🏥 Hackensack Meridian Health has opened a $40 million expansion at Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead, increasing pediatric mental health treatment capacity from 36 to 52 beds.👧 The new facility will now treat children as young as 7 years old, addressing a growing mental health crisis among younger children and expanding access to critical care.❤️ Officials say rising rates of youth mental illness, suicidal thoughts and ER visits highlight the urgent need for more treatment options and easier access to care.
MONTGOMERY — New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health network is excited to announce the opening of a $40 million, 43,000-square-foot expansion project to further the treatment of children and adolescents by providing critical care and support services for children facing a mental health crisis.
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Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)New Jersey pediatric mental health center expands treatment capacity
The enhancement allows Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead to expand its capacity from 36 beds to 52 beds, and gives it the ability to treat children between the ages of 7 and 12, which it was never able to do before, said Kenneth Esser, Executive Vice President of Behavioral Health Transformation Services at Hackensack Meridian Health.
Carrier Clinic has been a leader in treating adolescents with psychiatric and other mental health disorders. So, this expansion allows the clinic to serve more kids by lowering the minimum age from 12 to 7, Esser said.
This is crucial because while suicide is the second-leading cause of death for children 10 to 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children younger than 10 are grappling with mental illness and suicidal thoughts.
“Unfortunately, we have seen more kids in that age bracket in crisis and in need of important resources,” Essner said.
Carrier alone has seen a nearly 30% increase in recent years in the number of youths admitted for treatment for mental illness, substance use disorder, or both.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)$40 million investment targets growing youth mental health crisis
The expansion was made possible through $40 million in funding. Esser said $30 million came from contributions from other people, including $15 million from the state of New Jersey. The Steven Alex Cohen Foundation donated a landmark gift of $10 million, plus an anonymous $5 million donation.
“With this expansion, we’re incorporating a lot of the tried and true practices at Carrier Clinic that we use for all of our patients from equine therapy, art therapy, music therapy, but most importantly, it’s also embracing natural light and the beautiful views of the Sourland Mountains and that’s also very important to creating a therapeutic environment where healing can take place,” Esser said.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)
For a long time, behavioral health has needed an injection of energy and improved facilities.
Esser promised to continue looking for ways to expand treatment options, pursue breakthrough therapies wherever they exist, and make sure they continue to find innovative ways to expand access to care.
“There’s no secret that there’s a shortage of physician providers, so we’ve got to find more creative ways to make it more available, and that’s leaning in on things like telepsych,” Esser said.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Rising numbers of children in crisis spark concern
More kids under the age of 13 are coming to emergency departments in crisis with suicidal ideologies or even suicide attempts, and more needs to be done to figure out why kids at such a young age are suffering, he said.
“We’ve got a wing dedicated to be able to take care of that young population and keep them separate from the broader adolescent population that will be there at Carrier Clinic,” Esser explained.
That way, they can be in a healing environment that’s unique to someone younger versus someone who might be 16 or 17 years old.
Carrier has about two or three horses used in equine therapy which is a very popular form of healing.
“We continue to lean in on art therapy and music therapy. We also have rooms, especially in the new adolescent unit that are designed to be relaxing. They have different lights and peaceful music to really help try to take the edge off and create a therapeutic environment,” Esser said.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Access to mental health care remains a major challenge
It’s important to know that the earlier children get the help they need, the earlier they can implement coping skills into their everyday lives, he said.
Social media and phone usage have ramped up the mental health crisis in this country, and while society is doing a good job by talking about it, Esser said it’s important to break down barriers to entry for people to access care.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)Hackensack Meridian Health’s Carrier Clinic in NJ has expanded to include critical mental health services to kids as young as 7 years old (HMH)
“We really need to make sure that access to behavioral health care is just as easy as it is to find a chiropractic or dental care across society, and I would argue we are long way out from that,” Esser said.
From reimbursement rates to what providers are in-network or out-of-network, it’s very difficult to navigate those channels in the system, and because of that, more and more people are falling through the cracks, he said.
“It is estimated that 1 in 5 adults and children are going to experience a mental health illness this year. I think the more damning fact is that half of those are going to receive no treatment at all. That’s some of the stuff that we need to keep chipping away at as a society,” Esser said.
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