatment Unit.