Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday, Nov. 24, announced the opening of a new state-funded 21-bed inpatient psychiatric facility to serve youth at the New York City Children’s Center campus in the Bronx.
Operated by Montefiore Medical Center with funding from the state, the governor said the 18,300-square-foot facility represents “a unique collaboration to serve young people experiencing serious behavioral health issues” and will bring the total inpatient capacity brought online by her to 1,000 beds statewide.
“We are committed to increasing options for families that need access to intensive behavioral health services and, more importantly, to providing top-notch care to all children who experience serious mental illness,” Gov. Hochul said.
“Montefiore Einstein’s state-of-the-art Center for Children’s Mental Health represents the strong partnership we have with our community-based hospitals, and our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible care for our youth and support for their families.”
Located at 1300 Waters Place, the governor announced that Montefiore Einstein’s new unit is situated on the Bronx campus of the New York City Children’s Center and features 21 beds to serve youth between the ages of 5 and 17.
She said the new center will provide intensive treatment for youth with serious behavioral health conditions, including severe depression, anxiety, trauma, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, and other acute psychiatric conditions.
Hochul joined Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan, Montefiore Einstein President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Philip O. Ozuah, Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, and other local elected officials on a walkthrough of the new facility, including its classrooms and other treatment spaces.
Following the viewing, the governor met with Joziah, a 12-year-old from Manhattan, who attended this short ribbon-cutting ceremony with his mother, Courtney, to share their experiences with the mental health system.
With the inpatient capacity added by the center, Hochul said she has now overseen the enhancement of 1,000 psychiatric inpatient beds statewide.
Overall, she said, there are 89 beds serving children in the Bronx, with the new capacity at Montefiore Einstein representing a nearly 31 % increase in children’s inpatient beds for the borough.
Hochul said the new center resulted from a $3.1 million capital grant from the state Office of Mental Health, $7 million from New York State’s Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence Fund, and a $6 million capital appropriation from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assembly Member Michael Benedetto.
The governor said the project also received support from a private donation made by Montefiore Einstein and additional funding from New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
She said the center was developed with direct input from young patients and located in the borough specifically due to community need.
Hochul said an estimated 21 % of children between the ages of five and 17 living in the Bronx have a diagnosed behavioral health disorder.
She said the new center will improve continuity of care for Bronx patients and provide outpatient treatment, develop a workforce pipeline for multidisciplinary staff that includes social workers, nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists, and offer enriched training for medical students and other healthcare professionals.
New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “New York State is strongly committed to helping children and young people recover from mental illness so they can live and thrive in their community. Montefiore Einstein’s project is adding much-needed inpatient capacity to the Bronx, which will complement the many outpatient services and supports we are expanding throughout this area.
“Under Gov. Hochul’s leadership, we are expanding beds and strengthening our network of care to provide high-quality services for our children and families in the Bronx,” she added.
New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “This new facility, operated by Montefiore Medical Center, will improve mental health outcomes, ultimately leading to improved overall health outcomes.
“Gov. Hochul has once again demonstrated her deep commitment to supporting our community-based hospitals and facilities to ensure they have the capacity to continue to provide high-quality care in the communities they serve,” he added.
Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said, “Adolescent mental health is a pressing concern in our city. This announcement of a children’s mental health facility in the Bronx is a much-needed resource for a community vulnerable to conditions like anxiety, depression, and many others.
“I would like to thank Gov. Kathy Hochul for her continued attention to the community’s needs, and the establishment of programs and institutions focused on the overall well-being of our youth,” he said. “Protecting the mental health of young people is an investment that demands the time and effort of all stakeholders – like government, non-profits, and healthcare providers. Thank you to Montefiore Health for your partnership and commitment to the Bronx.”
Assembly Member Michael Benedetto said, “For too long, Bronx families have faced limited options when their children are facing mental health crises. This new inpatient center from Montefiore Einstein will change that reality by giving our young people a place to heal, recover, and be supported by experts who understand their needs.
“I’m deeply thankful to Montefiore for its leadership and honored to have worked with Speaker Heastie and Gov. Hochul to secure this project, which represents a major step forward in making youth mental health care more accessible and equitable,” he added.
The governor said the Office of Mental Health (OMH) now funds 20 Youth Assertive Community Treatment teams, which provide youth and family therapy, medication management, family and peer support, and skill-building services.
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he said the agency supports two Youth ACT teams in the Bronx, including one providing services to 36 youth and another that is in development.
Hochul said she also expanded school-based mental health clinics, which help students get a licensed mental health care provider in a stigma-free setting on their school campus.
She said the state now supports 1,265 clinic satellites, including 50 that are now operating in schools in the Bronx.
Hochul said OMH also now supports 55 Home-Based Crisis Intervention teams, which serve youth between the ages of 5 and 20 and provide intensive individualized services to help families maintain young people recovering from mental illness in their own homes.
She said there are now two teams operating in the Bronx that have collectively worked with 200 families so far this year.
