Each year, nearly 1,000 children in crisis are Baker Acted and brought to CHI’s adult Crisis Stabilization Unit. Because the current facility is not equipped to meet the needs of mentally ill children, they go through the in-take process and then need to be transferred to another facility. Sometimes that can take 10-12 hours. A severe shortage of children’s crisis centers means that there are times when children have to wait for days in emergency rooms or get transferred to a facility as far as Broward County. For some families, the drive to intensive behavioral health treatment can be 100 miles or more. Children are suffering under this lack of access and the news headlines show the damage.

Because alleviating the struggles of children with psychological issues in South Florida is our ultimate priority, we have embarked on a $5.5 million fundraising campaign to build the first comprehensive Children’s Crisis Center in southern Miami-Dade County.

About the Children’s Crisis Center

The Children’s Crisis Center is scheduled to break ground in the first quarter of 2020 and will be located at 10300 SW 216 St., Miami, FL 33190, adjacent to CHI’s headquarters. The single- story ground level facility is expected to accommodate a maximum of 20 children at any given time. The 4,400 square foot building has been designed to create a pleasant, functional and therapeutic environment throughout, with the use of natural sunlight, colors, designs, and textures. The construction period is projected to take about 18 months.

The Children’s Crisis Center will provide a haven for children suffering from mental illness. The in-patient 24-hour facility will be designed to treat children in need, in a warm and caring environment where they can heal. The secured 20-bed unit will house a team of board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists, social workers, counselors and mental health clinicians ready to offer comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and treatment of a variety of emotional and behavioral problems. The intention is to provide full service, comprehensive mental health care for children up to 17 years of age, regardless of their ability to pay.

With your help, the Children’s Crisis Center will provide the following services:

• – Crisis intervention and 24/7 on-call support
• – Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
• – Therapeutic activities (recreational and educational)
• – Pharmaceutical services
• – Family counseling
• – Out-patient follow-up and long-term care

“CHI was the place that helped me be happy. So, I feel like it will help other people to be happy as well.”
– CHI Patient, Jane.

“A flower doesn’t grow in a day. It takes time.”
– CHI Patient, Katie, about her process.

Since 1971, Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) has been a beacon of hope, providing comprehensive primary and behavioral healthcare for people of all ages, regardless of their ability to pay. In order to continue meeting the growing needs of our community, we are committed to closing the gap in the way we serve those most vulnerable. This is why we are building the first comprehensive Children’s Crisis Center in southern Miami-Dade County to provide care and support for children ages 4-17 with severe psychological issues.

*Patient names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy.