Bluestone Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital has been developed to fill a widening gap in services and to address a growing shortage of beds dedicated to children’s acute mental health needs. Over the past 20 years, psychiatric hospitalization of youth has risen 42 percent while Ohio’s number of pediatric psychiatric beds has fallen about 38 percent. In Cuyahoga County, there are only 25 psychiatric beds for approximately 325,090 youth; the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has not operated a child or adolescent inpatient program for more than two decades. Moreover, the hospitalization of individuals with autism is of increasing concern, as hospitals are not equipped to admit or work with these patients. The crisis of availability and accessibility is clear.
Bluestone will fill the critical service gap by increasing the number of pediatric psychiatric beds in Cuyahoga County by 50 percent. Building upon the extensive experience of fellow Wingspan Care Group affiliates, the Bluestone facility and team of professionals has been built to also ensure that the most vulnerable youth, such as those who are dually-diagnosed or with autism spectrum disorder, receive the highest quality care and have the highest rate of success upon discharge.
Wingspan Care Group and its affiliates make a measurable, positive impact in the lives of children, youth and families from across the state of Ohio. Approximately 96 percent of youth who receive crisis stabilization care are able to step down to less intensive, less costly service. In addition, 97 percent of parents/guardians and 92 percent of youth clients are satisfied with our services. As a Wingspan affiliate, Bluestone Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital is designed to make that same high level of impact by stabilizing patients in an average of 3-5 days and providing seamless step-down and wraparound services to prevent relapse/re-admission.
At Bluestone, discharge planning begins on day one of admission. Upon intake, Bluestone’s staff of licensed behavioral health professionals will establish a comprehensive wraparound plan for each youth whether they are stepping down to a less restrictive residential setting or returning to the community. This includes adding to the treatment team a behavioral health expert from one of our Wingspan Care Group affiliates to ensure Bluestone patients benefit from coordinated care. Full step-down plans will ensure patients and their families are connected to needed supports and wraparound care upon discharge to decrease the likelihood of readmission due to relapse and further increasing the odds of long-term stability and wellness.