New Urgent Care Center for Pediatric Mental Health Inaugurated at Golisano Children's Hospital
The Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center, a new facility dedicated to providing urgent mental health services for young people aged up to 18, is set to open at Golisano Children's Hospital on July 15, 2023. This center forms part of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Psychiatry and aims to address the growing need for immediate mental health support for non-emergent but urgent symptoms.
The center has been made possible through a collaboration between the Brighter Days Foundation, which has donated $1 million, and Golisano Children's Hospital. Annette Weld, director of the Brighter Days Foundation, and Jill Halterman, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of GCH, have spearheaded this project to address the urgency of the behavioral health crisis.
The Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center offers immediate, same-day urgent care for pediatric mental health concerns, including evaluations and interventions. It operates from noon to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and will have 15 patient rooms staffed by 30 caregivers. The center also provides virtual mental health urgent care from Monday to Friday, with plans to expand hours.
The center is designed to address mental health crises in a convenient and accessible manner, both in-person and virtually. It serves children and adolescents starting from age 5, offering support for mental health symptoms that require prompt attention but are not life-threatening emergencies. Access is available to residents of New York State, with services billed through insurance.
The transportation vehicle donated by West Herr Ford of Rochester will be available for patients and caregivers who lack transportation to the clinic, identified by the triage team through the medical center's mental health crisis call line. Families and caregivers are encouraged to call the UR Medicine Crisis Call Line before walking in to the Urgent Care.
Dr. Jill Halterman has stated that the Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center will provide immediate and safe mental health care to avoid trips to the emergency room and long wait times for outpatient services. The center is considered a vital support to children in the region, according to Dr. Halterman, and an incredibly valuable resource for children, according to Dr. Jill Halterman.
Linda Alpert-Gillis, PhD, director of Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness, emphasized that family input was essential in the design of the center. The Golisano Behavioral Health and Wellness center opened on South Avenue in Rochester in June of 2020, expanding outpatient care in the region.
Blaine Hayward Collins, a 14-year-old high school student and former patient at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center, supports the new facility. He expressed his gratitude for the center, stating that it will fill a significant gap in immediate mental health access for young people, providing critical support during urgent symptomatic events to prevent worsening of conditions or emergency room visits.
The Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center aims to fill gaps in immediate mental health access for young people, providing critical support during urgent symptomatic events to prevent worsening of conditions or emergency room visits. It is the first walk-in mental health clinic for young people up to the age of 18 in upstate New York.
The Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center, operating as part of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Pediatrics, focuses on the health-and-wellness of young people by offering immediate care for pediatric mental health concerns. This science-driven center, which serves children aged 5 to 18, is designed to address mental health needs that require prompt attention but are not life-threatening emergencies, thus contributing to the overall patient care in the region.
