Harsha celebrates 12 years as a positive presence for mental health in Indiana
A long-standing community partner, Harsha Behavioral Center celebrates 12 years this month. After recognizing the need for inpatient psychiatric services in the Terre Haute area, Paras Harshawat MD and his wife Roopam Harshawat started the hospital and opened its doors on August 18, 2008. Over the past 12 years, the organization has become an integral part of the community and a resource for patients and families statewide.
“There’s no doubt that mental health is a serious issue. This facility is an asset to our community, its people and its children,” states board member, Dr. Rob Haworth, Vigo County School Corporation Superintendent. “I commend the Harshawats for bringing awareness to the problems our communities and society faces in regard to mental health and leading the discussion of how we, as a community, can improve upon our processes of getting people adequate help in a timely manner.” states Dr. Haworth.
The Harshawats have lived in Terre Haute since 1990. Dr. Harshawat was the Medical Director of Charter Hospital in Terre Haute from 1990 to 1999 during that period Dr. Harshawat started his private practice and Roopam managed the practice.
Dr. Harshawat has great compassion for individuals with developmental disabilities, MRDD, ADD, and autism, and has treated a large number of patients with these diagnoses. Harsha Behavioral Center has a dedicated unit for kids with autism.
As a significant number of patients admitted with autism were traveling from all over the Midwest to come to Harsha, the Harshawats realized that these children and adolescents needed continuum of care to improve the quality of their lives, and Harsha Autism Center was started in 2014.
In recent years, opioid addiction has become a topic of concern for communities across the nation, and Harsha has been instrumental in educating the community on the topic. In 2018, Harsha hosted the West Central Indiana Drug Symposium, bringing speakers including Jim McClelland, executive director for drug prevention, treatment, and enforcement for the State of Indiana; a number of Indiana legislators; and Pam Pontones, deputy state health commissioner and state epidemiologist to Terre Haute. In 2019, Harsha hosted a medical roundtable regarding the topic of drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy. These are just a few examples of how Harsha has become a leader in the community for combating these important health concerns.
Most recently, the organization launched the Heart of Harsha social media campaign in an effort to combat the stigma surrounding mental health. The public perception of mental health has resulted in fewer people seeking treatment when they need help. Through the campaign, Harsha promotes the idea of holistic health – caring for the mind just as you would the body. As a leader in the mental health field for over a decade, Harsha Behavioral Center continues to strategically implement initiatives that are changing lives each day.
“The mental health needs of our community, state and nation are constantly evolving,” states Roopam Harshawat, President and CEO of Harsha Behavioral Center. “Each time we recognized a need in our community, we have added new services in our hospital to address that need, and we will continue to do so. We are happy to celebrate 12 years and look forward to the future.”
About Harsha Behavioral Center: Harsha Behavioral Center is a freestanding, physician-owned, acute care hospital on Terre Haute’s south side. It has 81 beds to provide inpatient services to individuals needing 24-hour intensive psychiatric care and serves patients of all ages — from children as young as three to geriatric patients.
