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Summary:
– Oklahoma Children‘s OU Health and Oklahoma City Public Schools will place seven teachers at a new behavioral health center.
– Facility will help young patients continue school during inpatient mental health treatment.
– The center will include 72 beds, classrooms, family spaces and a skybridge connection to the hospital campus.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Children’s OU Health and Oklahoma City Public Schools are working together to recruit and place seven teachers who will staff the new Oklahoma Children’s OU Health Behavioral Health Center when it opens in late 2026.
The collaboration will help young patients continue their education while receiving mental and behavioral health treatment, keeping them on track academically during stays that can last from one week to several months.
The new pediatric behavioral health center will be one of few in the nation connected to a children’s hospital, allowing for care addressing both medical and psychiatric concerns. Currently, many Oklahoma families must travel out of state to access this level of specialized care.
“When children are dealing with mental health challenges, they are still learning and growing every day,” said Oklahoma Children’s child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Robyn Cowperthwaite, chief of the Section of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, in a press release. “Mental health diagnoses can have long-lasting effects if they greatly impair a child’s education. We want to accommodate whatever our patients need so they are learning needed skills and not falling further behind, which only causes more stress.”
The Oklahoma City Public Schools teachers will be stationed at the behavioral health center with dedicated classrooms for each unit and age group. They will work with patients across grade levels, coordinating with each student’s home school to review existing Individualized Education Programs, which outline specialized instruction for students with disabilities, or 504 plans, which provide classroom accommodations.
“This collaboration allows us to support children at one of the most critical times in their lives,” Kenny Ward, executive director of special education for Oklahoma City Public Schools said. “Our teachers will help identify each student’s best learning style and any behaviors that need assistance. When patients return to their home schools, they will have updated educational recommendations that set them up for success.”
Oklahoma Children’s will also employ a public-school liaison to ensure information is communicated effectively between the behavioral health center and each patient’s home school.
The collaboration expands on the existing relationship between Oklahoma Children’s OU Health and OKCPS. The district’s Stay Well in School program already provides school-based digital doctor visits at several campuses, connecting students with Oklahoma Children’s pediatricians without leaving school.
“Education is an essential component of a child’s overall well-being, and this continues even when they require mental health treatment,” Tracy Cothran, President of Children’s Services at Oklahoma Children’s OU Health said. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to addressing the comprehensive needs of each child.”
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to serving students and families well in OKCPS,” Alisha Suffield, chief of academics for Oklahoma City Public Schools said. “Education and mental health are deeply connected, and this collaboration allows us to support healing and learning at the same time.”
The behavioral health center, currently under construction on the OU Health campus, will include 72 inpatient beds, a two-story gym, outdoor respite and garden areas, family resource areas and dedicated classrooms. A skybridge will connect the facility to Oklahoma Children’s and Ronald McDonald House. The center is slated to open in late 2026.