BINGHAMTON, NY (607NewsNow) – Binghamton General Hospital is getting a massive overhaul.

On Oct. 22, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $26 million in capital funding to United Health Services.

Roughly $25 million will be used to build a new 27,650-square-foot Emergency Department. It will include 30 beds in private rooms, an expanded waiting area, two resuscitation bays, and a flex area for behavioral health evaluation and treatment.

The ER project will allow the hospital to relocate its Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) to the second floor. The move will triple the unit’s capacity and create a new, large waiting area. The new space will have its own entrance, 12 extended observation beds, and separate areas for voluntary and involuntary patients.

“All New Yorkers deserve access to high-quality medical care, and this investment will transform the way Binghamton General Hospital provides both physical and behavioral health treatment in the Southern Tier,” said Governor Hochul. “This project represents our full commitment to modernize our healthcare services and to ensure these facilities also have space to provide top-notch services to anyone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.”

Binghamton General’s CPEP is one of 21 programs and three satellites operating statewide. It provides psychiatric emergency services to more than 5,500 children and adults from an eighty-county region every year.

“Mental and overall healthcare access continues to be a challenge across our state and in communities like mine, which has been exacerbated by the dangerous federal cuts to programs like Medicaid,” said State Senator Lea Webb. “Just because funding is cut does not mean the need for care decreases. Our $26 million investment in Binghamton’s United Health Services means improved emergency room conditions and that more people in our area will have access to quality and comprehensive mental healthcare.”

Read more from Governor Hochul’s office here.