Four Urgent Crisis Centers (UCC) opened a year ago in Connecticut. They were designed to help children and teens struggling with their mental health and provide an alternative to an emergency room. Since opening last summer, the UCCs have served more than 1,100 children.
One of the locations in Hartford, The Village for Families and Children, has served 475 children and teens.
“Who walks through our door? It's kids with a variety of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, kids struggling with social anxiety, kids not wanting to get out of bed and go to school in the morning, kids who have significant stressors, whether they be academic stressors, social stressors, and they don't know how to manage,” said Amy Samela, the vice president of residential programs at The Village.
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Last July, construction was wrapping on the space that now provides a safe, welcoming, comfortable environment to evaluate children and connect them with the help they need.
The UCCs are available to anyone, without a referral or appointment. Anyone under 18 can be seen, even without insurance.
“We've seen kids as young as 3, as old as 18, with a whole variety of needs and challenges. But number one, the really good thing is we were able to maintain them and keep them back into the community,” said Samela.
Their goal is to make sure children have a continuum of care, so when they leave their facility, they already have follow-up appointments made and a treatment plan in place.
The UCCs are in Hartford, Waterbury, New London and New Haven.
