Across the United States, healthcare infrastructure has entered a period of significant transition. Aging facilities, population growth, rising construction costs, and increasing demand for behavioral health and specialty care are causing public officials and healthcare systems to rethink how and where healthcare services are delivered. At the same time, federal and state funding programs, including pandemic-era relief allocations and targeted legislative appropriations, have accelerated long-planned modernization efforts. The result is a growing pipeline of new construction, major expansions, and strategic renovations designed to improve access to services, increase capacity, and strengthen long-term resilience across regional healthcare networks. There is also a surging trend to upgrade emotional and behavioral care programs and services. The opportunities that follow are examples of hundreds more upcoming healthcare projects that will require more than construction expertise as technology, specialized equipment and professional services will be in high demand.
City officials in Whiteriver, Arizona, are moving forward with plans to improve and expand a major healthcare campus serving the community. The project carries an estimated cost of $500 million and will deliver a new facility providing behavioral health services alongside a broad range of medical care. Planned campus improvements are designed to expand access to primary and specialty care, strengthen emergency and diagnostic services, and support long-term public health needs throughout the region.
Current plans call for construction of a new main hospital building totaling approximately 406,000 square feet. The facility will include primary care services, telemedicine capabilities, dental, vision, and audiology services. Emergency services and specialty care areas for cardiology, orthopedics, and general surgery are also planned. Additional components include inpatient and outpatient pharmacies, laboratory services, diagnostic imaging including X-ray, CT, and MRI, rehabilitation services, public health programs, and administrative space.
The overall scope includes extensive site and infrastructure work, such as 1,335 parking spaces, new access drives and utility areas, stormwater management features, and a temporary parking and shuttle plan during construction. Two wastewater treatment plants are also planned, with one located approximately half a mile north of the campus and another near the staff quarters site. Following completion of the new construction, demolition of the existing hospital and an adjacent building will occur. The project is currently in the design phase, with construction expected to begin in July 2026.
In Minnesota, a $75 million expansion of the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center will add a new 50-bed inpatient psychiatric wing at the state’s largest behavioral health hospital. Funding for design and early site preparation was approved during the 2025 legislative session, supporting the state’s effort to strengthen behavioral healthcare infrastructure and increase inpatient treatment capacity.
The project will include a dedicated inpatient wing designed to expand bed capacity, add clinical space, and provide trauma-informed treatment areas. When completed, the expansion will also deliver enhanced care programming space and significant technology modernization. Delivery will occur in stages, with planning and design work expected to progress through 2027. Procurement documents will be released once design is finalized.
A new psychiatric hospital is being designed in LaGrange, Kentucky, with an estimated project cost of $63.9 million. The facility will replace existing infrastructure and address growing demand within the state’s behavioral health and corrections systems. The inpatient hospital is intended to serve individuals involved in the criminal justice system who require psychiatric evaluation and treatment.
The forensic hospital will support patients with severe mental disorders who present elevated clinical and security risks. Kentucky has experienced steady growth in the number of individuals requiring competency evaluations, restoration services, and inpatient psychiatric care, both during incarceration and following release. The planned facility will provide a secure and specialized environment to meet these needs.
Plans call for construction of an approximately 120,000-square-foot hospital with capacity for 150 patients. The facility will support a full range of forensic mental health services, including competency and criminal responsibility evaluations, competency restoration, and longer-term inpatient treatment. The design will include secure patient units, treatment and therapy areas, staff and administrative space, and specialized technology systems. A construction solicitation is anticipated in late 2026 or early 2027 following completion of planning and design.
In Oklahoma, state officials are moving forward with a $60 million hospital renovation and relocation project for Griffin Memorial Hospital, a public adult psychiatric hospital operated by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Rather than constructing a new facility, the state elected to renovate an existing building in Oklahoma City after rising construction costs made new development less feasible.
Funding support for the project is being provided through the American Rescue Plan Act. Once renovated, the centrally located facility will accommodate 120 inpatient beds and improve access to behavioral health services statewide. The new location is expected to reduce travel demands for law enforcement agencies responsible for transporting patients and streamline administrative operations by consolidating services into a single, modernized facility. Construction solicitations are expected to be released soon.
Officials in Telluride, Colorado, are also advancing plans for a new Regional Medical Center with an estimated project cost of $53 million. The existing facility is outdated and undersized, creating challenges for both patients and healthcare staff. A site within a mixed-use development area has been selected, offering flexibility for future expansion.
The proposed critical access hospital will span approximately 48,000 square feet and include a primary care center, specialty care services, an emergency department with a helipad, an imaging department, and expanded patient care areas. These improvements are intended to significantly increase the level of care available locally while improving access for residents and visitors. The project is currently in the planning and design phase, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin in 2027.
These projects reflect just a tip of the iceberg as similar projects are in the design phases throughout the U.S. There is an obvious national effort emerging to modernize healthcare infrastructure, expand behavioral health capacity, and align facilities with evolving care models. As planning advances and solicitations are released, these initiatives will continue to generate opportunities across the healthcare construction and services landscape over the next several years.
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