News
SMH BHU Psychiatrist working to change perspectives about mental health
Sheridan Memorial Hospital Specialist of Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Dr. Michael Kinney made an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse to introduce himself to the Sheridan County community and discuss the growing Behavioral Health Unit at SMH.
Sheridan Memorial Hospital has been developing a new Behavioral Health Unit to further address the growing mental health needs in the Sheridan Region.
Raised in a rural town near Olympia, Wash., Dr. Kinney brings experience in adult psychiatry and addiction medicine to the Sheridan area. He earned his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed his psychiatry residency in Spokane, Wash.
Dr. Kinney has extensive training in the most up-to-date treatment options available. He has been in Sheridan since the Fall of 2024, working with SMH Director of Behavioral Health Brittany Goodvin to develop the unit and ensure processes and practices are in place.
Dr. M. Kinney
In July of 2024, SMH Chief Executive Officer Mike McCafferty announced the development of the unit, saying mental health has been an issue the hospital was working to address for two-decades.
Projected to open early in 2027, the new BHU will provide integrated, trauma-informed healthcare focused on keeping individuals in Sheridan while receiving psychiatric care.
The facility funded by the many contributors to the “Growing for You” campaign will include outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care as well as crisis stabilization.
The crisis stabilization component is critical to the community, helping people to understand that being in crisis does instantly denote a Title 25 designation, they can work through the crisis with help from Dr. Kinney and his team. As the Doctor and Goodvin work with the team at SMH to build this unit from the ground up, this understanding and care is already yielding impactful results.
In Wyoming, Title 25 governs institutions of the state, particularly those related to mental health. It outlines provisions for the hospitalization and treatment of patients, including emergency detentions and involuntary hospitalization for those in crisis.
Dr. M. Kinney
To learn more about the Sheridan Memorial Hospital Behavioral Health Unit and find contact information, click here.
Kimberly C GILKEY
May 20, 2025 at 8:14 am
I am so thankful to see this coming to our community. For a brief timed I worked in Billings in a mental healthcare unit. Crisis and stabilization are such a need and will help the patient in a more timely manner and also help inpatient treatment for those who truly need to be in patient to save their life or the life of another.