Mental health advocates speak on growing need for in-patient mental health facilities for children
(WIS) - Mental health advocates are speaking up about a growing need for in-patient mental health facilities specifically for children and adolescents after a teen attempted suicide while housed at the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).
Public Psychiatric Residential Treatment (PRTF) facilities are meant to treat mental health patients under the age of 21.
There is one public PRTF in the city of Columbia and several private facilities throughout the state but Bill Lindsey, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses (NAMI), said the city needs more.
Lindsey said there is a youth mental health crisis not just in the state but across the nation.
He noted in some cases, children suffering from mental health conditions end up in the juvenile justice system because of behavioral issues or issues with law enforcement.
Lindsey said what should happen is these kids should undergo a psychiatric screening process before being housed at a facility like DJJ. If it is determined that a child is suffering from a mental health crisis, then that child should be released to the custody of the Department of Mental Health and not be housed at a juvenile detention center.
Lindsey continued, “DJJ should be the last resort for someone I think we should have got them earlier to be able to provide adequate treatment to get them on the road of success a road to recovery.”
The South Carolina Department of Mental Health provides inpatient mental health care to children and adolescents at its Williams S. Hall Institute at the Bryan Psychiatric Hospital.
A spokesperson with the Department of Mental Health said William S. Hall can accommodate teens and children with physical disabilities, including mobility issues, who are blind, deaf or hard of hearing. However, the Institute cannot accommodate patients who need a medical level of care.
In 2022, the South Carolina State Legislature set aside 20 million dollars in the state’s budget to build a new facility for youths in South Carolina’s DJJ with severe mental health needs.
The facility is currently in the beginning of the Design phase. Actual construction, following the various stages of design and design approvals, ordering the building materials, and receiving the necessary permits, is scheduled to begin in September of 2024 with completion estimated to be in October of 2025, and occupancy in November of 2025.
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