The Missouri Psychiatric Center is the only inpatient psychiatric facility for youth within ninety miles of Columbia. The center just renovated their space to include more amenities for youth. The new space is brighter with natural light, new visitation and therapy rooms and three additional beds. The older site was darker and less accommodating for patients. Director of the center, Laine Young-Walker said the beds were badly needed.
“I don’t think there can ever be enough," Young-Walker said. "There are not enough training programs that train child and adolescent psychiatrists to treat the treat the children that have psychiatric illnesses, if they needed a specialist. We could probably build a fifty-bed psychiatric unit and fill it.”
With funding for mental health decreasing across the country, Young-Walker said Missouri stands out with their investment. She says the entire hospital system was supportive of the renovation. The renovation was on-budget, just under two million dollars.
