Brook Lane opens residential crisis program for youths; senior center opens in St. Thomas

Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
·3 min read

Brook Lane opens child and adolescent residential crisis program

Brook Lane, a nonprofit mental health system, held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening on March 7 for its new child and adolescent high acuity residential crisis program on its Leitersburg-area campus.

The renovated coed space serves patients from ages 8 to 17 who are experiencing a behavioral or mental health crisis, according to a Brook Lane news release. The residential unit provides all the resources of a mental health hospital without the youth being in an inpatient psychiatric setting.

Brook Lane held a ribbon cutting on March 7 for its new Child & Adolescent High Acuity Residential Crisis Program. Pictured is the art room in the new residential unit.
Brook Lane held a ribbon cutting on March 7 for its new Child & Adolescent High Acuity Residential Crisis Program. Pictured is the art room in the new residential unit.

The new program "will help alleviate pressure in hospital emergency department admissions and on the inpatient units in Brook Lane's hospital and around the state," the release states.

The Maryland Department of Health's Behavioral Health Administration is providing funds to manage the pilot program, which has the potential to be replicated across the state.

The newly renovated residential space opened for patients on Feb. 7 and can serve up to seven patients at a time, Brook Lane spokesperson Julie Herman said in a phone interview.

"This new program will allow more time for permanent resources to be established for each child. It also will free up valuable inpatient beds, which will provide placement for children who are being boarded in hospital emergency departments," Brook Lane CEO Jeffery D. O’Neal said in the release.

"The children and adolescents staying in our Residential program also will be able to receive ongoing educational services through Brook Lane’s Laurel Hall Title 1 & 3 Special Education School programs, which is the continuum of care that is so important in the healing process."

An almost $1.1 million grant from the Sen. George C. Edwards Fund paid to renovate a wing of former staff offices for the new residential unit, Herman said.

Major renovations were done to provide private bedrooms, more bathrooms, a nurse's station, a breakroom, a laundry room, an art room, and a day room for group activities and family visits, Herman wrote. The entire space was designed to be "ligature resistant" to help make patients safe.

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Fort Loudon senior center relocated to St. Thomas

The Franklin County (Pa.) Area Agency on Aging has relocated one of its senior activity centers from Fort Loudon to St. Thomas, according to a news release from Franklin County government.

The Fort Loudon Senior Activity Center closed earlier this month.

The center will be open, Tuesdays through Thursdays, at the new site at 6444 Lincoln Way West in St. Thomas, according to the Area Agency on Aging.

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The new space is larger, allowing the Area Agency on Aging to expand offerings. Those include new activities, a dedicated space for exercise equipment and a coffee bar.

The St. Thomas senior activity center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

An open house is tentatively scheduled for May 23.

For more information about Franklin County's senior activity centers, call 717-263-2153 or go to www.franklincountypa.gov.

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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Brook Lane opens residential crisis program for youths