New day treatment program serves patients transitioning from inpatient care or those requiring more intensive support than traditional outpatient services.

TAMPA, Fla., June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Behavioral Health Hospital has launched its Partial Hospitalization Program, a structured daytime treatment program that provides intensive behavioral health care for those who need a higher level of support than traditional outpatient services, without requiring an overnight hospital stay.

The program operates from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, 1303 W. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa. Hours are set to expand to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as the program grows. The Partial Hospitalization Program represents the next phase of care expansion at the facility, which opened in March 2025 as Florida's first Medicare-certified freestanding academic medical center-affiliated behavioral health hospital.

Designed to serve individuals experiencing mood, anxiety or behavioral health concerns who can safely participate in a structured day program, partial hospitalization is also available to patients transitioning out of inpatient care. Partial hospitalization bridges a critical gap between the intensity of inpatient care and the relative independence of conventional outpatient services, with a typical treatment course of three to six weeks.

"Our inpatient program gave us the foundation, and this partial hospitalization program is a natural and necessary next step," said Doug Leonardo, CEO of the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital. "Partial hospitalization allows us to meet patients exactly where they are on their journey while providing the clinical structure and daily therapeutic support they need to stabilize. Patients are able to build skills for recovery while living at home, staying connected to their families and communities."

Partial hospitalization participants receive psychiatric evaluation and medication management, individual and group therapy, nursing and clinical support and individualized treatment planning. Evidence-based therapeutic approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as well as holistic activities such as yoga, art, music and pet therapy to complement clinical treatment. The program addresses a wide range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders.

"Partial hospitalization is a critical level of care that too often goes unmet," said Dr. Ryan Wagoner, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. "This program brings together academic medicine's evidence-based approach with the compassionate, patient-centered care that defines the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital. For patients who are ready to engage in their recovery but still need substantial daily support, this program can be genuinely life-changing."

Upon completing partial hospitalization, patients transition to a lower level of care, either to outpatient providers or, beginning July 1, to the hospital's planned Intensive Outpatient Program. The Intensive Outpatient Program will offer shorter therapeutic sessions three days per week, completing a full continuum of behavioral health care from inpatient admission through outpatient recovery.

Access to the partial hospitalization program begins with a confidential assessment, which can be scheduled by phone or walk-in. To lower barriers to daily attendance, the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital provides transportation support through Uber Health at no cost to patients within 30 miles. Referrals are accepted from hospitals and emergency departments, primary care and specialty providers, psychiatrists, therapists, outpatient clinics, community-based organizations and families. Self-referrals are welcome.

The partial hospitalization program comes as demand for accessible, structured behavioral health services continues to grow. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly one in four Americans lives with a mental illness, yet more than half of the U.S. population resides in an area with a shortage of mental health professionals. The TGH Behavioral Health Hospital is one of only four state-designated behavioral health teaching hospitals in Florida, a designation established by legislation passed during the 2024 legislative session.

Located in the center of the Tampa Medical & Research District , the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital is a collaborative effort between Tampa General Hospital and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, an operating division of Lifepoint Health — in tandem with USF Health. The hospital's expert team of academic medicine-based USF Health psychiatrists, supported by Tampa General Behavioral Health therapists and specialized nursing staff, provide personalized treatment plans tailored to each patient's needs. Inpatient care for adolescents 13 and older is planned for Fall 2026.

To schedule a new patient appointment or refer a patient, call 813-893-6330. The outpatient front desk can be reached at 656-789-6142. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Media Contact: Aileen Bennett
Assistant Vice President
Lifepoint Behavioral Health
(615) 920-7668
aileen.bennett@lpnt.net

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, Florida's premier academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America's Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region's #1 employer in the healthcare category for the sixth year in a row, and among the top five in the state of Florida, in the 2025 Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of healthcare for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the leading adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; two TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and 20 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT USF HEALTH
USF Health is dedicated to making life better through research, education and patient care. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs and USF Health's multispecialty physicians' group, the largest on Florida's west coast. In 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as a Tier 1 medical school for the second consecutive year, placing it among a premier group of 16 medical schools nationally to earn this highest possible designation. U.S. News also ranked the USF College of Public Health and the USF College of Nursing's Master of Science programs as No. 1 in the state. Together with Tampa General Hospital, USF Health forms one of the nation's premier academic health systems, with more than 1,000 physicians and providers caring for more than one million patients each year. USF Health is part of the University of South Florida, a top-ranked research university and member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). USF serves approximately 50,000 students and generates nearly $10 billion in annual economic impact for Florida. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.

LIFEPOINT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Lifepoint Behavioral Health specializes in providing compassionate care across the behavioral healthcare continuum. Through its 25 behavioral health hospitals and more than 30 behavioral health units, Lifepoint Behavioral Health operates a unified ecosystem of behavioral healthcare through independent operation, contract management and joint venture partnerships with hospitals and providers across the country. Its treatment models are designed to address the unique needs of various patient populations, including adolescents, adults and geriatrics, and utilize evidence-based therapies with distinct short- and long-term goals of improving and sustaining mental health. Lifepoint Behavioral Health is an operating division of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Lifepoint Health.

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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital