County officials urge Intermountain to add more behavioral health beds to downtown hospital

Intermountain Health has filed plans for a new hospital near downtown Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake County officials are pressing for expanded behavioral health services within the project. Mayor Jenny Wilson and seven of the eight county council members addressed a letter to the Salt Lake City Council, urging the city to encourage Intermountain to provide at least the same number of inpatient psychiatric beds as the current LDS Hospital, with the possibility of increasing them.

They highlighted LDS Hospital’s role in offering psychiatric beds, crisis stabilization and withdrawal management, and linked the request to a broader county behavioral health plan developed with the Leifman Group. Council members Carlos Moreno and Sheldon Stewart did not sign the letter. City Council Chairman Alejandro Puy said the timing is favorable because construction has not begun, though the existing development agreement focuses on design elements rather than service levels.

The city’s zoning approval in 2024 included a development agreement, and officials hope the discussion will lead to more beds and state Medicaid support. Construction could start as early as next year.