COLUMBIA, S.C. — Work has begun on a new a psychiatric treatment facility for youth receiving help from the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).
On Monday, officials broke ground on the building, which is a joint effort by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) and Correct Care South Carolina.
“This is just one piece of the puzzle. We are putting children that have gone into justice and involved situations into a setting where we hope we give them a better chance," Robert Kerr said.
Kerr is the director for the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. He says Monday’s groundbreaking is the first step in helping struggling youth receive better care.
“We’ve got an opportunity to deliver a standard of care that I think is lacking in behavioral health in our, particularly public, but private communities. I want you all to focus, please, on delivering that standard of care so we can deliver better care to our citizens,” Kerr said.
The state’s department of mental health say this new facility will be used mostly for youth who have been committed to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.
“I can't explain to you how necessary and important this is," DJJ Executive Director Eden Hendrick said. "We often talk about the youth, but we really don't see their personal stories and their struggles and their trauma, and then when they come to us in their worst time, with serious mental illness and they're in an environment that is hard, no one's going to sit here and tell you that DJJ is an easy place to be rehabilitated.”
Many of the youth who are committed to the department have a mental health disorder or are diagnosed with a serious mental illness
"These youth really need something different," Hendrick said. "They cannot survive in a normal environment without special care, special care that the Department of Juvenile Justice is not set up to provide. We do the best we can, but these youth need something more.”
The SCDMH says while many youth with serious mental illness are transferred to private treatment facilities, they are finding it difficult to gain acceptance for patients with a history of assaultive or destructive behaviors. The department says this facility will provide them a safe and secure treatment center.
“We have an opportunity, as well as an obligation, to see the young people have a chance to move on up into that because, course, they are our greatest resource,” South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said.
According to department of mental health, construction is set to be complete in late 2025.
“This is a big step in that direction, to see that we bring all of those together. We've got the talent, the people that we have working on these issues is in our state, or remarkable assets a remarkable. When we get focused and work together and think ahead for the young people, that's when we really make progress,” McMaster said.