PORT ANGELES — Construction has started on Peninsula Behavioral Health’s new Children’s Behavioral Health Center.
The facility will be in the mostly-vacant building on its main campus and is expected to create a safer environment for youth while freeing up space in its primary building.
Peninsula Behavioral Health (PBH) officials hope to move its children’s services into the 4,000-square-foot building by the start of 2019.
“It isn’t great to be intermingling our adult population with the children because they can get intimidated,” said Rebekah Miller, development coordinator.
“We wanted to make this children’s center super comforting and very welcoming for them.”
Last year, PBH treated 708 children between the ages of 3 and 19, many of whom are in the younger part of that range.
PBH sees a total of about 3,000 individuals each year, Miller said.
Many young people seen at PBH are part of the foster care system, involved in the juvenile court system, are grieving the loss of a family member or have a disorder, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
“I can’t tell you stories because I promise you would be so disturbed by them, but there’s a lot of stuff that goes on in our community that people would be shocked,” Miller said, adding not all the young people are in such horrible situations.
“These kids need some professional help. With them getting their own space across the way, we will then be able to expand services here as well.”
The move to the former St. Vincent de Paul building — across the parking lot from the main office — will free up about 17 of the 60 offices in PBH’s 26,000 square-foot Port Angeles office at 118 E. Eighth St. Miller said it is so cramped that staff are doubling up on offices.
Some of the offices eventually will be transformed into medical offices. It’s part of PBH’s long term goal to not only be able to address mental illness, but also to provide medical services.
“Down the road, someone with a mental illness can come and get all of their medical needs met,” she said.
She said the expansion is happening as PBH implements a new program required by the state.
The Wrap around Intensive Services (WISe) program requires community mental health centers to have teams of five to support each child or teen.
Miller said that in May the program was supporting 20 young people and that number was expected to be about 50 this month.
“We need tons of staff to be able to help that many kids,” she said. “We were so lucky that this was already on our plans when WISe came around because we never would have been able to do it.”
The $1 million project isn’t without hurdles.
PBH budgeted to spend about $500,000 from its own reserves and and received $250,000 in private foundation awards. Earlier this month PBH received word it earned a $200,000 reimbursement grant from the state Department of Commerce.
“We are running a winning campaign, but we still hope to raise a total of $100,000 from community members this fall,” she said. “The original project estimate, which included $500,000 from our own reserves, did not include furnishings or account for drastic cost increases in materials.”
She said that as of Tuesday morning PBH had received $17,500 toward its goal of $100,000.
“It’s absolutely critical,” she said. “Although we have been saving for this … every dollar that we don’t have to dip into our reserves means that money can help us expand services more quickly and in other ways.”
Some donors include the Albert and Helen Mangan Fund, First Federal Foundation, a gift to memorialize Mary Whitmore, the Crow Family, the Phillips Memorial Fund and an anonymous gift from a board member couple.
Open houses are expected to be scheduled for later this fall.
For more information or for a private tour, call Miller at 360-457-0431 ext. 159.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
