New York City-based Montefiore Einstein has completed a 21-bed inpatient pediatric mental health center in the Bronx, scheduled to open to patients Dec. 15.
The Montefiore Einstein Center for Children’s Mental Health of the Children’s Hospital will serve youths ages 5 to 17 with severe psychiatric needs, including depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis and high-functioning autism spectrum disorders, according to a Nov. 24 news release shared with Becker’s. The center was developed with state support, philanthropic contributions and direct input from patients and families.
The new center will nearly double the acute child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient bed capacity in the Bronx, where only about 25 beds currently serve substantial existing demand. Nearly 60,000 of the 282,000 children ages 5 to 17 in the Bronx — about 21% — have a diagnosed behavioral health disorder, according to the news release.
Montefiore Einstein said the facility was built to ease pressure on emergency departments, expand access to local care and reduce the need for families to seek treatment outside the borough. The center includes mostly private rooms and is designed to prioritize family-centered care. The development comes amid a national youth mental health crisis in the U.S. with 1 in 5 children and adolescents having a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder. In response, health systems across the country are increasing pediatric inpatient capacity and integrating mental healthcare into primary care.
