Children’s Minnesota will open its first inpatient mental health care center later this month in St. Paul, with the goal of helping treat hundreds of kids and teenagers each year with a variety of conditions and symptoms.
“As children face an unprecedented mental health crisis that we see firsthand every day in our hospitals, now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in mental health care as deliberately as we invest in other medical treatments,” said Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota in a press release. “Children today desperately need access to the full spectrum of mental health care, no matter where they are on their journey. We are proud to join other leaders in the region to deliver that care that is highly specialized, deeply compassionate and made just for kids.”
The 22 patient rooms will be designed for parents to stay with their children, something Sue Abderholden with the Minnesota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Ilness says is critical to treating most young patients.
“For some kids, especially if they have other things like they’re on the autism spectrum, (or) they have maybe a developmental disability, intellectual disability, or high anxiety—it may actually be better for the parent to be there,” said Abderholden on the Adam and Jordana Show on WCCO Radio Friday morning.
Abderholden acknowledged the role the pandemic has taken on bringing to the forefront mental health issues for people of all ages.
“We had adults who were highly stressed by the pandemic—worried about catching (COVID-19),” she said. “So many people died during the pandemic, as well. So, all of those things kind of impacted kids.”
Parents can look for simple changes to their kids’ behavior as signs they may be dealing with larger, more complex mental issues.
Abderholden said that could mean small changes in eating or sleeping habits.
“In one study, that 2/3 of parents report their kids struggle with mental health,” she said. “So we need to look at the length of time and the intensity of these symptoms.”
Children’s Minnesota officials hope to be able to treat 1,000 children—as young as six years old—per year and the new facility in St.
Paul will be open on November 29.
