Psychiatric beds nearly tripling in Madison area over just a few years
DAVID WAHLBERG
Updated
Rooms at Miramont Behavioral Health, a psychiatric hospital that opened in Middleton in 2021, feature bolted-down furniture, along with doors, windows and light fixtures designed to prevent self-harm, as required by regulations. Shown are CEO Saad Niazi, left, and senior adviser Jeremy Tunis.
With a psychiatric hospital opening in Middleton in 2021 and a permit approved last week for a similar facility to open late next year on Madison’s Far East Side, the Madison area is soon expected to have nearly 300 mental health beds, up from about 100 before.
Kristin Johnson Bott teaches adolescent patients at Miramont Behavioral Health, who come to her classroom daily. "I try to help them feel like they're going out with many more tools than they walked in with," she said.
Messages of encouragement are displayed on a wall of the gym at Miramont Behavioral Health, where recreational therapist Alison Walch prepares supplies for activities.
All patients at Miramont Behavioral Health, where the typical length of stay is seven to 10 days, get therapy and adolescents get classroom education, said Saad Niazi, right, CEO. At left is teacher Kristin Johnson Bott, who combines curricula from patients' schools with her own to teach students with a wide range of skills and abilities.
Miramont Behavioral Health CEO Saad Niazi, who moved to the Madison area from southern California last year, said he's trying to make improvements to the facility. "Our key is to have a therapeutic environment," he said. "We want to make sure we get them stabilized, get them safe, to be able to go the next level of care."
Rooms at Miramont Behavioral Health, a psychiatric hospital that opened in Middleton in 2021, feature bolted-down furniture, along with doors, windows and light fixtures designed to prevent self-harm, as required by regulations. Shown are CEO Saad Niazi, left, and senior adviser Jeremy Tunis.
Kristin Johnson Bott teaches adolescent patients at Miramont Behavioral Health, who come to her classroom daily. "I try to help them feel like they're going out with many more tools than they walked in with," she said.
Messages of encouragement are displayed on a wall of the gym at Miramont Behavioral Health, where recreational therapist Alison Walch prepares supplies for activities.
Miramont Behavioral Health CEO Saad Niazi, who moved to the Madison area from southern California last year, said he's trying to make improvements to the facility. "Our key is to have a therapeutic environment," he said. "We want to make sure we get them stabilized, get them safe, to be able to go the next level of care."
All patients at Miramont Behavioral Health, where the typical length of stay is seven to 10 days, get therapy and adolescents get classroom education, said Saad Niazi, right, CEO. At left is teacher Kristin Johnson Bott, who combines curricula from patients' schools with her own to teach students with a wide range of skills and abilities.
