Celebrating One Year of the Mental and Behavioral Health Institute and College Hill
Post Date: November 1, 2024 | Publish Date:
Cincinnati Children’s has been at the forefront of pediatric mental, behavioral and developmental health care and research for more than two decades.
In October 2023, our health system celebrated a momentous month, with both the creation of the Mental and Behavioral Health Institute (MBHI) and the opening of the newly constructed College Hill building.
One year later, we reflect on our advancements and achievements in these areas.
College Hill Campus
Cincinnati Children’s is the largest provider of pediatric inpatient mental and behavioral health services in the nation and was recently ranked in the top 50 of U.S. News & World Report’s first-ever list of pediatric and adolescent behavioral health programs.
Contributing to that status is our 160,000 sq. ft. William K. Schubert, MD, Mental Health Center, located at our College Hill Campus. This new building was made possible by a leading $30 million donation from the Convalescent Hospital Fund for Children, with an additional $6 million donation for new programs.
Cincinnati Children’s experts have significantly improved how children with mental and behavioral needs move through the health system, from emergency care to outpatient services. This past year, teams at College Hill have:
- Served more than 1,600 unique patients across our inpatient College Hill programs
- Launched a first-of-its-kind Pediatric Mental Health Extended Stay (PMH-E) program within the inpatient setting providing enhanced academic, recreational, and therapy services for patients experiencing prolonged lengths of stay
- Launched the Neurobehavioral Partial Hospitalization and Severe Behavioral Intensive Treatment programs providing innovative, evidence-based treatment for complex patients
- Opened a dedicated intake center to provide patients and families a better admission experience
- Expanded our Behavioral Response Team with dedicated full-time staff to improve safety for patients and staff alike
“The transformational changes to our outpatient and new intensive outpatient programs—the first of their kind in our area—really fill a need in our community for kids who don’t necessarily need inpatient care,” said Martine Lamy, MD, PhD, associate chief of staff for Mental Health and medical director for the Neurobehavioral Psychiatry Continuum of Care.
“And, our new Severe Behavior Intensive Treatment and Neurobehavioral Partial Programs have been a huge success. There are very few programs like these across the country, and ours fills a critical need for intensive outpatient services for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders. We’ve already seen great outcomes like reduced hospitalizations and improved functioning at school,” Lamy explained.
Even the seemingly small things, like having enough consult rooms to perform evaluations or talk privately with patients, families, or other staff have made all the difference.
Other enhancements throughout the new facility have included:
- Additional private rooms that allow for a family member to stay the night and take more of an active role in their child’s treatment.
- New family spaces, like the Family Resource Center and family respite rooms.
- Additional therapeutic spaces and group rooms within the inpatient service units.
- The new gymnasium that has supported the therapeutic activities of our patients.
- Break rooms and respite rooms that have provided spaces for needed rest and recovery for our staff.
- The bright and open cafeteria allowing for families and employees to gather.
Even with the achievements seen in the past year, the team at College Hill remains ambitious.
“There’s still work to be done,” Lamy explained. “We’re investing in mental health care—wellness of youth in our community has always been a goal of the whole organization and we’re excited to be part of what’s next.”
Within the next year, additional enhancements will be made to the College Hill Campus, including:
- Expanding the College Hill greenspace to include an updated playground for patients of all ages and mobilities, horticulture area, walking path and sports field as well as adding a splash pad, multi-sport court, four square court, corn hole boards, gaga pit, shade structures, and a labyrinth.
- Creating a new parking lot along Hamilton Avenue with a walking path up to the main entrance
- Redeveloping the current staff parking lot
Cincinnati Children’s Mental and Behavioral Health Institute
The new institute was announced in October 2023 at Cincinnati Children’s annual Kaleidoscope fundraising event, which benefited the health system’s mental and behavioral health services.
MBHI integrates three foundational divisions—Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, and Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics—into one streamlined organizational structure, allowing for highly specialized clinical care and ensuring that any child in need can receive the most timely, coordinated and effective treatment possible.
It was launched with a generous $15 million lead gift from The James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Foundation and has inspired additional giving to further expand access, research, community partnerships, and school services.
This past year, the institute made significant strides, including:
- Naming Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH, as the institute’s inaugural director, joining us in Feb. 2025.
- Strengthening ties with community stakeholders, including schools, to improve mental and behavioral health services for children.
- Expanding partnerships with local providers through innovative programs, like Integrated Behavioral Health, Project ECHO, and the Pediatric Improvement Network for Quality (PINQ).
- Receiving additional funding from charitable partners to increase access to mental and behavioral health services in Northern Kentucky and alsoan investment in school-based mental health initiatives.
- Launching several new transformative initiatives, including:
- Exposure coaching for anxiety and OCD
- Evidence-based certification and training for providers on anxiety, depression and ADHD
- Specialized pathways of care like PMH-E programming for long-term hospital inpatients
- Zero Suicide program, which aims to overhaul the healthcare system’s approach to suicide prevention
- Family and system navigation to enhance patient and family experiences
These achievements underscore MBHI’s commitment to improving mental, behavioral and developmental health outcomes through collaboration, community engagement and innovative care and research.
“The creation and growth of the Mental and Behavioral Health Institute would not be possible without the support of families, healthcare professionals, community organizations, local schools and philanthropic partners, as we all work together to tackle the mental health crisis affecting youth here in our region, and serve as a model for others,” said Tina Cheng, MD, MPH, director of the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation, chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and chief medical officer of the health system. “Dr. Leslie and our entire MBHI team will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that every child receives the support and care they need to live their best possible life.”
In the years ahead, the Mental and Behavioral Health Institute continues to prioritize:
- Reducing mental health-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations by strengthening outpatient care and early interventions.
- Improving mental health services in community settings such as schools and primary care clinics, embedding mental health providers in these environments to increase accessibility.
- Collaborating with families, educators and policymakers to ensure children’s mental, behavioral and developmental health services are integrated with other healthcare needs.
- Investing in research and innovation to build early detection systems, digital health interventions, and collaborative models of care that empower families to take an active role in their children’s mental health journey.
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