ATLANTA — Following scrutiny earlier this month, that one of the wealthiest hospitals in the state wasn't doing enough to address kids' mental health, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta announced Wednesday it's creating a multi-million dollar center exclusively dedicated to pediatric behavioral and mental health.
Children's Healthcare said with the new state-of-the-art facility, they are also offering a promise to Georgia's youth.
“We care, we’re here, and we’re going to give you hope," CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Donna Hyland said.
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Zalik Behavioral and Mental Health Centerwill will be housed on a 10 acres property near Children's North Druid Hill campus donated by The Zalik Foundation.
Leading the effort is nationally renowned child psychiatrist, John Constantino, MD, who joined Children’s as chief, behavioral and mental health in August.
"In addition to improving overall mental health for children, our goal is to prevent these catastrophic outcomes (like suicide)," Child Psychiatrist Dr. John Constantino said.
Constantino says his vision for the program will include a balance of prevention, early intervention and services across a continuum of care, including a comprehensive outpatient treatment program space for meaningful collaboration with community partners, as well as a home for research, teaching and family education.
The plans for the new center come amid a 60% increase in the suicide rate among Georgia children last year. It’s now the second leading cause of death for kids between 10 and 14 years old, according to the GBI.
“We are putting resources, we have a national leader now, and we are going to listen to him and be behind him to do what’s needed for kids," Hyland said.
The center is expected to employ more than 200 medical providers and offer a comprehensive approach to healthcare focusing on both the body and mind. It will also work to treat and identify children's mental health illnesses sooner.
“In this country, there’s a seven-year delay from when a child starts to have a mental illness and when it is recognized," Constantino explained.
Hyland added they want to give Georgia's children the best chance possible.
"We need to enable kids to get the care they need so this issue doesn’t confound them for the rest of their lives,” she said.
The center is expected to open to patients sometime in 2023. Children’s currently has an outpatient clinic that opened in 2019, which provides behavioral mental health support for patients experiencing anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and medical adherence.