Increased rates of anxiety and depression among children and youth have led to increased demand for children’s behavioral health services. Additional factors such as insurance limitations and provider availability have complicated service access, resulting in long waits for care and stressors on the overall healthcare system.
Carl Albert Community Mental Health Center (CACMHC) in McAlester is working to provide a solution with the addition of a children’s Urgent Care Center (URC) located at 1101 E. Monroe Ave. It is the first such facility in the state, with similar programs slated to begin soon in Tulsa, Norman and Oklahoma City.
“The intent is to divert families away from the emergency room and provide immediate engagement with behavioral health professionals so we can intervene sooner and make those links to appropriate services here in the community,” said Charlene Weatherford-Graham, CACMHC children’s services director. “In many cases, we can avoid hospitalization or more invasive levels of care, although we will still make sure a local provider is enlisted to provide outpatient services once the child leaves the URC.”
Rep. Randy Randleman, R-Eufaula, has championed the department’s expansion of these services and the expansion of children’s URC services statewide.
“Childhood behavioral health services are a critical need throughout our state, but particularly outside of our metro areas where services are more difficult to find,” said Randleman. “Children are backing up in emergency rooms across our state and families are desperate to find care. It is imperative that we find ways to make these services more accessible for all Oklahomans and help families find relief and support during the most difficult of times.”
The facility is designed to meet the needs of children and their families, with the intent of engaging families in the treatment process as possible. Five rooms have been designed to relieve stress and provide a calming environment to address all manners of challenges.
“They walk into more of a living room setting than a hospital setting,” said Weatherford-Graham. “Each room is cheerful and colorful, yet calming, with a theme of ‘hope.’ The individual rooms allow the entire family to meet in one place in private, in a place where they feel safe, calm and comfortable. A lot of planning went into this.”
Engagement in the process begins as soon as someone walks through the doors, where they are served a hot meal and assisted with any other immediate needs.
The children’s URC is meant for behavioral health care up to 24 hours and for those age 17 and younger. Every minor must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to be admitted.
CACMHC offers an array of outpatient treatment options for children throughout Southeast Oklahoma. Expanded partnerships with schools and other health providers have provided increased opportunity for families to find help. For more information, call CACMHC at 918-426-7800.
