LEXINGTON, Ky. — Enhanced treatment is coming for children needing intensive mental and behavioral health care in central Kentucky. UK HealthCare has unveiled its new Behavioral Health Unit at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
UK HealthCare began plans to redesign their space in 2018. Construction was completed recently, with 17 beds for inpatient adolescent mental health care.
The all-new behavioral health unit at Kentucky Children’s Hospital will allow UK HealthCare to expand its age range for mental health treatment options from 11-17 years old to 5-17 years old. Dr. Amy Meadows, chief of adolescent psychiatry, said studies have been done that show putting off treatment for depression and anxiety can cause more residual symptoms long-term.
“The earlier you can treat depression, anxiety, any of these things going on in childhood, the better long-term outcome,” Meadows said.
Meadows said in the past few years, more children have been coming to UK HealthCare emergency rooms with severe mental health needs requiring immediate attention.
“That can be things like depression, thoughts of harming themselves. We’re really seeing an increase in all of those areas,” Meadows explained.
This wing will have dedicated spaces for the 5-12 year olds and teens, 13-17 years old, and includes spaces for recreation, group therapy and play. The newly redesigned wing focuses on coping, healing and recovery.
“Kids five through 12 really learn through play, creative expression whereas adolescents are more able to talk to process their feelings,” Meadows said.
42 full-time staff members made up of doctors, nurses and pharmacists will work the wing. Elizabeth Fields, patient care manager, says half of the staff will work with younger kids and the others will work with teen patients.
“Some people connect better with younger kids and some people don’t, so I think that’s going to be part of my job is seeing who are the staff connecting better with the younger kids to provide them with a better experience versus the staff that really do connect better with an older population,” Fields said.
Most patients will stay at least a week, presenting obstacles for school. To help with that, a Fayette County Public School teacher will work on the unit five days a week during the school year.
“She helps them with staying caught up on their schoolwork, standardized testing, college applications. She’s a great resource,” Fields said.
Meadows said each day, patients will have a structured set of coping skills, stress management and therapies to learn, but also free time to hangout and be kids.
“A big part of therapy is also seeing other kids who are going through what you may be going through and to see kids maybe further along in their recovery and being able to help yourself by making those connections,” Meadows said.
This wing will officially welcome its first patients starting Sunday, June 25.
Previously, patients were treated at UK’s Good Samaritan Hospital, but by being at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, they can to work hand-in-hand with pediatricians if necessary.