Today, May 22, Cape Fear Valley Health celebrated the opening of Cape Fear Valley Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care – Lillington, a new inpatient psychiatric unit for adolescents located on the campus of Central Harnett Hospital.
The new facility is designed to provide inpatient psychiatric care for adolescents ages 12 to 17 while supporting the needs of their families. The addition of this specialized unit will expand access to behavioral health services for families in surrounding communities, including Fort Bragg, Fayetteville and Raleigh.
“Adolescence is a time of immense transition, and for far too many young people, it can also be a time of overwhelming struggle….When we talk about psychiatric illness, it can sometimes sound clinical or frightening, but at the heart of it, they're simply our children, our family members, our friends, and our neighbors who are hurting and who need specialized help. Today, we're taking a massive step forward to provide that,” shared CFVH CEO Daniel Weatherly.
Children experiencing a psychiatric crisis and their families often face extended waits in emergency departments until an inpatient psychiatric bed becomes available elsewhere in North Carolina. The new adolescent care unit aims to help reduce those delays by providing timely access to care in a dedicated therapeutic setting.
“This unit, the Dorothea Dix Care Unit of Lillington, is going to treat young people from our community in our community and help their families be an active and integral part of the process,” shared Psychiatrist Dr. Ken Fleishman during the ceremony. “We look forward to the future when this unit will help in the training of child and adolescent psychiatrists, general psychiatrists, and medical students who will stay in our community while helping heal our teens.”
The unit will offer evidence-based treatment through a multidisciplinary team that includes psychotherapy staff, psychiatrists, recreational therapists and other behavioral health professionals focused on adolescent care.
“This has been a long time coming. I think that me, and speaking for everyone on our team and all the higher-ups, we're very, very excited for this unit to be open and to finally be a resource for the families and adolescents here in Harnett County,” shared Dr. Amir Gassemi, director of the new unit.
During a typical short-term stay of three to five days, adolescents will participate in individual, group and family counseling, with treatment centered on evidence-based adaptive skill building to support successful reintegration into home and community life.
A key component of care will be identifying underlying issues and providing evidence-based recommendations to guide future treatment. The unit will also assist adolescents and families in connecting with community support services to improve functioning at home and beyond.
The facility has eight patient rooms with two beds each for a maximum capacity of 16. Patients will begin being admitted in the beginning of June.
A family affair: Along with a full staff, Owner Eddie Claude and his wife Ruth (pictured right) work with their kids to run the restaurant. Eddie is a Veteran who served for 21 years in the U.S. Army. Photos by YGH STUDIOS & GFBJ. The Fayett
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