Youth-centered mental health hospital proposed in north Columbia

A new hospital in north Columbia would take on child and teenage mental health needs as its “centerpiece” of service.

CenterPointe Behavioral Health submitted its plans to the state’s Health Facilities Review Commission last month for approval to build a 72-bed hospital at the corner of International Drive and Rangeline Street. The plan says it will offer 24 of those beds specifically for child and adolescent care. The full 12-acre lot will offer inpatient and outpatient services, according to CenterPointe CEO Buddy Turner.

The hospital still needs to receive a “certificate of need” permit from the state, as well as approval from the MHFRC board in early July. Turner said the hospital has an estimated construction cost of $21 million, and will employ anywhere from 150 to 200 people, once the company finalizes what services it will offer.

“If you are a person experiencing a mental health issue, and have a need for a secure setting where you can receive one-on-one and group, as well as family, therapy, that normally would be criteria for an inpatient facility,” Turner told ABC 17 News Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that suicide rates in the U.S. steadily rose since 1994, a sharp rise for females between the ages of 10-14. A Behavioral Health Profile developed for mid-Missouri shows that people in 6th through 12th grade in mid-Missouri reported varying rates of suicidal thoughts. Boone County, for example, reported 5.6 percent of teenagers considered suicide in 2013, while Cole County reported 13.6 percent. Turner said CenterPointe’s St. Louis inpatient hospital gets “20 to 25” calls from people looking for mental health care for children and teens.

“The way to do that is to provide education, provide training opportunities in schools,” Turner said of bringing such service to mid-Missouri. “There are profiles of kids who meet that criteria, that could potentially be at risk for that, and we want to get out in front of that proactively.”

The site of CenterPointe’s proposed hospital sits across the street from land the city of Columbia wants to use for a municipal service center. The police department will use most of that as a hub for its patrol division, serving as a “substation” for the department. ABC 17 News highlighted the struggles local jails have had treating mental illness, and the cost of trying to handle what medical professionals are trained to do. Turner said he welcomed the department as a neighbor.

“Many times, [law enforcement] are the first point of contact with patients,” Turner said. “Maybe because of an issue in the home or issue in the public setting. And, our experience has been, law enforcement has excellent skills and techniques to deal with those patients, but they prefer mental health professionals to take the treatment portion. We envision a partnership with law enforcement to find ways to better treat these patients that maybe they come in contact with. We can provide some services to make their jobs a little bit easier as well.”

The MHFRC will meet at the Capitol in Jefferson City on July 11 at 9 a.m. to discuss CenterPointe’s plan.