Youth, and especially those aged nine to 17, will be the focus of a  new behavioral health and wellness center opening at the HealthOne North Suburban Medical Center in Westminster.

"The COVID pandemic hit us hard in many ways, but by far, our youth have been impacted the most, and they continue to struggle – their behavioral health needs are at an all-time high," Hollie Seeley, President of North Suburban Medical Center said in a written statement.

Part of the center's Northwest Emergency Room will be designated as a behavioral and wellness intensive care outpatient unit. A  new Intensive Outpatient Program will provide immediate services for children ages 9-11 and adolescents from 12-17 in the North Metro communities.

The new center is located at the Northwest location in Westminster at 11230 Benton Street.

"Over the last few years, we have seen an increased rate of suicide, especially in Colorado, among those who are 10 – 14 years old, and more importantly, we have seen an increase in the number of child/adolescent behavioral health patients in our emergency rooms," Seeley said. "Adding intensive behavioral health services for our youth has never been more critical and providing these much-needed services to the communities we serve will give our kids better outcomes."

The intensive care program focuses on the youth's challenges, such as depression, anxiety, managing daily living skills, self-injury, difficulty regulating feelings, short attention span or concentrating on tasks, school failure, and substance. For the youth to get better with a healthy life balance, its recommended to attend a minimum of three sessions per week, according to health officials.

According to health officials, North Suburban Medical center behavioral health experts establish a plan for each patient's needs, such as structured therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, group-based therapy, individual counseling interventions, trauma-informed therapy, interpersonal effectiveness training and life skills.

The intensive care outpatient program is flexible to work around the youth's school schedule extra classroom and after-school activities.

For more information about Behavioral Health & Wellness Outpatient Services Northwest, call 303-360-3736 or learn more at https://healthonecares.com/locations/healthone-behavioral-health-wellness-outpatient-services-northwest/.