Montage Health opening residential mental health program at Ohana for children under 18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison Stegge, Montage Health, (831) 622-2773, allison.stegge@montagehealth.org
MONTEREY, CA. — A new and unique residential mental health unit for children under 18 will soon open at Ohana, Montage Health’s child and family mental health program. The residential unit, located at the Ohana campus in Ryan Ranch, will treat youth who struggle with issues including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, trauma, and parent-child relationship problems.
The voluntary and unlocked unit features 16 private rooms in an engaging camp-like environment that is more welcoming than traditional psychiatric facilities. Youth stay for two to six weeks to build new skills and improve their mental fitness through group, individual, and family therapy using dialectical and cognitive behavioral therapies.
“Children who need more intensive treatment than a traditional outpatient setting shouldn’t have to travel to the Bay Area or even out of state,” says Susan Swick, MD, Executive Director of Ohana. “Now we can offer effective, comprehensive treatment right here in our community. This is one more step in our efforts to improve access to effective care that we hope will result in better mental health for Monterey County kids and families.”
The opening of the new residential unit comes just over eight months after Ohana’s state-of-the-art 55,600-square-foot campus opened at the end of 2023. Nestled among oak trees in the coastal canyon hills of Ryan Ranch, the award-winning campus creates a unique healing environment unlike anything else, drawing on nature, art, and architecture to inspire hope and healing for patients and their families.
Youth and their families who are experiencing an urgent or emergency mental health crisis should still go to the nearest emergency department for assistance or call 911. Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s Emergency department has a Crisis Stabilization Unit for those who are in a mental health crisis but do not require hospitalization. Emergency services are not available at the Ohana campus.
Visit montagehealth.org/ohana for more information.
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ABOUT OHANA
Ohana is a child, adolescent, and family mental health program of Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Created in 2018 after a landmark gift from Bertie Bialek Elliott, Ohana’s vision is to create a community in which every child can flourish because they and their families have the knowledge, skills and support they need in order to grow into healthy and resilient adults. Ohana, a Hawaiian word meaning family, is a family-centered program that provides access to high-quality diagnostic and evidence-based treatments for youth who are experiencing mental illness and focuses on helping youth and families develop mental health to prevent illnesses before they start.
ABOUT MONTAGE HEALTH
Montage Health is the local, nonprofit parent company of a family of organizations dedicated to improving lives by delivering exceptional care and inspiring the pursuit of optimal health. Through its subsidiaries and its partnerships with doctors and other clinicians, healthcare and community organizations, and, most importantly community members, Montage Health is dedicated to care that is coordinated across all care settings to meet each person’s goals and needs. Montage Health companies include Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Medical Group, Montage Health Foundation, Montage Wellness Center, Aspire Health, and MoGo Urgent Care. For more information, visit montagehealth.org.
