ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Emergency Room will open Wednesday morning.
At 9:50 a.m., a grand opening ceremony was held for the first walk-in center in upstate New York dedicated to adolescent mental health.
Before this facility opened, young children and teens had to seek treatment in adult psychiatric facilities, which Sarah Mangelsdorf said were not good places for children.
“Having previously worked in an adult inpatient psychiatric facility, I know it was a frightening place,” said UR President Sarah Mangelsdorf. “If you were a child and didn’t have emotional problems when you entered an adult psychiatric unit, you would have emotional problems when you left.”
Walk-in visits to this emergency room are accepted daily from 12pm to 7pm. This facility provides immediate mental health care outside of an emergency room visit.
URMC broke ground on this urgent care development in August 2023. The development was made possible by a donation from the Brighter Days Foundation. Golisano Children’s Hospital also announced it would expand its programs to meet mental health demand.
“This achievement is a testament to what we can accomplish when we come together with a common vision and determination to make a difference in our community,” said Dr. Jill Halterman, UR pediatrics chair. “It’s a promise to children that their mental health matters, that their struggles are understood and listened to, and that they are not alone.”
