Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital has broken ground on its new $110 million behavioral health facility, Dayton Daily News reported May 8.
The facility is expected to double the hospital's current behavioral health space. It was made possible by a $25 million allocation from American Rescue Plan funds and a $2 million donation from CareSource.
Over 7,000 children were treated for a behavioral health crisis at Dayton Children's in the last year. Two hundred eleven children boarded in March waiting for a bed to become available in the behavioral health unit. This was Dayton Children's highest ever demand rate, with an increase of 31 percent since March 2022.
"There are so few outpatient services and intensive therapy in the community that one in 12 will come back within 30 days to be readmitted," Kelly Blankenship, DO, associate chief medical officer for Dayton Children's, said at a groundbreaking ceremony.
Dayton Children's serves 20 Ohio counties and all of Eastern Indiana and provides care for more than 320,000 children each year. It is the region's only hospital specific to pediatric care.