Montefiore Einstein has completed the development of a 21-bed inpatient paediatric mental health centre in the Bronx, New York, US, to address youth mental health crisis.
The Montefiore Einstein Center for Children’s Mental Health of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein will provide intensive treatment for children and adolescents aged five to 17 years with serious behavioural health conditions. It is set to open on 15 December 2025.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Montefiore Einstein president and CEO Dr Philip Ozuah were joined by New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr Ann Marie Sullivan and other state and local officials to announce the project’s completion.
Funding for the centre came from the Office of Mental Health (OMH), with additional support from state legislators and a private donor.
The centre supports children with anxiety, psychosis, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, trauma, high-functioning autism spectrum disorders, and acute psychiatric needs. Most rooms are private, developed with direct input from patients and families.
Currently, only 25 acute care inpatient psychiatric beds for children and adolescents exist in the Bronx.
The new centre nearly doubles this capacity, expanding local access to care, easing emergency room pressures, and reducing travel burdens for families.
Bronx faces a severe mental health challenge, with 21% of its 282,000 children diagnosed with behavioural health disorders. Many families face delays in psychiatric care and must travel outside the borough or state. The new centre aims to close these gaps and improve outcomes for the community.
Hochul said: “We are committed to increasing options for families that need access to intensive behavioural health services and more importantly, to providing top-notch care to all children who experience serious mental illness.
“Montefiore Einstein’s state-of-the-art Center for Children’s Mental Health represents the strong partnership we have with our community-based hospitals, and our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible care for our youth and support for their families.”
