Faced with higher patient demand for mental health services, an issue exacerbated by the pandemic, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) has plans to build a new 12-bed inpatient medical/psychiatric unit at its main campus in Hartford, at 282 Washington St.
CCMC has filed a certificate of need (CON) with the Department of Public Health and Office of Health Strategy, which must approve the project, outlining plans to spend $9.7 million to develop the 12-bed unit, which it hopes to open by October 2023.
The unit would serve pediatric patients between the ages of 5 and 17 with psychiatric and other health needs.
The facility would also be used for complex psychiatric therapies for individuals and groups. It would provide integrated intensive care by a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, physicians, medical specialists, nutritionists and care coordinators, CCMC said in its CON application.
CCMC currently has 187 beds, but it said the state and country have “witnessed significant increases in pediatric mental health cases that drain the overall capacity and quality of care provided by healthcare institutions.”
“In 2020 alone, hospitals nationally saw a 24% – 31% increase in pediatric mental health emergency department visits according to the CDC,” CCMC said in its CON application.
From 2018 to 2021, CCMC said it experienced a 127% increase in mental health patient visits who spent more than 72 hours in its emergency room.
“It’s important to note that the investment in the med/psych unit is part of a larger commitment that Connecticut Children’s has made to developing a continuum of care for our kids with med/psych presentations and really providing a unique therapeutic contribution to kids and families that are often not served well by traditional mental health facilities,” said Melissa Santos, division head of psychology at Connecticut Children’s.
