Akron Children's Hospital opens new regional behavioral health center in Canton

CANTON − A new pediatric behavioral health center operated by Akron Children's Hospital opens today on the site of the former 30th Street NW city building.

Akron Children's Behavioral Health at 626 30th St. NW brings its outpatient therapy, intensive outpatient programing and medical management closer to Stark County residents. Doug Straight, director of Akron Children's behavioral health service line, said the partial hospitalization program will begin in early August.

Closer care for Stark patients

About 20% of the hospital's behavioral health patients are from Stark County. Straight said the Canton location will lessen the travel time for families in the partial hospitalization program and attempt to prevent inpatient treatment.

"When you think about the impact of the pandemic, cost of living, social determinants of health, some families struggle to put gas in their car and don't have transportation," he said. "So to say to them now, 'We really want to provide this service to your child, they need to come to Akron for it,' that's really difficult and they have to make difficult choices to do that."

The two-week, partial hospitalization program consists of a group of up to 10 children who spend five hours a day, five days a week at the center for various therapies. Their families commit to at least one family therapy session a week.

"We have a 24-bed inpatient unit located at our Akron facility, and that's the most restrictive level of care, so kids that are a risk to themselves or others typically need that level of care to be safe," he said. "The partial hospitalization program is that next level of care so we can step down adolescents that need continued transition into home, the community."

Between that and traditional outpatient therapy is the intensive outpatient program, where adolescents spend three hours a day at the center three times a week for support.

“We are excited to collaborate with other providers in the community, fill any gaps in services and become part of the overall network of care,” Dr. Eva Szigethy, the hospital's director of Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology, said in a prepared statement. “In meeting with local mental health boards and providers, we’ve learned of their concerns and are responding to particular needs for psychiatric care and medication management.”

Ongoing mental health crisis

The Canton site is the hospital's second regional center for behavioral health and is expected to receive 60 visits a day. The first regional center opened in 2019 in Boardman and a third will open this summer in Mansfield.

Straight said the youth mental health crisis "existed well before the pandemic," which only made the situation worse. Reports dating back more than a decade show that 1 in 5 adolescents have a mental illness that impairs their ability to function.

Akron Children's treats children from the ages of 5 to 18. Straight said the 12-to-14 age group, followed by the 15-to-17 group, comprise the majority of patients.

The hospital accepts a variety of insurance providers and will connect families to financial counselors if needed.

"We take all payers. We work with families," Straight said about payment options.

A pediatrician's referral is not necessary, he said, and a parent or guardian interested in the center's services can call 330-543-5015.

City land transfer: Akron Children's Hospital behavioral center coming to Canton after $1 land deal

A $7.5 million investment

The initial staff consists of a regional director, two psychiatric nurse practitioners, six mental health therapists and support staff. Straight said the Canton team will grow to about 22 employees within the next five years.

The newly constructed building is a $7.5 million investment by the hospital. It's on the site of the former Arthur J. Cirelli building that housed the city's utility billing, information technology and police services until 2019. Canton vacated the building when faced with more than $1 million in repairs.

Artwork of animals and flowers now adorns the center's neutral-colored walls. Furniture in hues of blue fills rooms for individual consultation and treatment and rooms for large and small groups, where patients will participate in art therapy and yoga.

"You can see that we really took into consideration the colors ― so kind of soft, warm, inviting calm colors," Straight said. "The artwork we wanted to be appropriate for all ages."

There are also booths for providers to conduct telehealth visits, which jumped from 111 in 2019 to 13,000 in 2020. Straight said that number has "continued to grow year after year" and now accounts for about one-third of outpatient visits.

Shelly Brown, executive director of the Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation, thanked local foundations for their financial assistance in a hospital news release.

“The Timken Foundation and the Hoover Foundation have been very generous in making this project happen in Canton,” she said. “In addition, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the state was critical. We appreciate all the donors and government officials who recognize the importance of this work and help expand access to these much-needed services.”

Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn Twitter: @kbyerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Akron Children's Hospital opens behavioral health center in Canton