Village Network cuts ribbon on new treatment center
The Village Network recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new Residential Treatment Center on its Wooster residential campus.
The Village Network recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new Residential Treatment Center on its Wooster residential campus.
The Village Network employees, donors and community members were invited to share the excitement of the new facility. The Residential Treatment Center is a 16-bed, seven-bath, 13,716-square-foot facility that is fully self-contained with all the services needed for clients contained within it.
This includes three sensory integration rooms, two education spaces, a full kitchen and dining space, a dedicated intake area with a medical exam room, three activity spaces, two therapy and visitation rooms, and a gym and staff offices. Outside, the facility has three outdoor play areas with basketball, swings, green space, and parking for staff and visitors.
The building will help youth who are facing serious psychological and behavioral issues and who require intensive treatment in a short-term residential setting including individual, group and family therapy; psychiatric treatment; nursing care; and expressive therapies. It also will provide education through onsite schooling or tutoring, encouraging children to learn daily skills and thrive in a healthy social setting.
Not only in Ohio but across the country, there is a crisis in child welfare and children’s mental health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health disorders are surging among adolescents. In recent years the number of teens reported having a major depressive episode has increased by 60%. Similarly, suicide rates among teens have jumped by nearly 60%. The child welfare and mental health systems are overwhelmed.
Across the state there are stories of children suffering from mental illness having to spend days in emergency rooms or children’s services offices. The Village Network, in fulfilling its mission, is partnering with local and state officials to be a part of the solution.
“At The Village Network, we are resolutely pursuing our mission and collaborating with local and state authorities to combat this crisis effectively,” said Rich Graziano, president and CEO of The Village Network.
Many of the children who will be served in this new program will be experiencing developmental trauma, which is trauma that begins at a very young age while the child’s brain is still developing and which is perpetrated by someone the child is living with. Consequently, these children are becoming adolescents with minimal capacity to self-regulate, control their impulses, delay gratification, manage their emotions and even be in safe, trusting relationships. They are easily overwhelmed, sometimes by the most routine tasks and interventions.
In response to this, The Village Network has adopted clinical models that help these children develop the capacity to self-regulate, control their impulses, self-soothe and manage their emotions: the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and the Collaborative Problem Solving Approach.
“In Ohio and across the United States, there is an alarming rise in mental health issues among children. Sadly, approximately 140 young people with complex behavioral health requirements in Ohio alone are currently placed in out-of-state treatment facilities,” Graziano said. “To address this issue, we are constructing a unique facility in Wayne and Holmes counties that will offer round-the-clock psychiatric care. This will be the first of its kind in the area, and we hope it will positively impact the community.”
For more information on community services at The Village Network’s Don Foster Center for Family Preservation, visit www.thevillagenetwork.org or call 800-638-3232.
The Village Network is nationally recognized as a quality care provider, licensed by the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services and accredited by the Council of Accreditation.
For more information about the services The Village Network provides or to get involved as a foster parent, employee or donor, visit www.thevillagenetwork.org.