The Daily Dig
Construction has started on the Southern Nevada Forensic Facility, a $399 million secure psychiatric hospital on the Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus in Las Vegas. Governor Joe Lombardo joined the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager for the announcement.
The facility is a four-story, 327,000 square foot hospital with 298 beds. It is built specifically for court-mandated competency restoration, serving individuals who must receive treatment to restore competency before participating in legal proceedings under Nevada law.
The project replaces several aging facilities built in the 1970s and 1980s. The design also includes provisions for an expansion tower that could add between 90 and 120 beds. Construction is expected to complete in 2029.
Snapshot:
Project Name: Southern Nevada Forensic Facility
Location: Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus, Las Vegas, NV
Owner/Agency: Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health
Project Value: $399 million
Building Size: 327,000 SF
Stories: Four
Bed Count: 298 beds
Expansion Capacity: 90 to 120 additional beds via future expansion tower
Sector: Healthcare / Forensic Behavioral Health
Scope: New construction, replacing 1970s and 1980s era facilities
Status: Under construction
Estimated Completion: 2029
TheJobWalk Thoughts
A 327,000 square foot secure forensic psychiatric hospital sits at the more specialized end of healthcare construction. The combination of clinical environment standards, security system integration, and tight systems coordination means that trade experience in healthcare or behavioral health facilities is a real differentiator on projects of this type. Subs and suppliers active in the Southern Nevada market should be tracking procurement developments closely.
The 2029 completion window also matters for workforce planning. A $399 million hospital build will run sustained, multi-trade labor demand for several years. For contractors operating in Southern Nevada, this is the kind of long-duration project that rewards early engagement over reactive bidding.
