The Big Picture
Intermountain Health is expanding access to behavioral health care in the Salt Lake Valley with the opening of a new, purpose-built Behavioral Health Center at Intermountain Alta View Hospital in Sandy. Alongside new inpatient capacity and urgent walk-in services, the center will include Utah’s first dedicated inpatient Maternal Mental Health Unit — designed to support people during pregnancy and through the first year after childbirth.
What’s Happening
Intermountain Alta View Hospital is set to open a new Behavioral Health Center for patient care in early June. The center adds 56 inpatient beds and new points of access for people who need help quickly — without having to wait days in an emergency department.
Key components include:
- Behavioral Health Access Center (walk-in): An urgent-care style entry point for adults 18+ to be evaluated and connected to the right level of care — no appointment needed.
- Inpatient behavioral health services: Expanded capacity to treat people experiencing serious mental health crises.
- Medical withdrawal management (detox): Dedicated beds and clinical support to help patients withdraw safely and transition to ongoing care.
- Maternal Mental Health Unit (6 beds): A separate, specialized inpatient unit for people experiencing perinatal and postpartum mental health conditions (during pregnancy and up to one year after childbirth). The unit is designed to reduce barriers to treatment and, when appropriate and safe, can include infant/family visitation and integrated support as part of the care plan.
Why It Matters
Behavioral health needs in Utah — and across the country — continue to outpace available resources. Leaders at Alta View described situations where people in crisis have had to wait extended periods for an inpatient bed, sometimes remaining in emergency departments for days.
This expansion is intended to:
- Shorten wait times and improve access to care closer to home, especially for residents in the southern part of Salt Lake County.
- Create a more appropriate, healing environment for patients than an emergency department holding pattern.
- Address maternal mental health with specialized care. For many new parents, the idea of being separated from their baby can be a major barrier to getting help. A dedicated Maternal Mental Health Unit — separate from other inpatient units and built specifically for perinatal and postpartum needs — is a significant step toward reducing stigma and increasing access to treatment.
The Bottom Line
The new Behavioral Health Center at Intermountain Alta View Hospital brings 56 inpatient beds, a walk-in Behavioral Health Access Center, and a 6-bed Maternal Mental Health Unit to Sandy — expanding urgently needed behavioral health services and creating a dedicated pathway to care for people navigating pregnancy- and postpartum-related mental health challenges.