Kaweah Health Breaks Ground on Mental Health Hospital Adolescent Wing

Kaweah Health broke ground Thursday, May 28, on a new adolescent wing for its Mental Health Hospital. The new wing will add 22 inpatient beds specifically for acute psychiatric services for child and adolescent patients.

“This unit represents hope for the future of children growing up in an increasingly complex world,” said Jag Batth, Kaweah Health chief operating officer. “More than a building project, this is a game changer for the Central Valley. Soon families will be able to stay local while their children receive specialized care.”

The project has been in the works since late 2022 when Kaweah Health received an $8.8 million Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program grant from the California Department of Health Care Services. Kaweah Health estimates the total cost of the project will be around $13 million. Plans had to be drawn up and approved by the state of California before construction could begin. The project is anticipated to be completed in 2028.

The new wing will add 12,500 square feet to the existing Mental Health Hospital and serve patients under the age of 18. The two wings will be completely separate, ensuring young patients will have no interaction with adult patients.

“For the last several years, Kaweah Health has taken important steps forward in specialized psychiatric care,” said Dr. Cory D. Jaques, medical director for Kaweah Health’s Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit and the new adolescent wing. “This addition will be one more step in having a continuum of care here for our young patients.”

The new inpatient beds will work together with the Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit that opened at the end of last year. While that facility has been effective in stabilizing young patients, those who need a higher level of care will no longer have to leave the area.

“I already have families who can’t afford the gas to make it to regular appointments, they certainly can’t afford to drive to Los Angeles for visiting hours during such a critical time. This will make a huge difference,” Dr. Jaques said. 

Kaweah Health is also working hard to increase the number of adolescent psychiatrists in the nation and the Central Valley with its Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, part of its Graduate Medical Education program. Between the Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit and this new adolescent wing, Kaweah Health will offer one of the most comprehensive programs for this specialized training. 

Dr. Jaques said the effort is rooted in something simple but profound: some of the deepest suffering young people experience comes from not feeling loved. 

“There are people in this community — our providers, nurses, therapists, security, support staff — who love them,” Dr. Jaques said. “This hospital represents that.”