Tampa General Hospital, Lifepoint Health and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine have opened Florida’s first academic medical center–affiliated behavioral health teaching hospital. The facility, a joint venture between Tampa General and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, is located at 1303 West Kennedy Boulevard, in the Tampa Medical & Research District, and spans about 83,000 square feet with 96 inpatient beds.
Set to open to the public in March, the hospital will provide 24‑hour inpatient care for individuals experiencing mental health crises. Services include medication management, safety planning and both individual and group therapy. In the coming months, the hospital plans to introduce partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment programs.
John Couris, president and chief executive officer of Tampa General Hospital, said the new center is a step toward addressing the growing need for mental health services in the community. Lifepoint Health Chairman and CEO David Dill noted that the project builds on the organizations’ earlier partnership on the TGH Rehabilitation Hospital, which opened in 2020.
The facility will also serve as a training center for medical students and residents from USF Health’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the Morsani College of Medicine. USF Health President Rhea Law credited state leaders for supporting the project through Senate Bill 330, which established a behavioral health teaching hospital designation in Florida.
Doug Leonardo, appointed president and CEO of the new hospital, brings more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health.