Greenleaf opens wing for senior patients
Published 9:30 am Wednesday, January 8, 2025
- Michelle Neville, center, chief executive officer of Greenleaf, cuts the ribbon to open The Palms, a 23-bed facility for older patients. With her are other Greenleaf staffers and representatives of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. (Kevin C. Hall | The Valdosta Daily Times)
VALDOSTA — Greenleaf, a behavioral health hospital on Pineview Drive, cut the ribbon Tuesday on an in-patient facility for older patients.
Greenleaf already serves patients as young as 5 with no upper age limit, but the new facility, called The Palms, will allow patients over the age of 55 to be housed together. CEO Michelle Neville said that offers some advantages.
Housing older patients together can be more calming, she said, and it allows Greenleaf to dedicate programming to different needs.
Both Neville and Director of Business Development Jamayla Morehead said most of the patients the new facility receives will probably suffer from dementia. Morehead said Greenleaf has had to turn away many dementia patients in the past because they haven’t had the facilities to treat them, but The Palms will enable the hospital to treat up to moderately severe dementia.
Neville said major depressive disorder is also common among senior citizens, so she expects to have a number of patients with that diagnosis.
But if a person has a mental health diagnosis earlier in life, she said, that doesn’t go away as they get older. The Palms could help with schizophrenia, substance abuse or a variety of other behavioral issues.
The Palms is currently licensed for 23 beds, in addition to the existing 113 beds in other Greenleaf wings. Morehead said they’re working to get one more room ready so they can raise the number to 24 beds in The Palms.
Morehead said the facility could start accepting patients as early as Monday. The typical stay is expected to be 7 to 14 days, she said.
“Our goal is to treat the patient until they’re stabilized,” she said.
The ribbon cutting was orchestrated by the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. In remarks before the ceremony, chamber leaders expressed appreciation for what Greenleaf does for the community.
Hilary Gibbs, vice president of support services and chief development officer at SGMC Health, noted that the hospital’s emergency department is a first stop for many people with mental health challenges.
“We are grateful to have Greenleaf right in our back yard,” she said.
