In 2012, then Governor Bobby Jindal announced the closure of Southeast Hospital. Parish President Brister and Senator Jack Donahue began to work towards a purchase agreement and in 2015 St. Tammany Parish purchased the 293.86-acre hospital campus. While working on the purchase of the property Parish Government investigated what to do with the campus after the purchase. It was clear the Parish is not a healthcare agency and should not provide clinical services. At the same time, behavioral health services were scarce in the Parish and should be protected and preserved. Through discussions the Parish became aware of San Antonio’s Haven for Hope. Taking inspiration for co-locating services and combing that with the needs of the St. Tammany community, the Safe Haven campus was born. The decision was made to keep the property long-term and to develop into a behavioral health continuum of care campus.


With the assistance of our community partners and a consultant, the Parish drafted a services implementation strategy for the campus. The strategy was presented to the public in 2016 at a town hall meeting. The Parish and its partners have worked to increase services at Safe Haven. Since the Parish purchase of the property the following services have come to fruition: the NAMI St. Tammany Day Center, an elementary school of the St. Tammany Parish School Board, and NAMI’s Closet. With the dedication of the community, this is just the beginning for what is to come.