Syracuse, N.Y.-based Upstate University Hospital opened the Kimberly and John Mezzalingua Pediatric Behavioral Health After Hours Center to provide an alternative to the emergency department for children and adolescents experiencing acute emotional or behavioral distress that does not require emergency medical care.
Located on the second floor of the Nappi Wellness Institute, the center offers walk-in evaluations, therapy, medication management, short-term follow-up care and telephone triage for children ages 5 to 18, according to a Sept. 9 news release from the hospital.
The center operates Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with Sunday hours expected to begin in October. The program is intended to address a gap in care after 5 p.m., when the emergency department has often been the only option for Central New York families facing a pediatric mental health crisis.
The center is supported by a $5 million gift from Kimberly and John Mezzalingua to the Upstate Foundation. The funding also supports hiring and training child psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and crisis intervention specialists.
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