FAYETTEVILLE – March 21, 2022 – Cape Fear Valley Health will hold a ribbon cutting and offer self-guided tours at the new Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care unit on Friday, March 25, at 1 p.m. The facility, which is located at 3425-B Melrose Road, Fayetteville, is scheduled to open later this month.
“In North Carolina, 84 of our 100 counties are considered mental health professional shortage areas,” said Cape Fear Valley Health CEO Michael Nagowski. “In 64 out of 100 counties, there isn’t even a practicing child psychiatrist. While we know this building and these services will be a welcome resource in our community, we also believe the programs made possible by this facility will help ease the psychiatrist shortage in the state, through our psychiatry residency and fellowship programs, which will train new behavioral health doctors right here in Cumberland County.”
The facility has 16 inpatient beds for adolescents ages 12 to 17, and will provide acute inpatient behavioral health care for patients. The unit will be staffed around the clock with at least one psychiatrist and up to four psychiatry residents. Other staff include psychotherapists, recreational therapists, nurses, mental health specialists and other staff to support the critical components of evidence-based treatment for adolescents. It is located directly across from the health system’s Behavioral Health Care Inpatient Unit for adults.
Psychiatrist Sree Jadapalle, M.D., is the Service Director at the new unit. She will also be the Fellowship Program Director for a new Child Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship the health system will begin hosting this summer.
“This is now the only adolescent inpatient psychiatry unit, not only for Cumberland County, but also for surrounding communities, like Bladen County, Hoke County and Fort Bragg,” Dr. Jadapalle said. “We have pediatric patients waiting in our emergency room right now who have been waiting for a week or more for a bed to open up at such a facility. When this unit opens, it will alleviate these frustrating wait times for adolescents and their families and offer them the mental health help they need on time. After patients are discharged from the Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care unit, we will be able to provide continuity of care services through our Child and Adolescents Psychiatry Fellowship Clinic.”
Construction on the new unit broke ground in November 2020. Local mental health providers say the facility will help address a deep need in the region for local inpatient behavioral healthcare. Families who can have their children treated locally instead of commuting long distances will save time and money from not having to travel, will experience less stress, and be more able to participate in treatment programs. Currently, the closest inpatient facility for adolescent behavioral health patients is 60 miles away.
In 2018, Cape Fear Valley Health started a four-year adult psychiatry residency program for up to 32 residents. In anticipation of this unit’s opening, Cape Fear Valley Health recently received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for a new Child Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Fellowship Program, as well. The two-year CAP fellowship has a total of six positions, with three fellows added each year. The Fellowship, which will start in June, will be a highly competitive program for doctors who are looking for experience in this specialization.
Dr. Jadapalle said that the Fellowship program will help provide psychiatric services to many community centers beyond Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care.
“We will be working with Cumberland County Schools to address and nourish school and college mental health needs,” she said. “We will be conducting many community outreach projects to improve mental health in our community, including Fort Bragg. The Child and Adolescent Fellowship Clinic will provide medication management and therapy services for families with no insurance and other financial difficulties. With each graduating class, we will be sending more child and adolescent psychiatrists into the world, and many will likely stay and help the communities they’ve come to know as residents or fellows.”
The construction of the new facility was made possible through $4 million in funding provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and will be called Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care in honor of Dorothea Dix, a pioneer in the State of North Carolina for her work with the mentally ill. The community has also stepped up to make this unit a reality.
“Over $71,000 has been contributed by individuals and corporations which will amplify the state funding and will provide the necessary program support, appropriate furnishings, clinical equipment and recreational services for adolescents in our community needing inpatient behavioral health services,” said Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Vice President Sabrina Brooks. “We are grateful to these community donors for their generosity and support. Giving opportunities to support the unit are still available through Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation.”