Ballad Health is expanding access to behavioral health in the Appalachian Highlands with new and expanded outpatient services that will serve children, adolescents and adults with complex behavioral health needs.
Ballad Health physicians, team members and community leaders gathered on Thursday, Feb. 22, to cut the ribbon for the new Behavioral Health Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services clinic at 701 Med Tech Parkway in Johnson City, Tennessee. This new clinic will provide care for the specific needs of children and teens with complex behavioral health needs. The clinic is part of the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network and provides outpatient mental healthcare for kids 6 to 18 years of age and intensive outpatient programs for children 9 years and older.
Ballad Health has also relocated its Behavioral Health Adult Outpatient Services clinic to a new location in the same building and has expanded its services to include intensive outpatient programming for patients 18 and older. The adult clinic will continue to grow its operations by caring for its existing patients, accepting new patients and offering intensive outpatient programs through focused group therapy sessions and other treatment plans.
“We shouldn’t be waiting for a crisis to occur before we provide behavioral health treatment,” said Anthony Keck, executive vice president for system innovation and chief population health officer for Ballad Health. “Too often, children and adults in crisis end up in the emergency department, or suspended from school or in jail. Nationwide, we’ve been failing our education and law enforcement partners by not providing enough outpatient alternatives. These services are another step in Ballad Health’s ongoing commitment to address this problem locally.”
The state-of-the-art facility is designed with patient safety and comfort in mind and will offer intensive programming for patients challenged by traditional settings. Treatment includes evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing services, acceptance and commitment therapy, and family therapy to help with symptom management and goal setting.
To learn more or schedule an appointment online, visit www.balladhealth.org/medical-services/behavioral-health-mental-health or call 423-302-3480.
