Anne Arundel Medical Center has opened the J. Kent McNew Family Medical Center, its brand-new mental health care center, which will provide expanded access to mental health care for Maryland residents.
“Over the past 6 years, we have expanded mental health care in our county exponentially,” says Cindy Radovic, Clinical Director of Inpatient Mental Health and Emergency Mental Health for Anne Arundel Medical Center. “Our goal and passion is certainly to continue our expansion to meet the mental health needs of all of our community.”
Current services provided at the new facility, which opened to patients in March, include inpatient mental health care, a psychiatric partial hospitalization program, intensive outpatient programs, residential and outpatient substance use services, and referral and care coordination to community-based treatment and support services. Mental health specialists such as therapists, counselors, and providers will eventually move to this campus as well, says Radovic, creating a “comprehensive mental health campus to provide excellent and compassionate mental health care for our community.”
The new 16-bed facility is a 56,000-square-foot, four-story building “designed with both safety and aesthetics in mind for the care of patients and families.” The colors, the natural light, the art, the décor, and the overall feel of the entire facility is one of tranquility and healing.
The facility features all private rooms with en-suite bathrooms providing comfort and privacy in a safe and well monitored environment. Rooms overlook the courtyard and are flooded with natural light, and soothing artwork and calming colors are found throughout the facility. There are several areas where families can visit with patients as well as several group rooms and a common area. The courtyard can be utilized by patients with doctor’s approval and staff supervision and will be utilized for certain group sessions enabling care to be provided in the fresh air and natural environment.
While the inpatient beds are currently only available for adult patients, the intensive day program is approved for adolescents ages 13–17. “Our Psychiatric Day Hospital and our Intensive Outpatient Program cares for teenagers and adults on an intensive outpatient basis,” says Radovic, “allowing for these patients to get mental health intervention and support and at the same time integrating into their daily lives without total disruption.” An average inpatient stay is expected to last 5–7 days depending on the individual needs of each patient.
To be admitted, patients can be transferred through any Maryland emergency department or through a referring doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist. The facility can currently support 16 adult individuals for inpatient care, and 12 adolescents and 22 adults for the day program. In an effort to provide fully integrated care, the facility is located on the same campus as the Pathways substance use treatment center off of Harry S Truman Parkway.
AAMC mental health services provides evaluations for several thousand patients a year, both children and adults. Concerns over the lack of quality mental health care for youth have been expressed by parents, officials, and county residents alike. In response to concerns about adequate care for youth, Radovic stated “As our inpatient care is becoming established, we are simultaneously and incredibly aware and focused on some of the additional gaps in mental health care for our community with intensive focus on our communities of youth as well as teen suicide prevention. We have treasured partners at community, county, and state levels to work together in closing these gaps.”
“Our treasured children and teens as well as their families who are trying to navigate the stressors of an uncertain world seem to be an area for increased focus in providing some immediate as well as longer term care and crisis stabilization,” says Radovic. “It is our hope to prevent the need for an emergency department visit and provide a continued focus on prevention by developing and integrating further mental health efforts within our community.”
For more information on the new facility, visit aahs.org/J-Kent-McNew-Family-Medical-Center
—Jillian Amodio
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