Haywood County has received two grants totaling $133,650 from the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center that will help create 22 jobs over the next couple of years. A grant of $88,000 will help renovate a psychiatric wing at MedWest-Haywood Hospital. The facility will provide a safe environment for psychiatric patients as they await disposition, increasing patient privacy and containment, and provide the capacity for staff to monitor patient behavior and supply for their needs. The total project is $234,000, with $120,000 from the Evergreen Foundation, a mental health nonprofit; $43,00 from the Haywood hospital, and $3,000 in kind from the Haywood County Economic Development Commission. Renovation is expected to start within 30 days and will take approximately 90 days to complete.

Another grant of $45,650 will be used to renovate a vacant building in Waynesville to house the LifeSpan Creative Campus to expand services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. The renovation will allow LifeSpan to increase the number of people served in Haywood County to 60, up from its present limit of 45.

The efforts are expected to create 11 jobs each. 828.456.3737.