LADSON, S.C. (WCBD) – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Monday morning for a new state-of-the-art mental health hospital in the Lowcountry.

Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness – a 60-bed, free-standing $47.5 million hospital – is designed to provide inpatient and outpatient care.

Trident Health said the facility is located about a mile away from Trident Medical Center and that it was designed with patients in mind.

The hospital includes large outdoor courtyards, and a variety of spaces to offer therapy in both individual and group settings.

Providers say that in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, nearly 5% of all admissions at hospitals are mental health related. But the demand for high-quality behavioral health services has been greater than the region’s ability to meet those needs.

Because of that, those behind the project say that after a decade of planning, it’s wonderful to see the facility completed.

“To see all of the parts come together into the form of the whole, a sum that is greater than all of the individual parts, it’s a product of many contributions by individuals. That is what it is all about, I get to surround myself with wonderful caregivers, support team members all in the interest of delivering the best care to patients in the community,” said David Was, chief operating officer for Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness.

Patients will be accepted at the facility beginning Tuesday.