Chicago clinic hopes to provide urgent mental health care for young people
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A new center seeks to fill the gap for young people in need of urgent mental health care.
Its mission is a bit different.
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It's the first urgent care in Chicago for young people in a mental health crisis.
"It can feel so overwhelming and daunting to think about reaching out for help. And where do you go? And what do you do?" said Holley Brandchaft-White, SHFT Behavioral Health co-founder and chief clinical officer.
SHFT Behavioral Health will specialize in helping those 10 to 30 years old who need urgent mental health care as well as routine care.
Brandchaft-White said families often go to a hospital emergency room for lack of a space designated for youth in mental health crisis.
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"It's exciting to think about an alternative that ultimately, that is much better suited to support mental health issues," Brandchaft-White said.
In Illinois from 2018 to 2022, nearly 50% of all hospitalizations for Illinois youth were caused by mental health and substance use disorders, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
SHFT clinician Olivia Buckley says she's helped relatives navigate care and adds she is grateful to stand in the gap, to give someone immediate support and to avoid an emergency room visit.
"We know everyone goes through crises, and we want to normalize it. It's OK to go through, and there's a place to go for that," Buckley said.
"It is incredibly difficult for people to get regular mental health care, and this one way to address that issue. And my hope is that SHFT can be successful here and expand and bring this mission to more neighborhoods in Chicago. It's desperately needed," 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly said.
SHFT Behavioral Health opens Monday at 730 N. Franklin St., No. 510, for urgent mental health care and routine care in River North.
