General News
Cape Fear Valley Health celebrated the upcoming opening of Cape Fear Valley Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care – Lillington during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Friday, May 22.
Located on the campus of Central Harnett Hospital at 186 Crested Iris Drive in Lillington, the new inpatient psychiatric unit was created to provide specialized behavioral health care for adolescents ages 12 to 17 while also supporting the needs of their families.
The addition of this specialized unit expands access to behavioral health services for families in surrounding communities, including Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, and Raleigh, according to John Bigger, Corporate Director of Psychiatric Services for Cape Fear Valley Health.
“Providing this unit at Central Harnett Hospital allows families much closer access to care and affords them the opportunity to be more connected with their children,” Bigger said. “The unit also affords families from other nearby communities the opportunity to receive care in a central location with easy access to nearby highways and resources.”
Children experiencing a psychiatric crisis and their families often face extended waits in emergency departments until an inpatient psychiatric bed becomes available elsewhere in North Carolina. The new adolescent care unit aims to reduce those delays by providing timely access to care in a dedicated therapeutic setting.
During a typical short-term stay of three to five days, adolescents will participate in individual, group and family counseling, with treatment centered on evidence-based adaptive skill building to support successful reintegration into home and community life.
A key component of care will be identifying underlying issues and providing evidence-based recommendations to guide future treatment. The unit will also assist adolescents and families in connecting with community support services to improve functioning at home and beyond.
“This is going to help keep kids out of our Emergency Department and get them the help they need,” Bigger said.
The state-of-the-art facility will include a multidisciplinary team of psychotherapy staff, psychiatrists, recreational therapists and other behavioral health professionals, all working together to provide comprehensive evidence-based treatment tailored to adolescents.
The need for expanded adolescent behavioral health services in North Carolina remains urgent. Every day, dozens of youth across the state remain in hospital emergency departments under involuntary commitment holds while awaiting placement in behavioral health facilities.
State and local leaders emphasized that partnerships like this one are essential to improving access to behavioral healthcare in the communities that need it most.
The opening of Cape Fear Valley Dorothea Dix Adolescent Care – Lillington marks another important step in Cape Fear Valley Health’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to critical behavioral health services for children and families throughout the region.
