Paul D. Kempinski President and Chief Executive Officer | Children's Mercy Hospital K.C.
Paul D. Kempinski President and Chief Executive Officer | Children's Mercy Hospital K.C.
Children's Mercy has introduced a new partial hospitalization program as part of its Illuminate initiative to address mental health needs among children in Kansas City. The program, which began operating in late August, is designed to bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient mental health care by offering intensive daily support while allowing children to return home each evening.
"One of the things that was really important to us was that when we bring children here and work with them and identify the best interventions and help them learn skills, that they will be able to generalize those skills back home and back to school," said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, developmental and behavioral health division director.
The partial hospitalization program is the latest development in Children's Mercy's Illuminate initiative, which was announced in 2023. In December 2024, the hospital opened its first mental wellness campus as part of this plan.
Johnson emphasized her commitment to providing children with tools for success. "Johnson’s life’s work is to get kids the tools they need to thrive. In PHP, that means days full of learning and therapeutic services."
More information about the story can be found at KSHB 41.
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