Salt Lake City, Utah (Good Things Utah) - Intermountain Children’s Health is expanding critically needed mental health services to help more children and teens in crisis.

A new 90,000-square-foot family-centered facility will open in 2025 on the hospital’s Wasatch Canyons campus in Taylorsville, just off Redwood Road.

The new center will include:

• A walk-in-crisis center

• The state’s first dedicated behavioral health inpatient unit to provide mental health crisis care tailored for youth with autism and neuro-diverse needs

• A nearly 50 percent increase in inpatient beds

• Family-centered behavioral healthcare, including the ability for parents to stay overnight

• Outpatient spaces designed for more intensive outpatient treatment, day treatment, and group therapy programs.

The new center also will house current Intermountain Primary Children’s behavioral health services, which include:

• The Stabilization and Mobile Response program team, which responds to homes in moments of need to help stabilize children in crisis (1-833-SAFE-FAM).

• The statewide Assessment, Referral, Consultation Service (ARCS) free service line at 801-313-7711, which helps connect young children and teens to services close to their communities. 

“We want families to know that more help is on the way for their children,” said Amanda Choudhary, senior director of pediatric behavioral health at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Children and teens throughout the Intermountain region, like their national peers, are facing a mental health crisis. That’s why the resources that will be provided in this new facility are so critical.”

One in five 3-to-17-year-olds nationally face a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder.  Suicide remains a leading cause of death for Utah youth. Last year, 43 percent of Utah youth who felt sad, hopeless, or suicidal reported that they did not talk to anyone about it.

Construction began on the $96 million center in Taylorsville sooner than anticipated, thanks to $25 million in funding from the state of Utah, and generous community support of Primary Promise, Intermountain’s historic campaign to build the nation’s model health system for children. 

“With the state of Utah’s $25 million funding, and Intermountain Health’s financial match, we’re fortunate to be able to pursue these critical behavioral health services for youth in our community right now without the costs translating to our patients,” said Katy Welkie, chief executive officer of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and vice president of Intermountain Children’s Health. “Every day we delay is a missed opportunity to help a child thrive. With stakes this high, we cannot hesitate.” 

Philanthropic support is still needed to help complete the new facility, help more children grow up stronger, and even save lives. To learn more or to make a gift, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/foundation/primary-promise.

If you or a loved one is in crisis, free support is available through the Utah Crisis Line at 988.

More information about pediatric behavioral health services is available at primarychildrens.org/behavioralhealth.

Sponsored by Intermountain Health