A $53 million addition to the mental health landscape in Olathe, Kansas, is set to open in less than two weeks.The Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City and Camber Mental Health Wellness Campus will open its inpatient hospital to the public on Dec. 2 and officials said they have one goal in mind.”We want to save lives,” said Christina Santiago with KVC Health. The campus broke ground in May 2023 funded through a massive philanthropic donation effort, as well as a $12.725 million SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas) grant from the state of Kansas.The wellness campus will offer 72 beds — 48 designed for pediatric patients, 24 for adults — six private courtyards, walking paths and dining and activity spaces. The need for mental health care facilities in the metro is great, officials at the campus said Wednesday. “Our country is facing a mental health crisis,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy president and CEO. “We continue to see an increasing need for these services each year.”In 2023, 4,000 children and teens visited Children’s Mercy’s emergency room with behavioral health challenges. Of those, 20% required hospitalization for inpatient mental health treatment.Nationwide statistics from the Office of the United States Surgeon General show in the last 15 years, there has been a 40% increase in teenagers who reported feeling hopeless and possibly considering suicide. In 2020, during the pandemic, 6,600 people aged 10-24 died by suicide.”This new hospital will take a significant strain off area emergency departments that are not well-suited to facilitate care for patients in mental health crisis by increasing access to acute inpatient care designed specifically for their needs,” Kempinski said.The wellness campus will have the capacity to care for more than 3,400 patients each year and will create approximately 150 new jobs in Olathe. Currently, 34 openings remain to fully staff the campus, but qualified applicants may apply at cambermentalhealth.org.
A $53 million addition to the mental health landscape in Olathe, Kansas, is set to open in less than two weeks.
The Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City and Camber Mental Health Wellness Campus will open its inpatient hospital to the public on Dec. 2 and officials said they have one goal in mind.
“We want to save lives,” said Christina Santiago with KVC Health.
The campus broke ground in May 2023 funded through a massive philanthropic donation effort, as well as a $12.725 million SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas) grant from the state of Kansas.
The wellness campus will offer 72 beds — 48 designed for pediatric patients, 24 for adults — six private courtyards, walking paths and dining and activity spaces. The need for mental health care facilities in the metro is great, officials at the campus said Wednesday.
“Our country is facing a mental health crisis,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy president and CEO. “We continue to see an increasing need for these services each year.”
In 2023, 4,000 children and teens visited Children’s Mercy’s emergency room with behavioral health challenges. Of those, 20% required hospitalization for inpatient mental health treatment.
Nationwide statistics from the Office of the United States Surgeon General show in the last 15 years, there has been a 40% increase in teenagers who reported feeling hopeless and possibly considering suicide. In 2020, during the pandemic, 6,600 people aged 10-24 died by suicide.
“This new hospital will take a significant strain off area emergency departments that are not well-suited to facilitate care for patients in mental health crisis by increasing access to acute inpatient care designed specifically for their needs,” Kempinski said.
The wellness campus will have the capacity to care for more than 3,400 patients each year and will create approximately 150 new jobs in Olathe. Currently, 34 openings remain to fully staff the campus, but qualified applicants may apply at cambermentalhealth.org.
link