Bartlett Regional Hospital has been offering crisis services for adolescents.
The unit for crisis stabilization is part of the newly-built Aurora Behavioral Health Center which was officially opened on Monday. It is staffed by psychiatrists, counselors, nurses and navigators who can help teens receive the help they require.
The room is situated at the top of the center. Common areas include boards games, puzzles and board games. There are also as well as yellow bean bag chairs, and warm lighting. The wallpaper in hallways portrays water, trees and mountains.
“I believe that the setting and how it’s constructed presents the care with such respect,” said Sarah Zaglifa Bartlett’s director of clinical services. mental health and behavioral services.
The rooms for patients are equipped with desks and nightstands, and the windows look out over the Gastineau Channel. There are rooms that have sofas and chairs where staff can speak to families as a whole or even invite parents to sit with them.
In the year 2020 it was suicide that was the main cause of death among Alaska Native youth aged 10 to 19 and for all youth between the ages of 10 and 14, in accordance to the state.. It was the second-highest reason for death that year for Alaskans between 15 and 34 years old.
Bartlett’s team serves children between the ages of 12 and 17. It operates under the Crisis Now model that seeks to decrease the need for emergency rooms and police when someone is in crises.
Parents and teenagers will not need to make a phone call before they go to Aurora. The Aurora clinic will not require referrals by Aurora’s Juneau Police Department or the Office of Children’s Services to be treated. The goal is to make it the same like an emergency department.
Dr. Marie Roy Babbitt, a psychiatrist for children and adolescents who is the leader of this new program of crisis care, said that the aim is to provide comprehensive services in one location.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”We are able to provide medications and medical checks and we can also provide one-on-one counseling for families, and a link to other services that are not part of the crisis center,” she explained. “It’s all located on the same floor in the same area, so you don’t have to be shuffled to across the entire structure .”
Most teens are there for less than an entire week. Before leaving, staff will meet with families to discuss the treatment plan. It might include medication or collaborating with the teen’s school to create the Individualized Educational Plan. The unit’s navigators will continue communicating with teens as well as their parents to ensure they’re receiving the services they require.
Zaglifa told teens that they had to visit the emergency room for care in times of crisis before the facility opened.
“This provides us with an alternative that’s more suitable for adolescents. It’s more welcoming, warmer and less sterile or clinical and geared towards adults, similar to how the emergency room may be to a teenager,” she added.
Teens are able to still visit an emergency department if they think it’s the best first step. Jennifer Carson, Bartlett’s executive director of behavioral health services stated that there’s no wrong way to go to Bartlett’s crisis service.
Its style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”Even even if they’re suitable for admission, our objective is to get them to the proper place,” she said.
If you or someone close to you is having the thoughts of taking a suicide step, contact 988 (or text) 988. You can also contact the Careline at 877-266-HELP to get assistance with grief or if you are in need of an advocate to discuss your concerns with.
