Belmont Pines Facility Provides Homelike Atmosphere for Children

WARREN, Ohio – In Ohio, 53.3% of children who had a major depressive episode received no services in 2023, which was lower than the national average of nearly 60%, according to Mental Health America.

With anxiety and depression on the rise, including among children, Belmont Pines Hospital recently opened a small “cottage” model facility in Trumbull County.

The Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility on Reeves Road in Warren opened in February, offering six beds for children between age 6 and 12. It is geared toward children who have spent a significant amount of time institutionalized away from their families and brings them closer to home, while providing a more positive treatment model.

Eric Kennedy, CEO of Belmont Pines, says unlike the company’s residential hospital, the PRTF facility provides longer-term care up to six months and single bedrooms instead of sharing a room with one or two others.

The facility offers a more homelike atmosphere.

“Having just your own bedroom is something unique to this treatment model, and we are really seeing the benefits of it,” Kennedy said.

In addition to the rising needs of children, adult substance abuse addictions have been rising over the past decade. Deaths attributed to opioids, especially fentanyl, have been on the rise, with the National Safety Council reporting 71% of preventable opioid deaths are among those ages 25 to 54.

Kennedy says substance abuse can lead to a lack of parental care, failure to seek timely intervention on behalf of their children and, at times, abandonment. This can lead to additional trauma for children.

“The need has been growing for the past three or four decades,” Kennedy says. “But the pandemic seems to have exacerbated the need for families out there to have professionals that can help them and for the professionals to be set up in a model that mimics the family home environment but also delivers the professional services to get the children reunited back with their families in their home communities.”

Anytime you see a significant change in the behavior of your child, Kennedy says, whether they are sad and withdrawn or engaging in uncontrollable behavior that is not easily explained or going away quickly, it would be good for parents to speak to the school counselor or the child’s pediatrician for a referral for help. Belmont Pines has a 24-hour, seven days per week, no-cost level care assessment available. That allows for a recommendation of what care a child may need – and the majority do not need residential care.

PRTF is only for children from Ohio who have probably been in the hospital multiple times, had outpatient services, may have stayed in a residential treatment center for some time but whose needs have not been met.

“We’re excited about the program and, hopefully, we will have one or two more of them,” Kennedy said. “The smaller size is very nice. We will be looking to replicate that because we really see the kids thriving in that environment.”

Kennedy said Belmont Pines is interested in replicating the PRTF, which is through the Ohio Resilience Through Integrated Systems and Excellence (Ohio Rise) program, and in partnership with the Trumbull County commissioners and Children’s Services. Belmont Pines is looking for additional partners in the community with space available in Trumbull or Mahoning counties within 20 to 25 minutes of Belmont Pines Hospital.

Kennedy said a PRTF requires a stand-alone facility with six bedrooms for children and located in an area zoned for health care service. Some office space is needed, but it needs to have a home-feel environment for the children, including a kitchen suitable for cooking their meals, a common eating area and space for a small classroom.

Belmont Pines primarily serves the tri-state region of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Pictured at top: The Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility on Reeves Road in Warren.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.