This year four Children’s Mercy specialties placed among the top 25 nationwide: Diabetes and Endocrinology at #14, Nephrology tied at #14, Urology at #17 and Gastroenterology / GI Surgery at #22. 

Children’s Mercy specialties’ rankings: 

• Diabetes & Endocrinology (#14)
• Nephrology / Kidney (#14)
• Urology (#17)
• Gastroenterology / GI Surgery (#22)
• Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#26)
• Pulmonology / Respiratory Disorders (#38)
• Cancer (#39)
• Orthopedics (#41)
• Neurology & Neurosurgery (#45)
• Behavioral Health (Top 50) 

Additionally, for the third consecutive year, Children’s Mercy’s Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health was named a Top 50 program, with all mental health programs receiving equal recognition. 

"This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team and the trust families place in us every day," said Alejandro Quiroga, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Children's Mercy. "At Children's Mercy, we're here to make it all better for kids and families. This honor reflects what's possible when talented people come together with a shared purpose and a relentless commitment to excellence. I'm grateful to every physician, nurse, researcher and team member who brings that commitment to life every day." 

The annual rankings are designed to help families identify hospitals that excel in treating children with the most complex medical needs. U.S. News surveyed nearly 150 pediatric centers, gathering clinical and operational data. This data was then combined with results from a reputational survey in which board-certified pediatric specialists were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty. 

The full rankings and methodology are available at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

When social media platforms like Friendster, Myspace and Facebook debuted in the early 2000s, they ushered in a dazzling new era in which people could easily reconnect with long-lost classmates, share photos of their weddings and breakfasts alike and laugh together over the latest GIFs and memes.

Since then, we’ve discovered some unintended consequences, which range from more heated political arguments at the dinner table to cyberbullying, misinformation, data privacy issues and mental health concerns.

Libby Milkovich, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital and ambassador for the AAP’s Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, cited the impact of social media on executive functioning skills, like learning to work through boredom or practicing delayed gratification.

“It interferes with our ability to create healthy coping skills,” she said. “We go to our phone or to social media as (a means of) avoiding. And so that does not allow us to practice more beneficial types of coping when we’re distressed.”

Read the full article via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Children's Mercy Parentish: Understanding children’s mental health and phone use in schools

Children’s Mercy, based in Kansas City, Mo., has raised $150 million to address the pediatric mental health crisis across the region.

The five-year Illuminate initiative, launched in summer 2023, focuses on facilitating early intervention, increasing specialty services, investing in research and innovation, and expanding hospital care. Since its launch, Children’s Mercy has introduced nearly 14 initiatives under the plan.

More than 5,000 donors supported the effort. 

See the full article via Becker's Hospital Review

Illuminate: Lighting the Path Forward for Mental Health

Across the nation, hospitals are moving beyond crisis response to redesign care systems, embedding behavioral health clinicians into pediatric clinics, forging partnerships with schools and community providers, and using telehealth to reach underserved populations. These approaches are driving earlier interventions, better outcomes, and more efficient use of health system capacity — offering real promise for an issue that affects millions of young people and their families and friends.

These real-world strategies are captured in the American Hospital Association’s recently released Integrating Behavioral Health into Pediatric Care: Hospital-led Solutions to a Growing Crisis report, which outlines five hospital case studies showing how systems are integrating behavioral health and pediatric care to address a growing clinical demand.

Hospital-Led Solutions in Action

The AHA report’s case studies illustrate how integration is taking shape across different communities and health system models:

1 | Nemours Children’s Health (Multi-state)

Nemours has embedded behavioral health clinicians within both pediatric primary care and specialty clinics. By enabling real-time consultation during well-child and specialty visits, clinicians can identify concerns early and provide immediate support or referral — reducing reliance on emergency care and long wait lists for specialty services.

2 | Children’s Mercy (Kansas City, Mo.)

This system is expanding integrated care through a Partial Hospitalization Program and coordinated behavioral health hubs that connect outpatient clinics with crisis intervention resources. Early evidence from integrated behavioral health teams suggests improved access for underserved children and more seamless transitions from acute care to ongoing support.

Read the full article via the American Hospital Association

Illuminate: Lighting the Path Forward for Menta Health

Children’s Mercy has announced the opening of its new Partial Hospitalization Program to support children and adolescents facing serious medical and mental health challenges. 

The program bridges the gap between inpatient and outpatient care, offering intensive, day-long treatment for youth who need more support than traditional outpatient services but do not require overnight hospitalization. Patients receive care during the day and return home each evening, allowing them to maintain the comfort and stability of their home environment while receiving comprehensive treatment.

Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and division director for developmental and behavioral health, emphasized the importance of the program in addressing a critical gap in care. 

“Children and adolescents with serious medical conditions or complex medical needs often have limited options when stepped-up care is required,” she said. “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.”

Read the full article via the American Hospital Association

PRESS RELEASE: Children's Mercy Launches Partial Hospitalization Program to Address Pediatric Mental Health Needs in the Community

This year, two specialties placed among the top 25 nationwide: Nephrology at #14, and Neurology and Neurosurgery at #23. 

Additionally, for the second consecutive year, Children’s Mercy’s Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health was named a top 50 program. (All mental health programs receive equal recognition.)  

The rankings below reflect the expertise, compassion and commitment the teams provide to patients and families every day. 

Children’s Mercy specialties’ rankings: 

• Nephrology (#14)
• Neurology & Neurosurgery (#23)
• Urology (#26)
• Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#30)
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#33)
• Diabetes & Endocrinology (#36)
• Neonatology (#40)
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#46)
• Behavioral Health (Top 50) 

“At Children’s Mercy, excellence isn’t defined just by rankings—every child we care for, every family we support and every breakthrough we achieve reflects the heart of our mission,” said Alejandro Quiroga, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Children’s Mercy. “Being recognized among the top pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report is an honor, but what matters most is the trust families place in us and the healing we deliver every day. That’s the true measure of our success.” 

U.S News surveyed nearly 150 pediatric centers, gathering clinical and operational data. This data was then combined with results from a reputational survey in which board-certified pediatric specialists were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty. 

The full rankings and methodology are available at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals. 

A Sporting Kansas City player stopped by a Blue Valley School as part of the club’s campaign to “call it” when someone sees bullying.

It’s called the Red Card KC anti-bullying campaign. October is National Bullying Prevention Month.

Sporting KC players and Children’s Mercy behavioral health specialists are stopping at schools across the KC Metro to talk with students about how to “call it” when you see bullying.

“I believe that we will win,” The crowd cheered.

See the full story via Fox 4

Learn more about Red Card KC

Children's Mercy has launched a new partial hospitalization program as part of its Illuminate initiative to address the growing mental health crisis among Kansas City children.

The program, which opened in late August, aims to fill the gap between inpatient and outpatient mental health services by providing intensive daily support while allowing children to return home to their families each night.

"One of the things that was really important to us was that when we bring children here and work with them and identify the best interventions and help them learn skills, that they will be able to generalize those skills back home and back to school," said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, developmental and behavioral health division director.

The partial hospitalization program (PCP) represents the latest milestone in Children's Mercy's Illuminate initiative, which was announced in 2023. In December 2024, the hospital celebrated the opening of its first mental wellness campus.

Johnson’s life’s work is to get kids the tools they need to thrive. In PHP, that means days full of learning and therapeutic services.

See the full story via KSHB 41 

PRESS RELEASE: Children's Mercy Launches Partial Hospitalization Program to Address Pediatric Mental Health Needs in the Community

Children's Mercy Illuminate plan

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.

As digital media becomes ubiquitous, so does “technoference,” or the "measurable amount of technology that is interfering with relationships," according to Children’s Mercy developmental and behavioral pediatrician Dr. Libby Milkovich.

“We often think about exposure to harmful content like cyberbullying or inappropriate content, but also digital media displaces helpful activities for mental and physical well-being,” she said. “It's interrupting organic family connections.”

Married couple and parents Justin Finn and Molly Kavanagh say they had that in mind when they opened Dozer, a giant indoor sandbox in Leawood, Kansas.

“The main goal and purpose (of Dozer) is to reconnect the family and the time that we spend with each other,” Kavanagh said. “Bringing a purposeful way to be present and have fun in a very safe environment.”

See the full article via KCUR

The odds of a mental health diagnosis in children with chronic medical conditions increased stepwise based on the severity of their illness, according to data from nearly 3 million children presented at the Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) 2025 in Anaheim, California.

Mental health diagnoses are known to complicate outcomes of underlying medical conditions in children, but the prevalence of mental health diagnoses across multiple complex, chronic conditions and the factors associated with them have not been well studied, wrote Maria Newmaster, MD, of Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, and colleagues.

“Understanding mental health trends across the array of medical complexity and chronicity in pediatrics is important for informing intervention efforts, which may ultimately aid with disease trajectory and healthcare use and spending,” Newmaster said in an interview.

Read the full article via Medscape

Children's Mercy Illuminate: Lighting the Path Forward for Mental Health

An Instagram post from March praised a Kansas City restaurant’s reaction to a mom and her young son. It has thousands of likes and hundreds of shares.

The caption reads in part, “This is what inclusion and acceptance look like. @mannyskc didn’t just accommodate this Autistic child and family… They made them feel wanted."

I talked to the mom, Niki Hartrum, who told me about what happened.

She said her son had a tough moment when their food came at Manny’s; he cleared the table. It’s what happened after that she wants more people to understand.

While she took her son out of the restaurant, her friend, who was still inside, told her staff jumped in to help, no questions asked. They cleaned up the food, remade the food, wanted to check on the family, invited them to come back in and gave them food to go.

“So there is autism awareness, and then there is autism acceptance. And you’ll hear those two different words,” Hartrum said. “So, I think awareness has to happen, and I think we’re still at that awareness level, but to really be accepting is what that restaurant did.”

I reached out to Children’s Mercy Hospital, which has an autism clinic.

They sent me some resources. One of the first paragraphs mentions autism is considered a “spectrum” because it often looks different for each person.

“The reason we talk about autism as a spectrum is because it really can look different for every child and adult, and even from setting to setting," said Cy Nadler, PhD, director of the clinic and licensed child psychologist. “And kids grow and change over time, too, and so some kids will have more trouble in public environments that are noisy and bright and chaotic and different from their routines. Other kids may thrive there. And so, it’s really about making sure that every kid or individual has the support they need to be successful."

Children’s Mercy has many available resources, including information for families who may have a child with a recent diagnosis.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Nearly one in five parents in the area told Children's Mercy Kansas City their child’s mental health was "fair" or "poor," and 11% reported their child feeling "sad" or "hopeless." Local hospitals and health centers are now trying to prepare parents to help manage rising rates of mental health issues among youths.

More than a dozen Johnson County parents whose kids are struggling with mental health issues gather every week to commiserate, brainstorm and sometimes just vent about struggles at home.

Many of them face similar issues — like monitoring their child’s social media use and keeping tabs on their social and school life — all while juggling their own mental health.

Jordan Boux, a team leader for children and family services with the Johnson County Mental Health Center, said even the most equipped parent will struggle without support.

“When parents’ own life doesn’t have balance, it’s not going to be easy to then take care of others,” she said.

Read the full article via KCUR

Mental Health in Children and Adolescents

Center School District kicked off this academic year with a new, trauma-informed mental health pilot program conducted in partnership with Children’s Mercy and Blue Cross Blue Shield. The goal: to create school communities that enhance the mental wellbeing for students and provide mental health resources before a full-on crisis occurs.

After just one semester, seven out of Center’s eight schools have seen a reduction in office discipline referrals.

The Center pilot is one of 14 projects under Children’s Mercy’s five-year Illuminate Plan, which aims to improve mental health among area youth through a variety of strategies, including investing in research and expanding availability of specialty services.

“Right now there’s a national mental health provider shortage, and in Missouri especially,” said Emily Thorpe, Manager of School Health Initiatives for Children’s Mercy. “Because we don’t have the resources to provide 1:1 therapy for each child, we look to the schools–where kids spend the most time.”

The program rolled out during the summer, with teacher training on restorative practices through RestoreEd, a consulting group made up of two former teachers who also ran the Restorative Justice Department in the Kansas City Public School District. Emphasis is placed on the classroom as a community, with tools for direct communication, conflict resolution and building trust.

Read the full article via The Martin City & South KC Telegraph

Children's Mercy in the community

It’s been a year since Children’s Mercy Hospital announced an ambitious program called Illuminate, which aims to dramatically expand the rising need for youth mental-health services and address the lack of current infrastructure.

The $150-million initiative, which former KSHB 41 News Anchor Dia Wall documented last year when it launched, is a five-year plan that encompasses 14 projects.

The goal is to increase early intervention, increase speciality services, invest in research and innovation, and expand hospital care.

“We are starting to see the fruits of our labor come to fruition and see some results in some of our programs,” Emily Snow, the senior administrative director of behavioral health for Children’s Mercy, said. “We still have a long way to go and we’ve still got a long runway for some of our programs.”

Children’s Mercy has already opened its Depression and Anxiety in Youth, or DAY, Clinic, which treats patients ages 12 to 17 years old with group and individual therapy as well as medication as needed.

More than 1,000 patients have taken part in more than 3,000 family therapy appointments and 2,000 individual therapy appointments already in 2024.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Illuminate project updates

Mental health resources

“Our plans expand access to specialty care, improve early intervention and screening, increase the capacity of inpatient beds in the region, and invest in research to better understand and improve treatments,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Mercy. “The success of this initiative requires engagement and collaboration of the community, and we are grateful for the generous support thus far. We are excited about the impact we can achieve together in improving the well-being of many children.”

More than 15 million children need mental health services, but only 30-50 percent receive care. In the Kansas City region, those numbers are higher, with 40-50 percent going untreated.

“Thanks to the impact of over 3,200 community champions we have secured $120 million to-date, making significant strides in one short year by expanding access to pediatric mental health services at an astonishing pace,” Jenea Oliver, PhD, Children’s Mercy Chief Development Officer said. “This $17 million matching gift gets us one step closer to fully funding our Illuminate plan, impacting more than 80,000 kids over the next five years in desperate need of mental health services.”

The impact of the generosity of community champions is already making a difference – rapidly increasing the types of mental health services available to local families:

• This week the new Mental Wellness Campus in Olathe opens 48 beds dedicated to kids in need of in-patient care. 
• The Children’s Mercy Eating Disorders Clinic has eliminated wait times for families and expanded care for Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID) – the only consolidated program in the region to offer medical treatment, nutrition services and therapy for ARFID.
• The Depression and Anxiety in Youth (DAY) Clinic at Children’s Mercy Adele Hall Campus has seen a more than 60% improvement in both anxiety and depression scores of patients.
• A pilot program embedding behavioral health specialists in primary care practices across the Kansas City metro is transforming wait times from months to minutes.

“We are starting to see the impact of Illuminate, but the need is still significant, and we must continue to work toward meeting that need – families are depending on us,” said Rebecca Johnson, PhD, Children’s Mercy Director of Developmental and Behavioral Health. “In 2023, Children’s Mercy provided care to nearly 4,000 children with acute mental health needs in our emergency department. We are hopeful that the new Olathe Mental Wellness Campus, combined with new acute care services currently under construction, will reduce the time kids in crisis spend in our ED, or avoid it altogether. These acute care initiatives paired with our other new programs will do so much to improve care for youth in crisis because we will be able to intervene sooner.”

The Illuminate project includes four strategies and 14 projects, of which two are complete, seven have been initiated and three more will begin construction this Spring. Learn more at childrensmercy.org/illuminate. 

 In 2023 alone, 4,000 children and teens visited Children’s Mercy’s Emergency Room (ER) with behavioral health challenges. Of those, 20% required hospitalization for inpatient mental health treatment, which can be difficult to find in the Kansas City area due to community needs significantly outweighing bed availability. From 2019-2021, the National Institutes of Health reported a significant increase in ER visits for adults experiencing suicidality, substance use overdoses and mental health crises. This new mental health campus will work to address those trends in our region.

 “This new hospital is going to transform people’s lives, and for many people, it will be lifesaving,” said Kimberly O’Connor-Soule, LSCSW, President, Children’s Mercy + Camber Mental Health. “Children and adults experiencing a deeply vulnerable and difficult time in their life will receive treatment in a safe, therapeutic, and uplifting environment that is free of judgment and focused on a whole-person approach to care to restore hope and celebrate each step forward.”

 The new world-class facility will serve as an inpatient mental health campus, featuring 48 pediatric beds (ages 6 to 18) and 24 adult beds (ages 18 and older) in fully separate units. It has six interior and exterior courtyards, large dayrooms, and dining and activity spaces. The healing environment is centered on client and staff safety, supportive care and treatment spaces, and client wellness. Clients can expect bright open spaces, calming design and the highest quality of clinical and holistic care.

 “We are celebrating the power of collaboration and community,” said Jason Hooper, MSW, President and CEO, KVC Health Systems. “I am humbled and deeply grateful for the hundreds of people who have supported this effort and who have worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life as quickly as possible to help more people. This is a beacon of hope for those who are struggling and it’s a renewed commitment to the wellbeing of our communities.”

Patients may be struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, the impacts of trauma and other mental health conditions. Clients will move around the campus throughout the day to experience therapies like recreation, art, and music, with opportunities to connect with nature. A child’s average stay is five to seven days, while for adults, an average stay is eight to 12 days. The goal is to stabilize the crisis a client is experiencing as soon and as safely as possible while teaching them how the brain works, teaching emotion regulation and coping skills, and offering the support and resources needed to continue outpatient treatment in their home communities.

“This collaboration underscores our collective dedication to expanding capacity and delivering essential mental health resources to the youth in our region,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Mercy. “Many children have endured extended wait times in the emergency department due to a lack of available beds in the community and we are optimistic that this new campus will significantly reduce the time children spend in crisis waiting for the appropriate care that is needed.”

The new hospital was made possible by generous contributions from the Sunderland Foundation, the State of Kansas, Fore the Kids Foundation, Kao Family Foundation and many caring individuals.    

“Like much of the nation, Kansas is facing a mental health crisis,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The Children’s Mercy and Camber Mental Health Wellness Campus will provide the critical resources and care that young people in Kansas and surrounding states need to overcome these challenges.” 

“It is truly inspiring to witness the hard work and commitment of everyone involved in making this vision for an innovative new mental health hospital for adults and children a reality,” said Kent Sunderland, Chairman, The Sunderland Foundation.  “We’re proud to join KVC Health Systems, Children’s Mercy and many other donors to create hope and healing for thousands of families each year.”

Children’s Mercy + Camber Mental Health is proud to collaborate with JE Dunn Construction as the design-builder and Hoefer Welker as the architect and interior designer on this innovative inpatient hospital and mental wellness campus.

For more information, please visit cmcmentalhealth.org

It is a common worry of today’s parents: Is my child addicted to their smart phone and the internet? Specialists say bad digital habits can ruin a child’s ability to socialize in person, to achieve in school, and make developmental problems even worse.

It’s no wonder so many adults try to get their kids off the phone. However, experts and researchers are finding that approach may not only backfire, but the problem may be how much time the parents are spending on their phones.

It turns out, often, the parents themselves were spending hours with their iPhone and that was sending the wrong message. Just ask Dr. Libby Milkovich, a developmental behavioral pediatrician and researcher at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

She specializes in the relationship between parents, children, and technology. Her interest in the subject had a personal beginning: At the time, she had just had a child herself.

“I was there at home with the baby,” said Milkovich, “checking my emails and patient messages.”

She said suddenly she realized something.

“That was interrupting that relationship development that I was having with my newborn infant,” Milkovich said.

She also realized that she probably wasn’t alone.

“So, I thought we should probably have some research around that,” Milkovich said.

See the full story via Fox 4

Children's Mercy Parentish: Eyes up, phones down. Modeling good behavior for teen drivers

If you’re a teenager on social media, you are probably bombarded by explicit and subliminal messages that make you question your appearance and make you think twice about what you put in your body.

On TikTok for example, you’ll find an avalanche of videos from dieting and fitness influencers telling you what you should eat. But just a few swipes later, you might find a video saying the opposite of what the previous person said.

Good advice is available on social media platforms if you are able to parse through the mixed messages. But if you're a kid who is already dealing with insecurities and anxieties, it can intensify body image issues and harm your relationship with food.

More young people are seeking treatment at Children’s Mercy, says Sara Gould, who runs the hospital’s eating disorders center. That’s especially true since the pandemic. She’s even seeing more frequent visits from elementary school kids.

“Our kids are getting a lot of messages and following dieters or ‘nutrition experts’ and getting a lot of false information or information that’s solely intended to address obesity,” Gould says. “When you apply that in a typical weight person, it’s not healthy. But those kinds of messages are often presented as always the best thing to do.”

Read the full article via KCUR

In a groundbreaking move to address the rising mental health crisis, Children's Mercy Hospital and Camber Mental Health will open a 72-bed mental wellness campus at 1277 W. 153rd St. in Olathe, Kansas.

“It’s really life-changing," said Sara Schlagel, senior vice president at Children's Mercy Camber. "We are able to provide services to children and adults like we never have before.”

The facility is the first of its kind in the metro area, providing comprehensive mental health services for teens and adults.

The campus, a $53 million project, offers a combination of inpatient care, hospital services, and holistic care.

This unique approach is designed to create a more supportive and nurturing environment for patients seeking mental health help.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Mental Health Resources

Illuminate Project Updates

For the first time in more than a decade, this year’s rankings included a new specialty – Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health. Children’s Mercy is featured as one of the top 50 programs in the country. All programs receive equal recognition in this inaugural year. This is a testament to all the work being done to address the mental health needs of children and teens in our community.

Six Children’s Mercy specialties rank among the top 25 nationally this year, with the Nephrology team ranking #9. The Neonatology team made a big jump to #11 up from #48 last year, and Cardiology and Heart Surgery jumped from #43 to #26.

Children’s Mercy specialties’ rankings:

·        Nephrology (#9)

·        Neonatology (#11)

·        Urology (#20 tie)

·        Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#21 tie)

·        Neurology & Neurosurgery (#21)

·        Diabetes & Endocrinology (#23)

·        Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#26)

·        Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#28)

·        Orthopedics (#35)

·        Cancer (#39)

·        Behavioral Health (Top 50)

“Being among the top pediatric hospitals nationally is worth celebrating,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy Kansas City. “Children’s Mercy finished first in Missouri and tied for third place in the Midwest region, which includes more than 40 hospitals across 13 states. The rankings are a true testament to our team’s hard work, expertise and dedication to the patients and families we serve.”

In surveying nearly 200 pediatric centers, U.S. News gathered clinical and operation data. This data was then combined with results from a reputational survey in which board-certified pediatric specialists were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty.

Those pediatric specialties consist of: behavioral health; cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and GI surgery; neonatology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics, pulmonology and lung surgery and urology.   

The full rankings and methodology are available at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

“I do a daily check-in with the kids,” Elkishawi said. “It has helped me be more aware of the kids’ mental health and helped keep myself in check because sometimes I’m not okay and by communicating that with the students, it helped the students cut me some slack.”

Fast forward to January 2024 when Elkishawi learned about a new mental health initiative that had launched in her district.

The “movement” that Elkishawi is referring to is a three-year early intervention pilot program that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) and Children’s Mercy Kansas City launched with the Center School District in Kansas City, Missouri, to tackle the mental health crisis among school-aged children.

According to Children’s Mercy Kansas City, more than 15 million children nationwide require mental health services, but many do not receive the care they need. In the Kansas City region, 40-50% of youth go untreated.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Business Journal

Press Release from Children's Mercy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City

This school-based pilot program is just one of 14 projects of the broader Children’s Mercy Illuminate plan.

By Ryan Collins

The collaboration effort between Mercy Springfield Communities and Children’s Mercy Kansas City (CMKC) to enhance pediatric care in southwest Missouri is moving at a fast pace, and the Kansas City-based hospital will begin seeing patients in southwest Missouri within the coming months.

“We expect to have patients being seen (in Springfield) this calendar year,” Dr. Rob Steele, executive vice president and chief strategy and innovation officer at CMKC, said in a May 29 interview on Mercy’s Springfield campus. “We’re itchy because we’re still in the midst of recruiting, but you know, optimistically, this is within the next couple months.”

The collaboration between the two hospital systems will not be a joint venture, nor a profit-sharing model, said John Myers, president of Mercy Springfield Communities. Instead, CMKC will pay Mercy to lease space within Mercy’s existing facilities, but CMKC will operate independently and without oversight from Mercy. The physicians and staff of the new Springfield pediatric practice will be exclusively employed by CMKC.

The model the two systems are aiming for is called a “hospital in a hospital,” but that type of operation still has to be approved by regulators, Myers said. The amount of square feet that CMKC will lease and the cost is still being hashed out, but it will be a significant quantity of space.

Read the full article via Springfield Daily Citizen

Children's Mercy Kansas City

About Children's Mercy Kansas City

Melvin White sits with his generation at a demographic Ground Zero for mental stress.

The Schlagle High School junior survived COVID isolation during middle school. He’s never known a world without smartphones. And he’s finishing high school amid the FOMO energy of a social media world in its own adolescence.

All of those factors, experts say, put Melvin and his classmates at the center of uncharted ground for mental health. It has psychiatric professionals worried about suicides for the most troubled kids and recognizing serious problems among more kids than have been recorded before.

Melvin is one of the lucky ones. He got a spot in his school’s Becoming a Man, or BAM program, which teaches middle and high school students how to process trauma, deal with anger, interact with friends and set goals. Its counterpart for girls is Working on Womanhood, or WOW.

Children’s Mercy Hospital has seen a 67% increase in referrals for mental health services since 2017. Only 166 psychiatric beds for children and adolescents exist within 45 minutes of Kansas City, and those beds aren’t available to some patients who have other medical conditions or certain neurodevelopmental disorders. 

The hospital estimates that between 40% and 50% of kids who need mental health care in the Kansas City area may go untreated. 

Last summer, Children’s Mercy announced a $150 million fundraising campaign to put more money into the problem. Among other things, the hospital is working to embed mental health professionals in schools and pediatrician practices, add psychiatric beds for kids and open an outpatient facility that can serve kids who need mental health services in a school-like setting.

That will be a start, said Dr. Bob Batterson, who leads the hospital’s Developmental and Behavioral Health division. But COVID left an enormous need where there was already a growing void, he said.

“There is no true health care without mental health care,” Batterson said. “It all is one package.”

Read the full article via The Beacon

Illuminate Project updates

Children’s Mercy, along with other community leaders, held a youth mental health summit Tuesday morning to address current challenges and disparities.

“The suicide rates among African American children are rising faster than the suicide rates among white children,” said Emily Snow, senior administrative director of behavioral health at Children's Mercy KC.

The Kansas City community is experiencing a mental health crisis that's impacting adults, teens and kids, experts said. Last year, Children's Mercy saw more than 4,000 emergency room visits just for behavioral health issues.

The three biggest barriers are the social stigma around mental health, lack of resources and mental health provider shortage, according to mental health leaders.

“The majority of Missouri and Kansas are mental health professional shortage areas,” Snow said. “We’ll have to adjust our pay and our marketability to bring more people.”

Experts said isolation during the pandemic and social media exposure exacerbated depression and anxiety in children. While more than 15 million American children need mental health resources, only 30-50% are getting the help they need.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Suicide awareness and prevention toolkit

Illuminate Project updates

Through donations and partnerships, Summit Homes plans to build the home as close to zero cost as possible, allowing all proceeds to be donated to Children's Mercy.

“We are so grateful to Summit Homes, and all vendors making this possible, for their commitment to our community and pediatric mental health,” said Rob Steele, Executive Vice President.

The home will be listed for sale in summer 2024 and completed in Fall 2024. This is the second home Summit Homes has built to support Children’s Mercy.

Community champions like Summit Homes and their vendors fuel the Children’s Mercy nonprofit mission to provide excellent care for all children in Kansas City and across the region. Their support powers much-needed life-saving new initiatives, like Illuminate, that will expand mental care access and treatment for youth in Kansas City and beyond.

Many thanks to these Summit Homes for Little Heroes partner vendors:

Shaw Floors, Ferguson Showrooms, Roofs by Aspen, The Rob Ellerman Team, Northcraft Flooring & Design, Stone Creek Midwest, Silverton Mortgage, Shamrock Cabinet, Royal Construction Clean, Premier Building Supply, Timber Ridge Trim Company, Jake Heiser

More information on the Summit Home for Little Heroes

The Kansas City skyline is turning green to bring attention to 988, the number people can call if they need mental health support services.

Since it opened a little more than a year ago, Children’s Mercy has helped between 200 to 300 teens through its new clinic, treating depression and anxiety.

Dr. Ram Chettiar with the clinic says about 75 have completed the program from start to finish, which includes different services like individual and group therapy along with medication management services. It’s also a nine to 12 month program.

“With limited resources, limited mental health professionals, it’s been a really nice possibility for some in our community,” Chettiar said. “What we are trying to do is get kids better quickly so they can move on with their lives.”

See the full story via Fox 4

Depression and Anxiety in Youth (DAY) Clinic

Illuminate Project Updates

The first peer-reviewed consensus statement on healthcare for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) is meant to start correcting the inequitable access to appropriate care that these children experience compared with their peers without NDDs. The statement was published in Pediatrics.

The disparities in healthcare culture, mindset, and practice often start in childhood for young people with conditions including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), wrote co–first authors Carol Weitzman, MD, co-director of the Autism Spectrum Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and Cy Nadler, PhD, section chief of Autism Psychology at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri, and colleagues.

Without better access to safe and appropriate care, people with NDDs experience more seclusion, accidents, restraints, and injury in healthcare encounters, the researchers wrote.

Read the full article via MDedge

The Autism and Neurodevelopment Continuity Clinic (ANDCC) pilot program is one of 14 Illuminate projects that will be implemented over five years.  

Click here to learn more about the ANDCC and other resources offered at Children's Mercy. 

By Jocelyn Gecker

Virginia high school teacher Joe Clement keeps track of the text messages parents have sent students sitting in his economics and government classes:

— “What did you get on your test?”

— “Did you get the field trip form signed?”

— “Do you want chicken or hamburgers for dinner tonight?”

Clement has a plea for parents: Stop texting your kids at school.

Parents are distressingly aware of the distractions and the mental health issues associated with smartphones and social media. But teachers say parents might not realize how much those struggles play out at school.

One culprit? Mom and Dad themselves, whose stream-of-consciousness questions add to a climate of constant interruption and distraction from learning. Even when schools regulate or ban cellphones, it’s hard for teachers to enforce it. And the constant buzzes on watches and phones are occupying critical brain space regardless of whether kids are sneaking a peek.

Dr. Libby Milkovich, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, says she asks parents to consider what kids miss out on by having parents at arms’ reach during school hours.

“By texting back and forth with a parent, a child is unable to practice either self-calming or problem-solving skills,” Milkovich said. “It’s easy to text, but if I don’t have a phone, I have to go ask the teacher or I have to figure it out on my own.”

Read the full article via the Associated Press

Children's Mercy Parentish: Apps parents should know about

Paul Kulesa, PhD, joined Children’s Mercy Kansas City on February 5 as a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Health. Dr. Kulesa will continue his groundbreaking work in developmental neurosciences to further enhance the Division’s research program. In addition to his role in research, he will partner with local, regional and national institutions to train the next generation of neuroscientists.

“We are excited to have Dr. Kulesa bring his cutting-edge research to Children’s Mercy,” said Jeanne James, MD, MBA, FAAP, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “He will lead efforts to develop state-of-the-art research capabilities in imaging and computational modeling to observe and predict how complex cell behaviors give rise to form and function. Dr. Kulesa’s work is truly directed at the basis of neurodevelopment and the underpinnings of behavioral health in children.”

Dr. Kulesa is a quantitative developmental biologist. His expertise lies at the intersection between biology and mathematics. He collects multi-scale data and constructs models to explain complex biological phenomena such as collective cell migration —a process essential to development of the nervous system and disease. His research focuses on neural crest cell development and how mistakes in migration and patterning lead to human birth defects and disease. Neural crest cells are highly migratory embryonic cells in vertebrates —animals with backbones. 

“I am honored and delighted to join the Children’s Mercy team,” said Dr. Kulesa. “Through basic research in complex biological phenomena, we are poised to better understand early human development and help clinicians overcome challenges that lead to improved quality of life for sick children.”

Dr. Kulesa has been the principal investigator on multiple projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, including the following three ongoing projects: “Investigating the Relationship Between Sympathetic Nervous System Development and Neuroblastoma;” “A Novel Platform to Enhance Single Cell Interrogation of Nervous System Development;,” and “Application of Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Data to a Predictive Model of Neuroblastoma.”

Before joining Children’s Mercy, Dr. Kulesa was the founding Director of Imaging at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. During his almost two decades at the Stowers Institute, he established an internationally recognized program in neural crest cell biology. While there, he trained students in techniques to study cell migration during vertebrate development, using neural crest and neural crest-derived cancer models. Following his work at the Stowers Institute, he was the Berthiaume Family Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Kulesa received postdoctoral training in developmental cell biology and imaging at Caltech, a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Washington, an MS in applied mathematics from the University of Southern California, and a BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

By Grace Mayer

When Paul Kempinski took over the helm of Children's Mercy in 2018, the $200 million Children’s Mercy Research Institute was only a shell.

In the five years since, the state-of-the-art pediatric research facility was finished, becoming a nine-story mainstay of Kansas City's skyline. And that was only part of the sea change Kempinski has witnessed as CEO.

In his first year, Kempinski and his team laid out a strategic plan that would take Children’s Mercy into the future, which included the multimillion-dollar research institute. But he didn't account for the Covid-19 pandemic, which struck in March 2020.

It overwhelmed hospital systems in Kansas City and across the world, but Children’s Mercy fared differently. Most children who contracted Covid-19 showed no symptoms and avoided hospitalization. As it shifted its clinics to telehealth services, hospital patients at Children’s Mercy plummeted. So did finances.

“We had empty hospitals, empty clinics. We were struggling financially,” Kempinski said. “We were struggling to ensure we could provide care to the kids that needed it, while still respecting the need for (social) distancing and safe care.”

The hospital eventually recovered, but the pandemic helped Kempinski uncover additional priorities.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Business Journal

Children's Mercy Kansas City Research Institute

Mental Health Care: Lighting the Path Forward

The word illuminate means to make something more visible by shining a light on it.

It's also the name and purpose of a new mental health campaign and commitment at Children's Mercy Hospital.

I first heard about the new plan this summer. The financial investment is a bold one — $150 million.

The more I looked into the 14 programs set to begin in the next five years, the more I felt compelled to share a series of stories highlighting some of its components.

My why is simple: more families than you may know are battling youth mental health and struggling to get access to the help they need.

Illuminate plans to — 

Facilitate early intervention

• Mental health integration in primary care;
• School-based programs;
• Care coordination (intake, triage and navigation);
• Behavioral therapy services.

Increase specialty services

• Depression and anxiety (DAY Clinic);
• Eating disorders;
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD);
• Autism;
• Rapid diagnosis.

Invest in research and innovation

• Precision dosing for mental health medication;
• Ensuring equity in care;
• Patient education;
• Safety plan app;
• Clinician education.

Expand inpatient hospital care

• Inpatient psychiatric campus;
• Acute mental health crisis center;
• Partial hospital program;
• Integrated inpatient unit.

See the series of news stories via KSHB 41

Mental Health Care: Lighting the Path Forward

Illuminate project updates

Every day, dozens of children come to the Emergency Department at Children’s Mercy due to a behavioral health crisis. Children like Elizabeth. Elizabeth was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as an elementary school student, but her conditions were exasperated by the pandemic and a spiraling crisis led to a trip to the Children’s Mercy emergency room, except there was a problem – there were no hospital beds available for intensive inpatient treatment in a 150-mile radius of Kansas City. Elizabeth finally got the care she needed, and today she is a vibrant high school freshman. But her story reminds us why each aspect of our comprehensive mental health plan is critical for our community’s children. Watch Elizabeth’s full story.

Your donations can go twice as far to help kids like Elizabeth. All gifts received on Giving Tuesday will be matched $1 for $1 until we reach $100,000.

Join us today to double your impact! 

By Patrik Bergabo

Sporting Kansas City and Children’s Mercy recently hosted 14 RED CARD anti-bullying assemblies across the Kansas City metro as the two organizations reinforced their campaign against bullying in the local community.

The assemblies took place on both sides of the state line and featured participation from 11 different members of the Sporting KC first team and Sporting KC II along with a Children’s Mercy behavioral health specialist, club mascot Blue and a Sporting emcee.

Through the RED CARD assemblies, Sporting and Children’s Mercy were able to reach more than 6,000 students at the 14 schools visited and a total of 23,000 students both in-person and virtually.

See the full article via Sporting Kansas City

Red Card Bullying Prevention Campaign

On any given day, Children’s Mercy Kansas City will see about 24 children in the emergency room with behavioral or mental health issues.

The most common mental health disorders that children are diagnosed within the ER are mood disorders, anxiety disorders and behavioral and emotional disorders.

Emily Snow, senior Administrative Director for behavioral health at Children's Mercy Hospital, said they’ve seen these types of visits increase as much as 20% annually in recent years.

“We have kids as young as 3 who are coming through the emergency room,” Snow said. “We also have a lot of kiddos who come through who have neurodevelopmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders who are struggling either with behavioral dysregulation or medication adjustment needs. It's very hard to get care right now.”

In ERs across the city, the same situation is playing out — but with hospitals even less equipped to handle the load.

Read the full article via KCUR

Mental Health Care: Lighting the Path Forward

Illuminate Project Updates

Children’s Mercy formally invested five endowed faculty positions in the fields of healthy lifestyles, clinical pharmacology, neurology, surgery and developmental and behavioral health at the Fall 2023 Investiture Ceremony on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.

The Children’s Mercy Research Institute was the perfect setting to celebrate the elevation of this esteemed group of clinicians, researchers and leaders to academic medicine’s highest achievement and the generous donors who made these endowed positions possible.

Philanthropy has powered the hospital, treatment and cures for children for more than 125 years. Thanks to our philanthropic community, Children’s Mercy has more than doubled its total number of endowed chairs - bringing more answers to children and families when they need them most!

“Through extraordinary donor investment, endowed positions provide ongoing financial support to advance excellence in pediatric medicine, research and teaching, while elevating the academic profile of Children’s Mercy and its stature as a national leader,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO, Alice Berry, DDS, and Katharine Berry, MD, Endowed Chair in Executive Leadership. “The impact: best-in-class experts and care for children and families who call Kansas City and our region home.”

Honorees

Sarah E. Hampl, MD

Kemper Endowed Professorship for Healthy Lifestyles

Bridgette L. Jones, MD, MSCR

Marion Merrell Dow/Missouri Endowed Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology

Jean-Baptiste Le Pichon, MD, PhD, FAAP

Madison Lauren Sargent Endowed Professorship in Neurology/Angelman Syndrome

Tolulope A. Oyetunji, MD, MPH, FACS, FAAP

Thomas Holder/Keith Ashcraft Chair in Pediatric Surgical Research

 Shayla A. Sullivant, MD

Joy and Stewart Koesten Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Health

Learn more about the honorees and donors

Thank you to the Kemper Family Foundations, UMB Bank, n.a. Trustee, the Marion Merrell Dow Foundation, Fred Lyons, Ed Connolly, Patrick and Laura Sargent, Maddie’s Mission Foundation, The Shaw Family Foundation, Thomas Holder and Keith Ashcraft, and Joy and Stewart Koesten for their visionary leadership and generosity in establishing these vital positions for the continued work of building a world of well-being for all children.

Nearly half of Kansas City area children needing mental health services aren’t getting the help they need, but Children’s Mercy is aiming to change that.

The children’s hospital recently unveiled an ambitious $150 million five-year plan, called Illuminate, that will focus on four areas to increase mental health access for the under-eighteen-year-old crowd. The intention is to help at least eighty thousand area children, hospital officials say.

“Mental health needs have continued to rise at an alarming rate, and parents and families are feeling the absence of a full continuum of care,” says Paul Kempinski, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy. 

According to Children’s Mercy, fifteen million children under eighteen years old are in need of mental health services across the nation, yet thirty to fifty percent of patients aren’t receiving it. In the greater Kansas City area, that number is even higher, closer to forty to fifty percent. 

Over the next five years, Children’s Mercy’s Illuminate initiative will use what it calls a series of “strategies and projects” to address the pediatric mental health care crisis. The initiative is focused on four areas to increase mental health care access: facilitating early intervention, increasing special services, expanding inpatient hospital care and funding new research. Illuminate plans to provide specialized care for everything from anxiety, depression and eating disorders to ADHD and autism. 

Read the full article via Kansas City Magazine

To learn more about the 14 Illuminate projects and how you can help light the path forward visit childrensmercy.org/illuminate.

“The message from primary care physicians in the community was loud and clear: Anxiety and depression treatment needs to be a priority,” said Sarah Soden, MD, the Nick Timmons Endowed Chair in Developmental & Behavioral Sciences and the Division Director, Developmental and Behavioral Health. “Our goal is to make sure more young people are getting access to early-intervention before it becomes a crisis.”

Experts from psychology, psychiatry, social work and nursing provide collaborative care though group therapy, individual therapy and medication management for patients ages 12 to 17 with known or suspected depression and anxiety. Patients are treated for up to 12 months and then transition to community resources for on-going support.

The team-based approach is led by Clinical Psychologist Sarah Beals-Erickson, PhD, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Ram Chettiar, DO.

“We are finding that rates of depression and anxiety are increasing in our youth, which impact daily functioning and overall well-being,” said Dr. Chettiar. “While the statistics are daunting, early and effective intervention can make a significant difference.”

Dr. Beals-Erickson added that without proper treatment, depression and anxiety can lead to low self-esteem, isolation, and a sense of hopelessness, “By providing youth with the right coping skills they can improve their overall mental health and prevent future episodes.”

Thanks to lead donor, Fore the Kids Foundation, the DAY Clinic is one of the first of 14 mental health projects Children’s Mercy will launch over the next five years. This project is part of the comprehensive Illuminate initiative, requiring a $150M new investment, to provide enhanced access to evidence-based screening, diagnosis and treatment while expanding the collective network of care. The four focus areas of Illuminate include: facilitating early intervention, increasing specialty services, investing in research and innovation, and expanding inpatient hospital care.

Children’s Mercy also recently announced it has formed a joint venture with Camber Health to build a 72-bed mental health inpatient facility in Olathe, Kan.

To learn more about the 14 projects and how you can help light the path forward visit childrensmercy.org/illuminate.

To learn more about the DAY Clinic, meet the team and how to request an appointment visit The Depression and Anxiety in Youth (DAY) Clinic | Children's Mercy Kansas City (childrensmercy.org).

To learn more about Fore the Kids Foundation and their role as a mental health champion for Children’s Mercy, visit forethekidskc.org.

Children’s Mercy and KVC held a groundbreaking ceremony today with elected officials in attendance including Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, and Former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, as well as other state and local leaders. The two healthcare CEOs – Jason Hooper of KVC Health Systems and Paul Kempinski of Children’s Mercy Kansas City – announced generous lead funding from the Sunderland Foundation and the State of Kansas SPARK Committee to kick off the project.

The JV will engage KVC’s subsidiary Camber Mental Health, which operates three children’s mental health hospitals currently, to operate the Olathe hospital for children and adults. Camber’s trauma-informed, neuroscience-driven inpatient mental health treatment model, combined with Children’s Mercy’s world-class pediatric care, research, and community engagement, will elevate mental health and community health outcomes for decades to come.

“We feel a sense of urgency to partner in new, transformative ways to expand help for children and adults experiencing acute mental health crises,” said Jason Hooper, KVC Health Systems President and CEO. “It’s been absolutely inspiring to see so many steps forward, including Children’s Mercy as our JV collaborator and the Sunderland Foundation and the State of Kansas as lead supporters. Mental health deserves our urgent action, and we want the community to know that there is hope and help for anyone who is hurting.”

The new hospital will serve as an inpatient mental health healing campus, which will include three separate 24-bed units – 48 pediatric beds and 24 adult beds, six private courtyards, walking paths, and dining and activity space. The design and healing environment are centered on staff and patient safety, supportive care and treatment spaces, patient wellness, and connection with nature.

“Our country is facing a mental health crisis. This collaboration demonstrates our joint commitment to providing resources and creating greater capacity across Kansas and Missouri to serve children requiring more complex care,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO. “We continue to see an increasing need for these services each year. In 2022 alone, Children’s Mercy provided care to nearly 3,000 children in our emergency department with acute mental health needs. This new hospital will take a significant strain off area emergency departments that are not well-suited to facilitate care for patients in mental health crisis by increasing access to acute inpatient care designed specifically for their needs.”

“The need to strengthen mental health services is a nonpartisan issue that affects all Kansans, rural and urban alike—and addressing the need pays dividends for everyone,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “A lack of psychiatric beds has been one of the largest barriers to providing mental health care in our state. When completed, this state-of-the-art hospital will take significant pressure off our health care systems.”

“We are honored to be part of creating this new inpatient mental health hospital,” said Kent Sunderland, Chairman, The Sunderland Foundation. “We have a long history of working with both KVC Health Systems and Children’s Mercy. This is the perfect partnership of two leading children’s healthcare organizations that will bring hope to thousands of families in our region.”

Additional private philanthropy is being secured for the $53 million project, which includes a 
72,700-square-foot, state-of-the-art hospital. It will have capacity to care for more than 3,400 patients annually and will create approximately 150 new jobs.

Children’s Mercy and KVC are proud to partner with JE Dunn Construction as the design-builder and Hoefer Welker as the architect and interior designer on this innovative inpatient hospital and mental wellness campus. 

 

For more information about this project and mental health statistics and resources, visit childrensmercy.org, kvc.org, and cambermentalhealth.org.

Please note: Inpatient hospitalization is for individuals who are actively experiencing a mental health emergency and displaying unsafe behaviors that make them a threat to themselves or others. For immediate intervention in an active emergency, please go to your local emergency room or community mental health center right away or call 911. You can also call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. For Camber Mental Health youth admissions, call (913) 890-7468.

One of the most challenging situations parents face is when they cannot calm an aggressive child. It can make parents feel scared and unsafe; when other people are around, it can be mortifying. And although there are some best practices for any parent trying to calm an aggressive child, there are specific considerations for parents of autistic children when behavior turns combative.

Research shows that autistic children do tend to show more aggression than their peers. A recent study published in Autism Research showed that autistic kids demonstrate higher levels of verbal aggression and disruptive behavioral intensity throughout childhood. Autistic kids under the age of 6 showed more physical aggression than their non-autistic peers, but these levels became equal to their non-autistic peers as the kids aged.

And, it’s crucial to note, this is something autistic kids generally grow out of. “Adults with autism are actually significantly more likely to be victims of aggression than they are to be aggressive with other people,” says Darren Olsen, Ph.D., a psychologist and professor of pediatrics at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City and co-leader of the hospital’s Down syndrome and autism clinic.

Read the full article via Fatherly

Developmental & Behavioral Health at Children's Mercy

Children's Mercy Autism Clinic

Thanks to the generosity of a $50 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation and a combination of state and private funding, $70 million has been raised to-date.

“Mental health needs have continued to rise at an alarming rate, and parents and families are feeling the absence of a full continuum of care,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Mercy Kansas City. “We are incredibly grateful to the Sunderland Foundation for believing in our vision and kickstarting Children’s Mercy’s initiative to shine a light on areas of need, ensure the health and wellbeing of each child, and streamline coordination of their care. Over the next five years, we will provide enhanced access to evidence-based screening, diagnosis and treatment while expanding the collective network of services.”

“We are honored to be a part of this ambitious vision to address our youth mental health crisis,” said Kent Sunderland, Chairman, The Sunderland Foundation. “The statistics are staggering, and we, at the Sunderland Foundation, are committed to supporting Children’s Mercy capital projects as they light the path forward, increasing behavioral health services for kids in the region and beyond.”

Children’s Mercy recognizes that to provide the support children desperately need will require a collaborative effort among primary care physicians, outpatient providers, local schools, policy makers, community leaders and caregivers.

In all, Children’s Mercy will focus on the following four areas in a phased approach over the next five years:

Facilitate Early Intervention

Integrate mental health care and behavioral therapy services in school-based programs, and

primary and specialty care to prevent youth from reaching a mental health emergency.

• Mental health integration: Provide pediatric expertise in primary and secondary care through 
  in-person and telemedicine appointments.
• School-based programs: Develop evidence-based programs for school educators.
• Care coordination: Build a new user-friendly, patient-centered care coordination system to streamline provider, community, and self-referrals.
• Behavioral therapy services: Expand social work services to improve family access to interventions.

Increase Specialty Services

Increase access for all with a focus on improved health equity for the most vulnerable populations.

• Depression & Anxiety: New Depression and Anxiety for Youth (DAY) Clinic for patients with anxiety and depression.
• Eating Disorders: Increase the number of providers and expanded access to patients. Offer Intensive Outpatient Program that will provide an eating disorders program for youth when symptoms are too severe for a standard outpatient clinic.
• ADHD: Serve more patients with Complex ADHD that require specialty care.
• Streamlined Diagnosis: Provide patients with suspected ADHD with targeted evaluations to expedite diagnosis and connect to appropriate treatment more quickly.
• Autism: Expand services to offer children diagnosed with Autism yearly visits to monitor development with the goal of reducing emergency services. A support team of behavioral experts will also provide caregivers with guidance when behaviors become unmanageable in the home.

Invest in Research and Innovation

Advance research to broaden knowledge and practice of evidence-based care, leading to data-driven treatments and innovations.

• Research: The GOLDILOK’s PRISM study is designed to understand why fluoxetine (Prozac) works for some teens and not others. The PATHWAY study aims to reduce gaps in mental health services access and address health equity disparities.

Expand Inpatient Hospital Care

Provide urgent mental health care to children in need by expanding in-hospital services and increasing the number of beds available in the community.

• Inpatient Mental Health Campus: Increase the total number of child and adolescent beds within 45 miles of the Kansas City metro area.
• Acute Medical Health Crisis Center: Provide acute mental health screening, triage, assessment, care coordination and short-term stabilization for children with mental health emergencies.
• Partial Hospital Program: Serve as a bridge for children being discharged from in-patient and transferred back into the community for high-acuity care.
• Integrated Inpatient Care Unit: Provide a safe and effective care environment for patients with complex medical and psychiatric needs.

“The increase in behavioral health needs and the scarcity of treatment resources has become a national crisis,” said Sarah Soden, MD, Division Director of Developmental and Behavioral Health, Children’s Mercy Kansas City. “By taking action with the addition of staff, programs and services at all levels of acuity and creating systems to provide coordinated, seamless care, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our families and patients before it’s too late.”

Learn more about the initiative and how you can help light the path forward at childrensmercy.org/illuminate.

From social media to school shootings, three years of a global pandemic, an ongoing climate crisis and the everyday pressures of school and friendships that come with being a kid, there is a lot happening in the minds of America's youth right now.

The data shows this as well, prompting the U.S. surgeon general in 2021 to warn of a growing mental health crisis among young people.

"The challenges today's generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate," Dr. Vivek H. Murthy said in his 2021 warning, calling it both a moral and medical obligation to respond and provide resources for children and families.

To learn more about the crisis facing kids, "Good Morning America" interviewed leading mental health providers from across the country, who all agreed the U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented emergency.

What role does social media play in the crisis?

Mental health professionals at Children's Mercy Kansas City, a medical center in Missouri, say that social media can impact not only "adolescents' self-view and interpersonal relationships," but spending a lot of time on smartphones and "media multitasking" can also negatively impact kids' sleep, cognitive control and academic performance.

See the full story via ABC News

Children's Mercy Mental Health Toolkit