Emergency Department Expansion to Include Dedicated Pediatric Behavioral Health Unit

K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center will soon begin construction of a dedicated pediatric behavioral health space within the existing hospital Emergency Department.

Funded by a $1 million grant from the Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation, the five-bed unit will provide specialized Emergency Psychiatric Services (EPS) for children experiencing a mental health crisis, delivered by the hospital’s pediatric and adolescent behavioral medicine providers.

“In our current Emergency Department, there is no dedicated space for children in crisis,” said Lauren Kaczka-Weiss, D.O., FAAP, FAPA, chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

The Pediatric EPS Unit at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital is part of Hackensack Meridian Health’s recent efforts to expand access to pediatric behavioral health services in southern New Jersey. In addition, Riverview Medical Center’s new Emergency Department was redesigned to include dedicated pediatric beds in its EPS unit.

“Our new space will enhance services and safety for children in crisis across the southern region,” said Dr. Kaczka-Weiss.