Wellstone cuts ribbon on Pediatric Crisis Care Center

HUNTSVILLE — HEMSI transports some 800 children out-of-county, and sometimes out of state, for appropriate mental health care. Additional children are transported privately by families.

For a progressive metropolitan area such as Huntsville, this is practically unimaginable.

That’s where Wellstone is stepping in with its Pediatric Crisis Care Center – a first in the state.

Nearly 200 people, including Gov. Kay Ivey, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, State Rep. Rex Reynolds, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley, turned out Thursday to celebrate the completion of the WellStone Emergency Services pediatric unit. The $9 million project was led by Fite Construction, with architectural design by Chapman Sisson.

The addition is expected to fill a significant gap in and around Madison County, which presently has no inpatient pyschiatric beds for youth.

“When you meet people like Ryanne Baker and hear her story of what it was like to have to drive two hours just to find her child the mental healthcare they needed in a time of crisis while also juggling parental responsibilities with her other children at home, you begin to ask what can we do differently, there has to be a better way,” said CEO Jeremy Blair. “We believe the state’s first pediatric crisis center is a better way. We know it is a great responsibility to open this unit up and serve this and surrounding communities.

“Our youth deserve this resource and this opportunity to heal and to recover and to live productive lives.”

The 24-bed, 12,000 square-foot facility is expected to open by the end of the month serving 12- to 18-year-old youths facing a broad range of psychiatric crises, including self-harm, suicidal ideations, substance abuse, severe depression and/or anxiety.

“This new pediatric unit with its thoughtful design and dedicated spaces for healing, learning and celebrating milestones is going to be a true refuge for young people in crisis,” Ivey said. “I’m proud we’re building on foundation of Lurleen Wallace’s vision of mental healthcare making the largest investment in this field since her time. It’s important we do not rewrite, but continue the story of mental health care in Alabama.

“Folks, I’m proud of what we have accomplished and I’m even more excited for the weeks ahead as this facility opens its doors and begins serving our children.”

The facility is an example of the increased emphasis on mental health care in Alabama.

“We know there is a need for more crisis care,” Blair said. “When we cut the ribbon on the adult unit, we were admitting about 40 individuals per month. Now, two short years later, we admit 175 individuals per month. We anticipate the pace of admission growth will match if not exceed these numbers for the pediatric unit.

“Crisis care in Alabama is changing people’s lives. More people are receiving the care they need in five adult crisis centers across the state. By utilizing these crisis centers, they avoid unnecessary visits to the emergency departments and most importantly jail.”