Vera Yigle-Kaljob, CEO, Triangle Springs Hospitals

Invest: spoke with Vera Yigle-Kaljob, CEO of Triangle Springs Hospital, about the growth of behavioral healthcare demand in the Triangle, the staffing challenges limiting expansion, and the broader pressures affecting both providers and patients. “We do our best to get staff here, but there are factors beyond our control that must be addressed,” Yigle-Kaljob said.

Could you provide an overview of Triangle Springs Hospital and how it has evolved over the past year?

Triangle Springs Hospital is a behavioral health and addiction treatment facility offering a full continuum of psychiatric and substance use services, including both inpatient and outpatient levels of care. PHP, IOP, Inpatient services, Detox, Telehealth along with rehabilitation services. We are a 77-bed facility and have been operating for eight years as of this month. We are part of LifePoint Health, which includes acute care hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, and rehabilitation hospitals across the country.

We operate both inpatient and outpatient services. On the outpatient side, we see over 100 patients daily across multiple locations, including on-site and off-site facilities. As referrals have increased, we are exploring expansion, potentially adding another site to accommodate demand.

We also provide services for military members through our Help for Heroes program, offering transportation from bases such as Seymour Johnson and Fort Bragg. Growth over the past year has been driven largely by community partnerships and increased awareness of our services. Over the past year, Triangle Springs Hospital has continued to evolve as a critical behavioral health provider serving the greater Triangle region. Our work has remained focused on strengthening access to care, improving operational reliability, and ensuring that every patient who walks through our doors receives safe, high-quality treatment. We’ve demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and commitment to excellence.

We have faced challenges, responded to increasing demand, and continued to strengthen our operations—all while remaining focused on what matters most: delivering safe, compassionate care to the patients and families who depend on us.

Our progress over the past year reflects the dedication of our staff, the strength of our leadership teams, and the trust placed in us by the communities we serve.

As we move forward, we remain committed to building an organization that is not only responsive to today’s needs but prepared for tomorrow’s challenges.

Together, we will continue advancing our mission and strengthening the role of Triangle Springs as a trusted behavioral health leader in our region.

What trends are shaping behavioral healthcare demand in the Triangle?

The Triangle region is experiencing sustained population growth driven by job creation, relocation, and university pipelines. That growth is increasing demand for behavioral health services.

Additionally, workforce availability remains the biggest challenge. Demand continues to rise, but staffing, especially nursing and behavioral health professionals, is limited. We also face strong competition from larger systems such as UNC and Duke, which can often offer higher compensation.

Access to care remains a challenge, particularly for youth, crisis services, and step-down programs. We offer a wide range of services, but expansion depends on staffing.

How do staffing shortages impact your operations and patient access?

It is a daily challenge. Although we are a 77-bed facility, there are times when we cap our census at around 65 patients, for example because we only have enough staff to safely care for that number of patients.

This affects operations, but patient and staff safety come first. Our census is directly tied to staffing levels, which can change daily due to call-outs or no-shows. The team in the building determines how many patients we can serve.

What role do partnerships play in your operations?

We partner with hospitals and community organizations, including Duke and other providers, mainly for referrals and coordination of care. These partnerships help with patient flow but do not solve staffing shortages.

Other providers are also short-staffed, so staff cannot be shared. We can have conversations about challenges and approaches, but the workforce issue remains across the board.

We also partner with schools to bring in interns who gain experience across departments. While this provides exposure, it does not fully solve long-term staffing challenges.

How are you approaching workforce development and talent pipelines?

We bring in interns through partnerships with schools, allowing them to gain hands-on experience across different departments.

However, the workforce environment has changed. Some graduates expect salaries similar to those with years of experience while not wanting to put in the same amount of work. This creates challenges in building and sustaining a workforce.

Even with training and exposure, broader expectations and market conditions make recruitment and retention more difficult.

What role does technology play in behavioral healthcare today?

Technology is a double-edged sword. It helps from an operational standpoint by improving efficiency, especially with documentation.

However, for patients, it can create additional challenges. Many patients are dealing with anxiety, depression, or other conditions, and access to social media or external stressors can trigger them. Even after treatment, those same triggers remain.

So while technology supports providers, its impact on patients is more complex.

Where are the most critical areas for investment to improve outcomes and expand access to care?

There is no single area to fix. Everything is connected. Housing, cost of living, wages, and workforce availability all play a role.

Staffing challenges are tied to broader economic pressures. Even small pay differences can lead employees to leave. Also, rising costs for housing, gas, food, and childcare affect both staff and patients.

We can support patients within our capacity, but many issues, such as housing and homelessness, are beyond what a hospital can solve. Addressing these challenges requires coordination across healthcare, government, and the broader community.

We do our best to get staff here, but there are factors beyond our control that must be addressed.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

This conversation reflects how interconnected these challenges are. Workforce, housing, and economic conditions all impact both providers and patients, and they must be addressed together.