Murfreesboro breaks ground on new mental health facility

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — There’s help on the way for Middle Tennesseans struggling with their mental health.

Mental Health Cooperative , a Nashville-based organization, broke ground Wednesday on a new clinic in Murfreesboro. The 1500 square foot facility will be built near several established health care facilities in the area, like Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital.

Michelle Shafer, Mental Health Cooperative’s CEO, told News 2 that between three and four out of every five people experience a mental health issue.

“We see some growing concern around severe and persistent mental illness (in Rutherford County),” Shafer added. “We’re seeing a really huge and significant increase in depression. We’re seeing it in all the data.”

The University of Memphis came to a simple conclusion when analyzing mental health data for Tennessee in 2023.

“As often seen, the need in the community outweighs the available services,” the research concluded.

A state-of-the art mental health facility was just what the doctor ordered.

“We don’t have an infinite number of resources,” Shafer said. “Fire and Police don’t have an infinite number of resources. Our hospital right here, they do not have an infinite number of resources and they are responsible for every health care issue that walks through that emergency room.”

Shafer added that given the current status of mental healthcare access in the area, agencies could only afford to work together. That way, agencies could better serve the community.

Shafer expressed her belief that the facility would benefit another mental health service in Murfreesboro: co-responders who assist police on mental health calls.

“It should be a direct pipeline for them to be able to immediately bring someone in and immediately be able to get them access,” Shafer said.

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Wednesday’s groundbreaking was a big step toward fighting an issue that isn’t going away.

“It is a foundational building block as we create an overall system of care in this community that engages not only us, but every other partner,” Shafer said. “So that there is an open door, seamless access to anybody in this community who ever needs help.”

As of publication, the clinic on Gateway Boulevard is scheduled to open in 2025.

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