SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – With a $74 million price tag, health officials said the opening of The Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion on Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Campus will offer much sought-after services.

A ribbon-cutting and formal dedication of the 82-bed facility took place on Friday morning. Tours to the public were also available to those interested in seeing the design and layout.

The 95,600 square foot, three-story facility will offer treatment for behavioral and mental health issues for cases dealing with young children to senior citizens, according to hospital spokespersons.

1 in 4 adults and 1 in 6 children will experience a mental health issue on a yearly basis, according to research compiled by Cornell officials.

“Everybody has a relationship, or a loved one that has a mental illness, or an addiction disorder,” said Terry Cassidy, Sarasota Memorial Behavioral Health Services Executive Director.

Cassidy said the facility will offer 24-hour comprehensive care and treatment with both outpatient and inpatient services.

Patients currently being treated at Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Bayside Center for Behavioral Health, which sits across the street, will be transferred to Cornell starting Monday, Dec. 4 with new patients being admitted Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Plans for the more than 50-year-old Bayside Center haven’t been finalized yet.

Meanwhile, spokespersons said Cornell is named after Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell and his wife Martha who donated $10 million to help with design and construction of the state-of-the-art facility.

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