Go behind the scenes of the new behavioral health hospital in Council Bluffs
A new behavioral health hospital will open in the coming weeks in Council Bluffs, adding up to 96 inpatient beds to serve Southwest Iowa, the Omaha metropolitan area and the broader region.
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health celebrated its grand opening Tuesday morning, although the hospital won't start accepting patients until it's fully up-and-running sometime in June.
The Nonpareil took a tour of the new facility with Dr. Monica Arora, medical director for the hospital, before the ribbon-cutting ceremony that welcomed the hospital's staff to the Council Bluffs community.
Arora said the hospital will serve both inpatient and outpatient clients, with up to 96 beds divided into four units — one intended for youth and adolescents, one for geriatric patients and two for adults. The units are separated and each have their own recreation space, while shared spaces are intended to be used in shifts.
"All of the units work independently," Arora said.
The divisions keep young people separated from adults, and it also allows the hospital to admit, for example, two domestic partners or a parent and child — providing separate accommodations for both while remaining a single destination in the community that can offer assistance.
Medical Director Dr. Monica Arora gives a tour of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health, Council Bluffs' new 96-bed behavioral health hospital, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
The hospital is built from the ground up to serve behavioral health patients, unlike many such spaces that are converted portions of hospitals or other facilities. Arora said natural light and access to the outdoors help to maintain as much "normal life" as possible in the institutional setting, while maintaining safety protocols.
Each unit has 12 rooms, although hallway doors can be adjusted to add or subtract rooms — so, say, if there are temporarily more youth than one unit could handle, there's an option to make adjustments.
The rooms each have two beds and a bathroom space separated by padded doors reminiscent of a salon, allowing for some privacy while keeping the area safe. The beds also are divided by an "invisible curtain" — sensors that beep and alert the on-duty nurse if a person crosses the threshold between beds at night.
Arora said not every patient would share a room, as it would depend on individual circumstances, and each unit is equipped with a comfort room that allows patients to find some separation — in view of the nursing station — from their roommates.
Patients also have access to both a quiet and a loud activity room, where they can play games, work on craft projects or watch television. The loud rooms open into an interior courtyard featuring a basketball hoop — except for the geriatric unit — as well as benches and a picnic area.
The hospital also has art therapy and multipurpose rooms, which are shared by all the units, as well as gym for basketball and volleyball. Arora said she hopes to bring in yoga instructors to work with patients.
Medical Director Dr. Monica Arora gives a tour of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health, Council Bluffs' new 96-bed behavioral health hospital, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
The aim, Arora said, is not simply to provide stabilization following an acute mental health crisis but to provide "functional recovery," aiming to transition patients back home as soon as they're ready. The hospital also offers outpatient services allowing someone to transition back home while still seeing the same providers.
Each unit of the hospital also features a padded seclusion room, which Arora said is used "when all efforts have failed" to calm down a patient. The hospital doesn't have security or police in the patient areas, and Arora said the aim is to provide trauma-informed care and avoid escalating tense situations.
Nurses make the rounds at least every 15 minutes, and some patients will receive more timely monitoring or even 1-on-1 support.
Arora said patients will generally eat in a cafeteria, taking shifts like at school, with a chef on site preparing meals that can accommodate any dietary restrictions. The kitchen can also help feed lunch and snacks to outpatients who are receiving treatment at the hospital during the day hours, although they will be kept separate from the inpatient units.
"Our goal is to normalize as much as we can," Arora said.
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health will provide outpatient electroconvulsive therapy as well as group therapy and other services to clients in a partial hospital program and an intensive outpatient program in clinical spaces that also will support those admitted to the hospital.
When patients first arrive for admission, they will be greeted at reception and taken to a patient waiting area before going back into assessment rooms. The hospital is also equipped to receive patients by ambulance or who are transported by law enforcement in a back vestibule.
Patients' belongings are stored in a separate area, and when patients are discharged they go through a space behind the main lobby where they will be processed and their belongings returned.
Many people experiencing mental health crisis who seek assistance now end up in emergency rooms at area hospitals, often waiting a long time to secure a bed or otherwise start receiving treatment. The process will be streamlined at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health, where patients just have to walk in the door to receive assistance.
The hospital is located at 3620 S. 24th St. in Council Bluffs. It is not yet seeing patients but is expected to open its doors to the public in the coming weeks. Learn more at mjebehavioral.com.
Look for complete coverage of the hospital's grand opening Wednesday morning on nonpareilonline.com and in Thursday's print edition of The Nonpareil.
Check out photos from a tours of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Behavioral Health, Council Bluffs' new 96-bed behavioral health hospital.
