Lakeland Behavioral Health System History

The building Lakeland Behavioral Health System now occupies was originally built by the Springfield Hospital Association and Training School for Nurses in 1904.
Its original name was Springfield Hospital and was the first training facility for nurses in Springfield. The facility opened for patients on January 1, 1905.

In 1961, Springfield Baptist Hospital established Springfield’s first facilities for cardiac catheterization and open-heart surgery. The first open-heart surgery in Springfield was performed here in the 1960s by Thomas Ashley, M.D.

In 1989 the facility was re-licensed for psychiatric services only. With this change in focus, the facility was renamed Lakeland Regional Hospital (LRH).

In 1998 Lakeland eliminated its adult psychiatric treatment programs to devote the organization’s resources and energy to providing services for children and adolescents.

In April 2011, Lakeland Regional Hospital was purchased by Acadia Healthcare.  On December 1, 2011 Lakeland Regional Hospital changed the name of the facility to Lakeland Behavioral Health System.  Hospital was dropped from the name as acute care services is just one of the services offered here at Lakeland Behavioral Health System.  Click here to see an overview of all Lakeland Behavioral Health’s children and adolescent behavioral health acute and residential treatment programs.