Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, US, has opened a paediatric behavioural health centre in Canton for patients aged 12-18 years.
The 12,000ft² stand-alone Akron Children’s Behavioral Health, Canton facility will provide programmes such as a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), medical management and outpatient therapy.
Mental health therapists, advanced practice providers, nurses and support staff at the facility, along with paediatric psychologists and psychiatrists, will help treat patients with various conditions.
These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety and other behavioural and emotional health concerns.
Akron Children’s Paediatric Psychiatry and Psychology director Dr Eva Szigethy said: “We know how important these services are to patient families and this regional strategy is to bring them closer to home.
“It is critical for us to tackle problems like anxiety and depression in general and to provide immediate helpful services for families who have a child in a behavioural health crisis.
“Ultimately, our goal is to prevent the need for higher acuity care by early behavioural health screening and intervention in both paediatric offices and in behavioural centres like this one.”
PHP is an intensive psychiatric service that will use cognitive behavioural therapy and other evidence-based programming to help stabilise patients’ mental status and teach coping skills.
IOP is a three-hour-a-day or three-day-a-week service intended to stabilise mood, develop healthy coping skills and improve social functioning.
Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation executive director Shelly Brown said: “The Timken Foundation and the Hoover Foundation have been very generous in making this project happen in Canton.
“In addition, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the state was critical.
“We appreciate all the donors and government officials who recognise the importance of this work and help expand access to these much-needed services.”
