This summer, Lehigh Regional Medical Center in Lee County plans to open a new 27-bed behavioral health unit for patients 55 and older. Even before construction on the new unit is completed, Lehigh Regional plans to begin offering Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) treatments for older patients suffering from severe depression and other mental health issues.
Currently, Southwest Florida patients who used to receive ECT treatments at Park Royal Hospital in Lee County, have to travel to other areas in order to receive the treatments. We’ll learn more about new behavioral health unit, the efficacy of ECT in treating depression, and the broader challenges of treating mental health issues in older adults in a conversation with Lehigh Regional Medical Center CEO Gary Bell and Geriatric Psychiatry specialist and ECT expert Dr. Ivan Mazzorana.