Now open
Rocky Top Behavioral Health holds ribbon-cutting on Jan. 28
-
Steven Nee, CEO of Diversicare Healthcare Services, cuts the ribbon officially opening the new Rocky Top Behavioral Health facility in Rocky Top on Jan. 28.
-
Rocky Top Mayor Kerry Templin, left, congratulates Diversicare Healthcare Services CEO Steve Nee, center, during last week’s grand-opening ceremony for the new Rocky Top Behavioral Health facility. Looking on is Dr. Richard Thompson, medical director.
A new mental-health resource for the Rocky Top area held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting last week, with more than 40 people in attendance for the event,.
Rocky Top Behavioral Health, an inpatient hospital at 210 Industrial Park Lane, Rocky Top, said the Jan. 28 celebration was held “to commemorate the beginning of its dedication to serving the community with compassionate, patient-focused care.”
The hospital’s beds occupy a remodeled wing of the Summit View Assisted Care facility, said Rocky Top Mayor Kerry Templin, who was on hand for the ribbon-cutting.
“That facility has been in Lake City/Rocky Top since the 1970s,” he added.
The behavioral-health aspect is new, and a “welcome addition to Rocky Top,” the mayor said.
“This is a great resource for the people of north Anderson County and south Campbell County, and will provide services for the community that people would otherwise have to travel to Oak Ridge or Knoxville for,” Templin said.
The facility is opening with eight patient beds, and has the option of going to 15, the mayor said.
“This is truly a momentous occasion, not just for us as a health-care provider, but for the many individuals and families in this area who will now have access to the care and support they need,” said Steve Nee, CEO of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Diversicare Healthcare Services Inc., the parent company.
“I am confident that this hospital will be a cornerstone of mental-health care in [East] Tennessee for years to come,” he said.
Besides Templin and Nee, other speakers at the event included Richard Thompson, medical director of Rocky Top Behavioral Health; Robin Mitchell, Diversicare’s chief nursing officer; and Byron Hooppaw, Diversicare’s senior vice president for operations.
After the ribbon-cutting, those attending were given tours of the new center and had the opportunity to meet team members.
According to an announcement of its arrival, “Rocky Top Behavioral Health is a dedicated partner in the pursuit of improved mental health and overall well-being through our comprehensive inpatient programs.
“The center offers a wide range of evidence-based treatment options within a nurturing and secure environment.”
Other city officials attending the ribbon-cutting included City Manager Mike Ellis, Police Chief John Thomas, Deputy Police Chief Matt McGhee
and Fire Chief Tony Braden.
