ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A new mental health clinic for children and teens is set to open at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester.
Leaders are calling it a landmark day and a response to a major pediatric mental health crisis. The clinic, called Bright Days, will provide family-centered care and will treat 3,000 children a year. The clinic will have 15 patient rooms, 30 caregivers and a new Ronald McDonald Lounge where families can relax.
“For more than a decade, we have struggled with the growing mental health needs of children,” said Dr. Michael Scharf, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at URMC. “This is the second children’s mental health urgent care facility in New York state and the only one in the region, specifically on this side of the Hudson River.”
The Brighter Days Foundation has donated $1 million to support the clinic, with the goal of avoiding long wait times in the emergency department while freeing up space there.
“Finding timely mental health care places an added burden on families as they navigate a complex system at their most vulnerable time,” said Jill Halterman, MD, chief of pediatrics and attending physician at Golisano Children’s Hospital.
“We all see and know that we’ve seen a massive increase in mental health crises among young people because of social media, but the pandemic has made it even worse,” Frank York of the Brighter Days Foundation said.
Blaine Hayward Collins, a former URMC psychiatric emergency patient, celebrated his 14th birthday in the existing psychiatric unit, and in a handwritten letter he offered ideas for improvements.
“At the very least, I think it would be nice to have a bigger bed here, or a bigger couch, blankets for the kids to use, things that would make them feel at home, rather than staying there overnight or for extended periods of time, days,” Collins said. “My message would be, don’t stop walking, keep going, keep trying.”
The clinic will open July 15. If you feel like you or your child need help, the best thing to do is call the UR Medicine Crisis Call Line, where you can speak with a mental health professional who can help you determine what you need and whether urgent care is the right place to go. The center does not accept appointments, and patients can come in for walk-in appointments every day from noon to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
AI helped format this story. Click here to see how WHEC News 10 uses AI.
