December 1, 2009 | Poplar Springs Hospital Partnership Creates Park in Petersburg

PETERSBURG, Va. — (Dec. 1, 2009) — The city of Petersburg has a new park, thanks to a collaboration between the Appomattox Soil and Water Conservation District and Poplar Springs Hospital, a Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI) facility.

Poplar Springs Park, at the corner of Oak Hill Road and Park Avenue, took more than a year to clean up and prepare for visitors. Richard Taylor, Chairman of Poplar Springs Hospital Governing Board and also with the Appomattox Soil and Water Conservation District, said the property was given to the district about 15 years ago, and after talking with Poplar Springs, they along with Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR), worked to clear brush, put up fences and generally improve the property.

“We hope that this is the first of an adopt-a-park program by FOLAR in the city,” said Taylor. “I hope other corporations will join the effort to find suitable properties to rehabilitate into parks.”

Richard Clark, chief executive officer of Poplar Springs, said, “Poplar Springs has committed to help with park upkeep and continues to remain active in several civic engagement and community projects.”

Petersburg Mayor Annie Mickens said, “It’s a blessing when a member of the corporate community works to upgrade the quality of life for all residents. There’s a whole green movement in this country, and corporate entities are taking a greater involvement in those and being involved in community service. I hope this is the first of many parks like this.”

Ashley Kiper, a Poplar Springs employee, said, “We started working on this project last fall with picking up some dead brush and trash.”

Valerie Norris, another Poplar Springs staffer, added, “Some of the patients at Poplar Springs Hospital also participated in cleaning up by painting the benches.”

Mayor Mickens said that she hopes anyone who comes to the park can appreciate the natural beauty, including a pond filled with lily pads and tall pine trees. Poplar Springs Hospital has established a taskforce to maintain the park, and looks forward to using it during the upcoming spring months 2010.

About Poplar Spring Hospital
Poplar Springs Hospital is a freestanding psychiatric facility located in Petersburg, Va. The facility is currently licensed for a total of 199 beds, which include 75 acute (intensive treatment unit, adult, active military unit and adolescent), 108 residential treatment beds and 16 group home beds. Programs include psychological and behavioral acute care treatment for adults and adolescent aged 11 – 17, residential, and therapeutic day school programming.. For more information, please visit www.poplarspringsmediapsi.com.

About Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI)
Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. offers an extensive continuum of behavioral health programs to critically ill children, adolescents and adults and is the largest operator of owned or leased freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities with more than 11,000 beds in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PSI also manages freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities for government agencies and psychiatric inpatient units within medical/surgical hospitals owned by others.