Plans are moving forward to replace a more than century-old facility for people in Michigan with serious mental illness with a new psychiatric hospital.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday at the site where the Caro Psychiatric Hospital about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Detroit is expected to be completed in 2021.
Gov. Rick Snyder says the hospital will help meet Michigan's long-term psychiatric care needs. It's expected to have room for 200 adults, up 50 from the current facility.
Built in 1913, the existing Caro Center opened in 1914 as the Caro Farm Colony for Epileptics, serving as the only state residential treatment center for people with seizure disorders until 1997. The facility currently provides services for adults with serious mental illness from 48 Michigan counties.
