Linden Oaks expanding mental health services in Naperville

At a time when many organizations across Illinois have seen cuts in funding for mental health services, officials from Linden Oaks at Edward Hospital in Naperville said they are "thrilled" to be expanding.

Linden Oaks this week unveiled additions to three of its four wings, totaling 8,500 square feet on the Edward campus at 801 S. Washington St.

The $4.3 million project creates room for 14 additional beds - giving Linden Oaks a total of 108 - that serve adolescent and adult patients, patients struggling with chemical dependency and eating disorders, and geriatric patients.

The expansion includes more day rooms, group rooms and consultation rooms, as well as additional staff and patient locker rooms.

Linden Oaks CEO Mary Lou Mastro said staff members were so pleased during this week's unveiling that a few were in tears.

"Some of them were so excited when they toured this new, beautiful space," Mastro said. "The biggest thing is that it will be much nicer for the patients in terms of space to meet with physicians, staff, and to meet with their families. We are full a lot and there are many times when we can't accept new patients."

In addition, Linden Oaks is completely renovating a 40,000-square-foot building across the street from its current Mill Street location. The organization will use the building as its new outpatient site for prevention, education, diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health conditions and disorders.

When the center opens this August, all of Linden Oaks' outpatient services will be centrally located, with the exception of those for eating disorders.

The building will serve as its outpatient site to offer treatment for conditions such as chemical dependency, depression, self-injury and bi-polar disorder for adults and adolescents. The building will feature a 100-seat conference center for support programs, and outpatient and community education, and it will be the new home for Linden Oaks Medical Group and its eight board-certified psychiatrists.

Mastro said all of the growth is possible thanks to good leadership and planning.

"Our board and senior leadership have stayed committed," she said. "There has been a huge reduction in these kinds of services across the state in the past 10 years and in a lot of communities access to these services is extremely difficult. We are just really thrilled that we are staying committed to the needs of the community, because there is a big need."