Standing room only for Webster Groves Behavioral Health Hospital vote

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. – KVC Missouri and St. Louis Children's have teamed up to try and open the facility in the middle of a residential neighborhood. But first, the city would have to rezone the land.

People stood along the walls and sat on the floor as the Webster Groves City Hall chambers were filled with residents, wanting to discuss a proposed behavioral health hospital Monday evening.

"One in six children have experienced a mental health disorder," mental health professional Wendy Orson told the Plan Commission during public comment.

Michael Garcia lives directly across the street from the proposed location.

"We are very adamant that this is not the right place to build a hospital of that magnitude," he said.

The hospital, proposed by KVC and St. Louis Children's Hospital, would be put in a residential neighborhood surrounded by homes.

Monday night, the planning commission considered a new traffic study for the area. It says the new hospital would have 77 inpatient beds and 196 staff members. An outpatient center could serve up to 48 children per day. Enrollment at the current school could go up from 90 to 130 students. The traffic study says this will have a minimal impact during peak hours.

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"It adds capacity for care and does so in a calm community environment," Orson said.

Garcia and others have safety concerns other than traffic, though.

Webster Groves Police have been called to this location more than 80 times over the last two years. They say residents routinely escaped the property when it was being run by a different company.

"It's just the nature of the business. They're doing great work, but it has inherent risks," Garcia said.

In a previous statement, Children's and KVC said suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10-14 year olds in Missouri, and the area has fewer than half of the behavioral health beds needed for our children.

KVC and Children's have made updates to its safety plan. Police and fire departments will now get the facility's safety training manual, as well as quarterly meetings with both. Additionally, medically stable patients will be transferred with private ambulances through a secured entrance.

"We as a broader St. Louis community must prioritize the untapped potential and the necessity of care to those who need it the most and not be dissuaded by past negative experiences," another speaker who works in the mental health field said.

The city council will still have a chance to vote on the rezoning at a future meeting.