New $224 million CHKD facility will provide inpatient mental health care for children

In 2018, there was only one pediatric psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters.

Now, 19 pediatric psychiatrists are already working at CHKD’s new $224 million Children’s Pavilion as part of a 400-person staff that provides outpatient, and will begin providing inpatient, mental health care for children. Several more pediatric psychiatrists are slated to be hired.

Since April, it has been open for outpatient mental health therapy, primary care and a sports medicine clinic, lab and radiology service, according to CHKD documents. Construction began in 2019 and the facility was completed on time.

“We broke ground with an urgency to tackle the waves of fear and anxiety and depression that were sending our children to the emergency department,” said Jim Dahling, president and CEO of CHKD, at a formal ribbon cutting Friday.

The first 12 inpatient beds will open Oct. 11, and the other 48 beds will be in service by the middle of next year, according to Dahling.

The facility was in need before the pandemic, but starkly proved the consequences of isolation as “everything that was grounded in childhood” was closed or curtailed, such as school, sports and other important social gatherings, he said.

Up to one in five children are estimated to have a diagnosable mental health condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and last year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the children’s mental health crisis worsening during the pandemic.

A dozen or more children come to the emergency department of CHKD on many days because of mental health challenges, according to Dr. Carl Petersen, chief of mental health services for CHKD.

He said the facility won’t just be limited to inpatient care, but providing “robust” outpatient care that includes personalized schedules to ensure children are able to get help whenever they have time, even in cases after school days. It will offer acute inpatient and partial hospitalization programming, according to CHKD documents.

Former Gov. Ralph Northam, a pediatric neurologist practicing with CHKD, said he receives calls from parents about children in mental health crisis. He said he tells the parents to take their child to an emergency room. Northam said there is always care for children after a tragic incident such as a car crash or stroke, but a facility like CHKD’s new Children’s Pavilion was missing and there has historically been a lack of pediatric psychiatrists to follow up with children after a crisis.

“So why should there be this contrast between our approach to mental health and other medical conditions?” he said.

Almost a decade ago, the son of state senator Creigh Deeds had a mental health breakdown — stabbing his father and later, taking his own life. The day before, Gus Deeds had been released while under mental health supervision since no bed was available, according to media reports.

Creigh Deeds said in the ensuing years, he learned about the stigma and challenges Americans and Virginians have in getting mental health care and has sought to find solutions. Friday’s ribbon cutting for CHKD’s new facility marked a beginning, not an endpoint, he said.

“There will be an ongoing need for this facility,” Deeds said Friday. “Mental illnesses are complicated, difficult conditions that affect people in different ways.

On the ground floor, the entrance to the treatment areas has a “discreet” elevator near the lobby and the first floor also has a safety screening area for families visiting inpatients, according to CHKD documents. At the top of the 14-story building, there is an outdoor recreation area with a turf area, basketball court, four-square court and giant puzzle games.

The 13th floor will feature 12 of the 60 inpatient bedrooms, music and art therapy rooms and an indoor gym. The inpatient floors include the 11th, 12th and 13th floors, which will have a family lounge, sensory rooms, group therapy, dining and gathering spaces. The 10th floor is extra space where up to 24 more beds can be added as need arises, according to CHKD documents.

John Littel, the state secretary of Health and Human Resources, praised the building but said the staff and the care children get there, and research about the growing mental health issues today’s children face, ultimately will make the Children’s Pavilion vital.

“The care that children will receive here as well as the research that’s going on will really help address needs, not just here in Norfolk, not just here in Virginia, but across the country,” Littel said.