Children’s Mercy Launches Partial Hospitalization Program to Address Pediatric Mental Health Needs in the Community
Children’s Mercy is excited to announce the opening of its new Partial Hospital Program (PHP) designed to support area youth facing mental health challenges. This program aims to bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient services, offering a more intensive level of care for children and adolescents who need more comprehensive treatment than traditional outpatient programs can provide, but do not require full hospitalization.
The Children’s Mercy PHP will provide comprehensive, day-long care to patients, allowing them to return home each night. This approach ensures patients receive the necessary support while maintaining the comfort and stability of their home environment. In addition, the program is dedicated to offering equitable care for patients with both behavioral and medical needs.
“Children and adolescents with serious medical conditions or complex medical needs often have limited options when stepped-up care is required,” said Rebecca Johnson, PhD, ABPP, Clinical Psychologist, Division Director for Developmental and Behavioral Health. “Our goal is to address a significant health inequity in our community and create a continuum of care for kids who have both physical and behavioral health needs.”
The PHP will serve children aged 6 to 17 with a wide range of medical, psychological, and neurodevelopmental conditions, including those who may have a serious medical condition such as cancer, heart or kidney disease, diabetes, malnutrition, neurological disorders, or those with developmental differences such as autism.
The program will offer several hours of daily treatment, five days a week, for up to 30 days. It will be grounded in evidence-based practices, equipping children with essential coping and self-management skills to effectively overcome everyday challenges. A multidisciplinary team will deliver a comprehensive suite of services, including psychiatric medication consultation, nursing, psychological evaluation, various therapies (behavioral, individual, group), family counseling and parent coaching, educational support, child life activities, nutrition guidance and discharge planning.
The PHP is located in Children’s Mercy’s Don Chisholm building. In addition to Children’s Mercy physicians referring patients to the program, community providers can refer patients to the PHP and families are welcome to self-refer.
This is one of 14 projects of the broader Children’s Mercy Illuminate plan, a comprehensive initiative to address the mental health needs of children and teens in the community. To date, more than 4,900 donors have contributed $130 million to advance the Illuminate initiative forward.