Emotions ran high at the Horry County Council meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 3 as the council voted to approve a mental health facility in the Burgess community.
The 8-4 vote approved a negotiated settlement between the psychiatric in-patient Asha Vista and the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals. In September, the ZBA vetoed a request by Asha Vista for an exception to the county’s zoning law.
Asha Vista filed a suit the next month claiming the ZBA had violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit said public comments at the Sept. 8 public hearing were discriminatory against individuals with mental illness and the zoning law that allows for a healthcare facility, but not a mental health facility violates the provisions of the ADA. The ADA protects disabled individuals’ access to public entities and zoning decisions qualify as public entities, according to court documents.
Tuesday night, Asha Vista attorney Travis Dayhuff said the 78-bed hospital would bring psychiatric care closer to the community. He said the company had listened to concerns of nearby residents and had, essentially, addressed all of these in the negotiated agreement with the county.
These concessions included increased state-of-the-art security measures, increased staff, a wall around the hospital and agreed there would not be a methadone drug treatment outpatient element in the hospital.
The Asha Vista Behavioral Institute’s legal counsel Travis Dayhuff and CEO Fran Sauvageau spoke during public comment on behalf of the institution.
By Sazie Eagan
sazie.eagan@myhorrynews.com
Dayhuff said passage of the negotiated settlement would mean an end to future lawsuits and challenges by the company.
“Asha Vista would rather open the hospital than litigate,” he added.
A parade of residents from the Oak Arbor neighborhood adjacent to the hospital voiced their opposition to the facility being located next to them.
Gerald O’Neill said residents were not against mental health care, they just did not want it in their community.
He said the seven-foot wall did not fit in with the “Murrells Inlet image.”
Dr. Victoria Calder told the council that the proposed hospital looked more like a prison than a healing facility.
“Hundreds of residents say the location is objectionable,” Calder said. “Good neighbors don’t threaten lawsuits. Please don’t give in to strong arm tactics.”
Prior to casting their vote, several councilmembers voiced their opinion on the controversial matter.
The hospital is located in Tyler Servant’s District Five. Servant said he absolutely agrees that mental health is needed in the county but it needs to be done “the right way, at the right time and in the right place.”
Servant said his would be a “no” vote and urged his fellow councilmembers to agree with him.
Dennis DiSabato said that councilmembers should be responsible to the citizens and he felt the hospital should be in another place.
However, other members said that the overall need for more mental health facilities for the county outweighed the concerns of the opposition.
Councilmembers Jenna Duke, Danny Hardee and chairman Johnny Gardner said they personally knew people who could not find adequate mental health care locally and had to seek it elsewhere or not at all.
Gardner said he was surprised there was still opposition to the negotiated agreement.
“I’ve never seen concessions where one side got everything they asked for,” Gardner said. “This is a county-wide issue. A lawsuit would be paid for by county taxpayer money. If we lose, the hospital can be built without the concessions.”
Councilman Mark Causey said it was a tough decision but a vote against the agreement would be a vote against the ADA.
Councilmen Gary Loftus and Cam Crawford joined Servant and DiSabato opposing the deal.
Asha Vista CEO Fran Sauvageau said construction of the 78-bed acute care hospital should begin in March and completed in early 2027. He said there would not be an increase in traffic or noise for the neighborhood.
“These beds are desperately needed,” Sauvageau added.
The hospital will be located near Highway 707 and McDowell Shortcut Road.