New Partnership between St. Louis Children’s Hospital and KVC Missouri: Expanding Access to Mental Health Services for Children in the Region

St. Louis Children’s Hospital and mental health treatment nonprofit KVC Missouri have joined forces to build a 70-bed residential center for children with mental health disorders. The new health center, located on KVC Missouri’s Webster Groves campus, will address the growing demand for mental health services in the St. Louis area and across Missouri.

Lindsey Stephenson, President of KVC Missouri, emphasized the need for such a facility, citing the significant demand for mental health services. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in the number of children requiring mental health support. However, families often struggle to find appropriate residential or inpatient care for their pediatric patients.

The new campus will feature a residential hospital as well as a repurposed building for outpatient treatment services. KVC’s Webster Groves location currently offers adoption and foster care services, treatment for children with autism, and other mental health and family-oriented services. This expansion represents a formal partnership between KVC and BJC Health, the health system that owns St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Angela Martin-Davis, President of Behavioral Health at BJC, highlighted the collaboration between doctors and health workers from Washington University Medical School, BJC, Children’s Hospital, and KVC staff at the new campus. The additional mental health beds at the new hospital will supplement the 14 beds currently available at Children’s Hospital to meet the increasing demand for pediatric mental health care.

Martin-Davis stressed the critical need for more inpatient behavioral health treatment options as emergency departments are seeing more children with severe mental health issues without adequate resources. She acknowledged that the shortage of services has resulted in delays in admission, lengthy wait times, and long travel distances for children and families in need of care.

The project is expected to cost $15 million over two years and will create 100 jobs within six months of construction’s start date.

In conclusion, this partnership between St. Louis Children’s Hospital and KVC Missouri will provide much needed relief to families seeking appropriate residential or inpatient care for their pediatric patients suffering from anxiety, depression