Groundbreaking set for new state psychiatric hospital

STAUNTON — Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will be on hand for the groundbreaking Tuesday on a new psychiatric hospital that continues a long Virginia tradition.

A new $125 million, 246-bed Western State Hospital is being built in Staunton by a Fairfax construction firm.

Western State Hospital first opened in 1828, although the campus currently in use opened in 1950.

At its height, the hospital had roughly 3,300 patients. Today about 245 patients are treated there.

The General Assembly has committed $110 million to the project, with the rest coming from the City of Staunton. The new facility is being built on a site adjacent to the current hospital.

The new facility is slated to open in 2013.