Inpatient mental health treatment now available to more Kentucky boys in state care

Eligible boys in the care of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services or Juvenile Justice system who need “complex mental and behavioral health care” can now access inpatient treatment in Owensboro, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced Tuesday.

Called The BIRCH, the 10-bed inpatient program operates out of RiverValley Behavioral Health’s adolescent psychiatric hospital. The program will admit males between the ages of 12-17 within DCBS or those “dually committed” in the Department for Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

It has already admitted its first patients following a Tuesday ribbon cutting, according to the cabinet.

Wanda Figueroa-Peralta, RiverValley’s president and CEO, said in a statement that the program is a “significant advancement in the care and support of our most vulnerable youth.”

“This program reflects our commitment to providing the highest level of care for those who need it most, ensuring every young person has the opportunity to heal, grow and thrive,” Figueroa-Peralta said.

The program is aimed at “youth with a history of challenging behaviors related to their mental health conditions,” according to the cabinet. Saff expect children to be in the program “longer than typical inpatient acute psychiatric hospitals.”

Admission decisions are made by the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID), Department of Juvenile Justice Mental Health Treatment Director, the Department for Medicaid Services, the Department for Community Based Services and RiverValley Behavioral Health, the cabinet said.

The BIRCH funding comes from a DCBS contract with the Department for Medicaid Services (DMS), according to the cabinet.

This announcement came days after West Kentucky Republican Sen. Danny Carroll criticized his fellow lawmakers for failing to fund a special mental health facility for youth in the juvenile justice system during the 2024 legislative session.

Carroll, R-Benton, filed Senate Bill 242 this year, which would have directed Kentucky to spend $22 million on a special mental health juvenile detention facility and create a process to test and treat minors with serious mental health issues within DJJ. The bill passed the Senate and died in the House.

In a response to The BIRCH opening, Carroll said “any increase in the number of beds to serve troubled youth is a step in the right direction.”

“This progress follows intense and very productive conversations involving all stakeholders during the last session,” Carroll said in a statement sent to the Lantern. “My hope is that the legislature will finalize the mental health proposal for troubled youth proposed in (Senate Bill 242) in the future.”

A cabinet spokesman said youth from anywhere in the state, not just near Owensboro, can access The BIRCH.

“Today we are providing a little hope because now there is help,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. “This program is helping us meet the needs of those who could not be served in our existing programs. This special space will assist the youth who need and deserve a higher level of care.”