ST PAUL, Minn. — Children's Minnesota announced plans on Monday to open an inpatient mental health unit for kids and adolescents at the hospital's St. Paul campus, with the goal of opening the facility at some point in 2022.
Marc Gorelick, the president and CEO of Children's Minnesota, said the mental health center will serve about 1,000 adolescents and kids a year with severe mental health issues. By rearranging clinical programs, Gorelick said the hospital will be able to repurpose space in order to make room for 22 mental health rooms, which will be large enough for parents to stay with their kids. Those beds will also be located in an area with outdoor access and group programming capabilities.
"We do have other health systems that provide mental health services, but there aren't enough," Gorelick said in an interview. "What we have now is an expanded capacity in the community to deal with kids who have the most severe problems. That's been lacking in this community and we're stepping in to help meet that need."
The pandemic has exacerbated growing mental health problems among young people.
For example, Gorelick said that the Children's Minnesota Emergency Room has seen a 30-percent increase in kids with suicidal thoughts over the past year, mirroring nationwide trends at other hospitals.
"What happens now is, often, it takes sometimes days to find the right place for those kids to get treated. They end up staying in the ER or hospital without getting them mental health care," Gorelick said. "Now, we're able to provide that."
Sue Abderholden, the executive director of NAMI Minnesota, applauded the announcement on Monday, calling it a "big day for children in our state." While she noted that Allina and Fairview have mental health services for children -- and that PrairieCare announced an expansion this summer -- she said a shortage remains.
"Huge, huge shortage," Abderholden said. "This will help alleviate some of the stress on our system."
According to Children's Minnesota, the new unit in St. Paul will be the "first in the east metro to serve kids under 12 years old," in addition to being "one of the few in the state to admit all kids, even those with other complex medical conditions."
"One of the interesting things that the Children's unit adds, is that they already have great experience working with children with a variety of medical issues, and developmental delays and disabilities," Abderholden said. "When you have a child who has a mental health condition on top of one of those conditions, they often can't be treated in other psychiatric units in the state. So, this way we're going to be able to actually provide care to children who have more complicated needs."
If you're a parent whose child has mental health needs, NAMI Minnesota suggests contacting your child's school district or pediatrician to connect to services.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Or, you can text "HOME" to 741741.