Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - methodist health services corporation (MHSC) proposes to expand and improve access to child and adolescent behavioral…

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - methodist health services corporation (MHSC) proposes to expand and improve access to child and adolescent behavioral health services in central illinois by establishing a child and adolescent (C & a) behavioral health campus at 2223 W. Heading avenue in west peoria, illinois. The behavioral health campus will be located in an existing building of a former long-term care facility, named heddington oaks. The facility will be renovated into a state-of-the-art behavioral health campus dedicated to the care of C & a. The first phase of this project will be repurposing the facility to increase the area's C & a acute mental illness (AMI) bed capacity to 44 inpatient AMI beds, from the 23 available beds available at current location. In addition to increasing bed capacity, this campus will allow for increased flexibility to address age, acuity, and diagnostic concerns, and promote better integration of inpatient and outpatient services. This facility will operate as a part of the methodist medical center of illinois (MMCI), one of three illinois hospitals owned and operated by MHSC, the region's number one provider of behavioral health services, and the only hospital in the planning area that provides AMI inpatient care to C & a aged 4-17. MMCI has provided comprehensive behavioral health care services to the region for more than 70 years. MHSC's providers address and treat a range of concerns or conditions, including suicidal thoughts and/or attempts, depression, anxiety, other mood disorders, trauma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anger and stress management, and adjustment difficulties. MHSC's behavioral health team also offers outpatient services following discharge, including individual and family services, medication management, and coordination with community providers. The need for expanded C & a behavioral health services in central illinois is immense. The number of C & a patients presenting to MMCI's emergency depar tment (ED) requiring a behavioral health crisis evaluation has risen 32% since 2019. Since 2019, the C & a AMI inpatient unit at methodist hospital was at or near capacity 33% of the year. Boarding times for ED patients waiting for a C & a AMI beds have increased 100% since january 2021 from an average of 8 hours to almost 16 hours. Deflections due to lack of available beds have increased nearly 50% since 2019 and more than 60% of child and adolescent patients residing in the area have had to find placement in other areas around the state, many at a significant distance. MHSC is dedicated to providing quality behavioral health services to the central illinois community, however the current child and adolescent inpatient unit is unable to be renovated to make the necessary changes to improve access and quality of inpatient care in the area. The C & a behavioral health campus will draw on MHSC's comprehensive behavioral health care services to the region to improve access and quality of behavioral health care in central illinois. This facility will reduce the burden of outmigration to AMI facilities outside of the region, reducing the burden on their families. The new campus will include specialized age-specific treatment, outdoor spaces, natural lighting, and communal dining to promote a therapeutic environment. Counselors, psychiatrists, therapy classes, inpatient and outpatient treatment will all be available at a single campus. In addition to the inpatient facilities developed during the first phase, the campus will also offer a full continuum of mental health and substance use outpatient care, recreational and experiential spaces (e.g. art therapy, music therapy, and a sensory room) and community spaces for family support groups, education seminars, and community services. This project will address the unmet needs of C & a patients and their families requiring behavioral health services, transform the delivery of behavioral health care