Privatized Mental Health Center to Serve Southeast Missouri

After months of debate about the fate of southeast Missouri’s psychiatric treatment center, mental health officials have developed a plan to increase efficiency and offer more treatment options to children in the area by privatizing Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center.

Cottonwood, located in Cape Girardeau, is a 32-bed state-operated residential facility serving children and youth with severe emotional and mental health needs. The facility, however, has not been operating at capacity and costs the state about $5.7 million a year to operate while only generating $3.3 million each year.

Cottonwood’s new treatment system will consist of a 16-bed Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation (CPR) Inpatient Diversion Children’s Residential Treatment Center and six Treatment Family Homes and/or Professional Parent Homes that will contract with the state. This unique blend of treatment options will increase local control and offer a broader array of services to meet varying levels of need.

The inpatient residential center will offer 24-hour intensive behavioral health treatment to help keep vulnerable children out of the hospital for psychiatric treatment. It will be operated by the Community Counseling Center (CCC), a non-profit that already contracts with the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to provide behavioral health services in five southeast Missouri counties.

In the Treatment Family Homes and Professional Parent Homes, trained parents will provide intensive care for children who can be safely served in these settings or who are transitioning out of the residential center. Treatment Family Homes can serve up to three children, but Professional Parent Homes require one-on-one care and greater training for the parents.

Governor Nixon initially restricted all funds for Cottonwood and DMH planned to close the facility, but families and staff voiced concerns that kids in southeast Missouri would be left without adequate treatment options. Nixon recently released over $240,000 for the facility, which will allow DMH to continue caring for children while transitioning to the new system.

When agencies are willing to consider privatization and community partnerships, the state can craft creative solutions to meet the needs of a particular area. The legislature will oversee the process by requesting updates on the transition and data on the effectiveness of the new plan, but I commend the department for working with local stakeholders to ensure that children in southeast Missouri receive the best care possible.