Almost two years ago, Burrell broke ground on their Youth Resiliency Campus in north Springfield. Modeled on their adult Behavioral Crisis Center, which opened in 2020, the campus will provide 24/7 access to emergency mental health services for teenagers and their families. Now, as the building nears its completion this year, the concept is taking more of a tangible shape.
Aside from admitting clients younger than 18, the Youth Resiliency Campus also intends to stand out by offering guidance to parents and guardians.
"We really want this to be a place for when families don’t know what to do — come here, and we’ll help you figure out what [the] next steps are," said Mitra Pedram, the director of Burrell’s youth residential services and the BCC.
Youth mental health in southwest Missouri
There’s a measurable need for crisis services in the Springfield area. Three years ago, the Ozarks Health Commission found that Greene, Christian and Webster Counties have rates of suicide mortality, poor mental health and depression above the state and national average. The same is true of substance use disorder and drug poisoning mortality.
Youth statistics are especially troubling. Drawing estimates from national surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022, the Missouri Department of Mental Health found that 14.3% of adolescents had serious thoughts of suicide, 7.1% made a plan and 4.1% actually attempted suicide. Thirteen-point-four percent of adolescents needed treatment for substance use disorders, and although the report states that no estimate for unmet treatment needs among teenagers is available, only 5.3% of the age group actually received substance abuse treatment.
The data suggests that there’s a gap to be filled for both short-term and long-term services. That’s why garnering community support for the project has been one of the easiest parts, said Pedram. At its outset, the YRC received $5.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan dollars from Greene County and another $1 million from the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
But what is it?
The Youth Resiliency Campus stands to be a number of things once it opens. It will be, on one end of the spectrum, a behavioral crisis center. On the other end, it’ll be the new home of Burrell’s youth residential program. And in-between, the new campus will provide a number of services for youth that vary in the length of intervention.
So, what is a behavioral crisis center? Pedram said that there are two main goals.
"One is: Let’s divert people from other places that are not appropriate," she said. "So, let’s divert people from unnecessary hospitalization, let’s divert people from engaging with law enforcement. The second part after diversion is: Let’s connect people to the appropriate care that they need for whatever that crisis is."
A 'crisis,' Pedram explained, is self-defined. One example is suicidality, but someone could also come in struggling to stay sober or feeling like they’re a danger to others.
Beyond initial contact, what will help for youth look like at the YRC? Intensive outpatient programs, ran a few hours a day after school, will act as something of a step up from regular weekly appointments. "Partial hospitalization" is a kind of day treatment — clients spend the day at the campus and go home in the evening. Burrell is also planning intensive in-home services administered from the new building.
Finally, the campus will serve as a new home for Burrell’s youth residential program. Pedram told KSMU that, in its current form as the Nixa-based Milano House, the program has been a success and claimed that 80 to 90% of enrolled youth have a successful discharge. It’s also run out of a house – hence the name – and caps out at 10 clients. Making that program part of the overall Youth Resiliency Campus would expand its capacity to 16-20 clients and would also mean a purpose-built facility — Pedram mentioned plans for single bedrooms, a music studio, an art studio and a gym.
What's ahead for the YRC?
Once opened, the campus will charge fees based on a sliding scale, similar to many mental healthcare providers in the area. In this respect, Burrell spokesperson Rance Burger compared the facility to a traditional medical emergency room.
"Clients won't be ushered out the door if their finances are questioned," he said in an email. "Anyone not in need of immediate medical help can receive stabilization services at a behavioral crisis center."
Burger also said that the project was "broadly" on budget. With much of the exterior completed and construction going according to plan, the next step is to hire and train employees, which Pedram said has been surprisingly challenging.
"How are we going to not only fill these positions and develop the workforce that we’re going to need," she said. "But [also], how are we going to be just as innovative as we were in the programs and the buildings in really equipping these people?"
Burrell’s Youth Resiliency Campus is expected to finish construction this year and open sometime in 2026.