Tennessee expands mental health program for children in crisis following positive impact
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new grant from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) aims to improve children’s mental health services in the state.
The money will go toward adding two more Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU) in Nashville and Memphis, which are designed to provide care for people experiencing mental health emergencies.
“Rather than going to an emergency department that may not have the same training as a mental health crisis center, this is an alternative,” Marie Williams, Commissioner of the TDMHSAS said.
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At a CSU, licensed mental health professionals assess children in a crisis walk-in center where they determine whether the child should receive outpatient or other services, or if they should stay in the CSU for up to five days to receive round-the-clock care for free, regardless of insurance coverage.
“That CSU is connected to a community mental health center that can then see that child afterwards, whereas an emergency department doesn’t have that community connection,” Williams said.
The state’s first CSU launched in Knoxville at the McNabb Center. From Nov. 2021 to Feb. 2024, nearly 2,200 children and youth received services at the walk-in center, and more than 700 were served at the CSU between June 2022 to Feb. 2024, according to the TDMHSAS.
Out of the nearly 2,200 served, 94% were diverted from hospitalization, which is a statistic Williams is proud of.
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“That means that that kid got what that child needed, the family got what they needed, and they were able to connect and have follow-up resources, which again, the more follow-up resources you have the less need you have to even have a hospital or to develop a crisis,” Williams said.
Williams told News 2 the impact the CSU in Knoxville has had so far will be multiplied once the CSUs open in Nashville and Memphis in around one year.
“If that kid gets what they need, it prevents lifelong suffering; lifelong issues with that kid and helps them see recovery is possible,” Williams said. “You’re not your diagnosis, it just is simply something like if you develop asthma. It’s simply a health concern that can be addressed and that child can recover.”
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Mental Health Cooperative in Nashville and Alliance Healthcare Services in Memphis were selected to work with TDMHSAS to open the new crisis walk-in centers and CSUs in the state.
There are already several CSUs around the state. For a full list, click or tap here.
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