OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The new facility at Children’s Nebraska offers comprehensive care from 24/7 crisis intervention to outpatient services all under one roof.
The need for mental health services in Nebraska has grown dramatically.Services include round-the-clock crisis care, 40 private inpatient rooms, day-treatment programs, outpatient care, and primary care.The center’s colorful, welcoming design goes beyond aesthetics. Every element is research-backed and designed to help kids feel safe and calm while they heal.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A groundbreaking $114 million children’s mental health center opened in central Omaha, offering comprehensive behavioral health services under one roof for the first time in the Midwest.
The new Children’s Nebraska Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, located off 84th and Dodge, provides every level of mental health care without requiring referrals, creating a one-stop resource for kids and teens in crisis.
“It can be overwhelming, the stigma, the second guessing in your own head,” said Laura Baker, whose daughter Abigail struggled with an eating disorder four years ago.
Baker brought her daughter to Children’s Nebraska for help and found immediate understanding.
“You could see in Abby’s face like they get me, they understand,” Baker said.
The need for such comprehensive services has grown dramatically. In 2021, one in five kids in Nebraska was diagnosed with a mental health condition requiring treatment. With cases mounting, appointment slots in Omaha filled up quickly.
To address this growing demand, Children’s Nebraska partnered with the Mental Health Innovation Foundation, led by community leader Ken Stinson, to build the new facility.
“Behavioral health services really help kids to stop patterns of behavior that are not healthy for them,” Stinson said.
The center’s colorful, welcoming design goes beyond aesthetics. Renee Rafferty, Senior VP of Behavioral Health and Wellness at Children’s Nebraska, said every element is research-backed and designed to help kids feel safe and calm while they heal.
“So we have graphics that have nature in them that signals calming. We have panels that are games that kids can play. They can change the lighting in their room,” Rafferty said.
The facility is the first in the Midwest to offer such comprehensive mental health services, including round-the-clock crisis care, 40 private inpatient rooms, day-treatment programs, outpatient care, and primary care services.
“Once you ask for that help and they surround you with all the information and education and compassion, you’re not alone in this journey anymore. And that was so critical for her healing,” Baker said.
The center accepts patients up to age 19.
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