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One of our nation's greatest challenges is in how we address mental health -- particularly mental health in children.
Right now, in the Wheeling area, a child who needs outpatient behavioral health services can find themselves on a three-month waiting list for treatment. If they need inpatient care, the lack of beds in our area may see them sent to facilities hours away.
All this is happening at a time when mental health issues for children are increasing. Statistics from WVU Medicine show that emergency room cases of children suffering from mental health issues increased 33% over the past three years. Remember, these are children who've dealt with a pandemic, social media, active shooter drills in school and other issues that, for some, is leading to serious mental health concerns.
Orchard Park Hospital, which is an effort of The Children's Home of Wheeling, will be located at the former Robert C. Byrd Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center in Center Wheeling. The facility is set to open in July and should help to alleviate care-option concerns.
John Antal, Orchard Park's director of hospital services, told the Rotary Club of Wheeling recently about the process of opening the facility and the challenges today with adolescent mental health.
Orchard Park will be an inpatient, short-term, acute crisis unit for children, he said.
"It's something that's highly needed, we want to have a highly trained staff, and we want to approach this in a very professional manner," Antal said."
That's excellent news.
The Children's Home of Wheeling Foundation Inc. deserves much credit for spearheading the $10 million project. That's a significant investment into the well-being of our region's youth.