Advocates: CT's Urgent Crisis Centers Offer Lifeline as Youth Mental Health Crises and Suicide Risks Rise
HARTFORD, CT — With the school year underway and September markingSuicide Prevention Awareness Month, state officials and families are warning that Connecticut’s children in crisis cannot wait for help in overcrowded emergency rooms.With adolescent mental health needs surging — andsuicide now the second leading cause of death for children age 10 and up— the state’s urgent crisis centers are being hailed as a lifeline, offering immediate care in calmer, more supportive settings.In a Sept. 10 Zoom meeting of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, Steven Rogers, an emergency physician at Connecticut Children’s in Hartford, said the numbers tell the story.“We see volumes go up in emergency rooms by mid to late September as academic and social stress builds,” he said, noting that demand for psychiatric care has long outpaced what traditional ERs can handle.This September also highlights the difficulty many parents feel in discussing suicide with their children. Rogers emphasized that silence is not protection.“Research has shown it’s safe — and in fact protective — to ask kids directly about suicidal thoughts,” he said. “Many children feel relief when they realize they’re not alone.”According to Rogers, the data backs up that urgency.
By August of 2024, 11 Connecticut teenagers had died by suicide, compared to six the year before, and screenings at Connecticut Children’s show nearly one in five adolescents who come to the hospital — sometimes for unrelated issues like broken bones — test positive for suicide risk.The urgent crisis centers, operated by Connecticut Children’s,The Village, and community partners, were built to give families another option. Opened in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London in 2023, the centers allow walk-ins and provide stabilization, counseling, and rapid follow-up connections.
Since their launch, more than 2,500 children have been served; 95% were able to return safely home instead of being admitted to a hospital.Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER. It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite.
Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward. My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment.
It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support. Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them.
The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out. The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed.
A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms. Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children.
In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported. No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge.
The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call. Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am With adolescent mental health needs surging — andsuicide now the second leading cause of death for children age 10 and up— the state’s urgent crisis centers are being hailed as a lifeline, offering immediate care in calmer, more supportive settings.In a Sept. 10 Zoom meeting of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, Steven Rogers, an emergency physician at Connecticut Children’s in Hartford, said the numbers tell the story.“We see volumes go up in emergency rooms by mid to late September as academic and social stress builds,” he said, noting that demand for psychiatric care has long outpaced what traditional ERs can handle.This September also highlights the difficulty many parents feel in discussing suicide with their children.
Rogers emphasized that silence is not protection.“Research has shown it’s safe — and in fact protective — to ask kids directly about suicidal thoughts,” he said. “Many children feel relief when they realize they’re not alone.”According to Rogers, the data backs up that urgency. By August of 2024, 11 Connecticut teenagers had died by suicide, compared to six the year before, and screenings at Connecticut Children’s show nearly one in five adolescents who come to the hospital — sometimes for unrelated issues like broken bones — test positive for suicide risk.The urgent crisis centers, operated by Connecticut Children’s,The Village, and community partners, were built to give families another option.
Opened in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London in 2023, the centers allow walk-ins and provide stabilization, counseling, and rapid follow-up connections. Since their launch, more than 2,500 children have been served; 95% were able to return safely home instead of being admitted to a hospital.Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER.
It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite. Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward.
My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment. It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support.
Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them. The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out.
The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed. A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms.
Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children. In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported.
No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge. The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call.
Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am In a Sept. 10 Zoom meeting of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, Steven Rogers, an emergency physician at Connecticut Children’s in Hartford, said the numbers tell the story. “We see volumes go up in emergency rooms by mid to late September as academic and social stress builds,” he said, noting that demand for psychiatric care has long outpaced what traditional ERs can handle.This September also highlights the difficulty many parents feel in discussing suicide with their children. Rogers emphasized that silence is not protection.“Research has shown it’s safe — and in fact protective — to ask kids directly about suicidal thoughts,” he said. “Many children feel relief when they realize they’re not alone.”According to Rogers, the data backs up that urgency.
By August of 2024, 11 Connecticut teenagers had died by suicide, compared to six the year before, and screenings at Connecticut Children’s show nearly one in five adolescents who come to the hospital — sometimes for unrelated issues like broken bones — test positive for suicide risk.The urgent crisis centers, operated by Connecticut Children’s,The Village, and community partners, were built to give families another option. Opened in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London in 2023, the centers allow walk-ins and provide stabilization, counseling, and rapid follow-up connections.
Since their launch, more than 2,500 children have been served; 95% were able to return safely home instead of being admitted to a hospital.Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER. It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite.
Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward. My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment.
It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support. Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them.
The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out. The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed.
A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms. Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children.
In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported. No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge.
The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call. Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am This September also highlights the difficulty many parents feel in discussing suicide with their children.
Rogers emphasized that silence is not protection.“Research has shown it’s safe — and in fact protective — to ask kids directly about suicidal thoughts,” he said. “Many children feel relief when they realize they’re not alone.”According to Rogers, the data backs up that urgency. By August of 2024, 11 Connecticut teenagers had died by suicide, compared to six the year before, and screenings at Connecticut Children’s show nearly one in five adolescents who come to the hospital — sometimes for unrelated issues like broken bones — test positive for suicide risk.The urgent crisis centers, operated by Connecticut Children’s,The Village, and community partners, were built to give families another option.
Opened in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London in 2023, the centers allow walk-ins and provide stabilization, counseling, and rapid follow-up connections. Since their launch, more than 2,500 children have been served; 95% were able to return safely home instead of being admitted to a hospital.Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER.
It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite. Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward.
My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment. It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support.
Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them. The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out.
The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed. A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms.
Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children. In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported.
No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge. The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call.
Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am “Research has shown it’s safe — and in fact protective — to ask kids directly about suicidal thoughts,” he said. “Many children feel relief when they realize they’re not alone.” According to Rogers, the data backs up that urgency. By August of 2024, 11 Connecticut teenagers had died by suicide, compared to six the year before, and screenings at Connecticut Children’s show nearly one in five adolescents who come to the hospital — sometimes for unrelated issues like broken bones — test positive for suicide risk.The urgent crisis centers, operated by Connecticut Children’s,The Village, and community partners, were built to give families another option.
Opened in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London in 2023, the centers allow walk-ins and provide stabilization, counseling, and rapid follow-up connections. Since their launch, more than 2,500 children have been served; 95% were able to return safely home instead of being admitted to a hospital.Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER.
It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite. Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward.
My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment. It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support.
Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them. The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out.
The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed. A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms.
Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children. In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported.
No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge. The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call.
Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am The urgent crisis centers, operated by Connecticut Children’s,The Village, and community partners, were built to give families another option. Opened in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London in 2023, the centers allow walk-ins and provide stabilization, counseling, and rapid follow-up connections.
Since their launch, more than 2,500 children have been served; 95% were able to return safely home instead of being admitted to a hospital.Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER. It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite.
Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward. My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment.
It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support. Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them.
The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out. The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed.
A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms. Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children.
In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported. No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge.
The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call. Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am Children spend an average of just over three hours in care, with more tailored care, compared to much longer wait times in the ER and days in a hospital.
For parents like Lisa Paradis, whose adopted daughter has struggled with violent outbursts, the difference is night and day.“We once found ourselves in a crowded ER. It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite.
Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward. My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment.
It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support. Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them.
The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out. The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed.
A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms. Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children.
In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported. No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge.
The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call. Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am “We once found ourselves in a crowded ER.
It was traumatic, loud, overwhelming, and it only made her more dysregulated,” she said. “At the crisis center, it was the opposite. Staff read the situation immediately, helped us stay together when it was best, and followed up afterward.
My daughter even tells me when she needs to go, because she trusts that environment. It’s become our safe haven.”Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support.
Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms.“After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them. The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out.
The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed. A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms.
Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children. In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported.
No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge. The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call.
Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am Advocates say those results are exactly why the centers need long-term support. Susan Hamilton, Connecticut’s behavioral health advocate and a former frontline social worker, said 97.5% of children served go home with their families and that families report dramatically shorter stays than in emergency rooms. “After 30 years in the field, I can tell you the acuity and the need have escalated,” Hamilton said. “This initiative is only two years old, but the outcomes for kids and families are extraordinary.”The challenge now is sustaining them.
The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out. The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed.
A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms. Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children.
In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported. No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge.
The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call. Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am The challenge now is sustaining them.
The centers were initially funded with federal COVID relief dollars that are running out. The legislature replaced just $2 million for all four centers in the current budget — far short of the $9 to $14 million providers say is needed.
A stopgap $1 million is slated for FY27, but state officials acknowledge the program’s long-term survival depends on securing new funding streams and requiring private insurers to reimburse for crisis visits.Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms. Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children.
In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children.“Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported. No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge.
The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call. Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am Deputy Social Services Commissioner Shantelle Varrs-Patrick put the stakes in blunt terms.
Between 2017 and 2021, Connecticut lost more than 2,000 people to suicide, including children. In 2023, Connecticut lost 398 people with 6 of them being children. “Behind each number is a child, a classmate, a neighbor,” she said. “These centers are the most powerful tool we have to change that story by intervening early, preventing unnecessary ER visits, and ensuring families feel supported.
No family should have to face a mental health crisis alone.”Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge. The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call.
Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am Connecticut’s broader system is still stretched thin — with more than 1,000 Medicaid-enrolled children “boarding” in emergency departments last year while awaiting placement, and fewer than one-third getting follow-up care within a week of discharge. The state’s 988 crisis line has alsoseen usage more than doublein the past year, handling over 55,000 calls in FY2025, with 97% of callers reporting their crisis improved during the call.
Together with the urgent crisis centers, advocates say these resources prove that alternatives can work — but only if the state commits to fully funding them.“No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.”RELATEDAI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ ReportKeep readingbyKarla CiagloNovember 25, 2025, 4:45 amUrgent Crisis Centers Concerned About Future FundingKeep readingbyJulie Martin BanksJuly 10, 2025, 4:00 pmJuly 10, 2025, 4:40 pmBehavioral Health Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next StepsKeep readingbyKarla CiagloJuly 1, 2025, 12:33 pmJuly 9, 2025, 1:33 pmNew Software Aims To Identify Students With Behavior Issues, Prevent DisconnectionKeep readingbyJamil RaglandMay 21, 2025, 5:00 amMay 22, 2025, 2:04 amLamont Addresses School Superintendents On Education Funding, Mental Health, TechnologyKeep readingbyKarla CiagloMarch 20, 2025, 2:49 pmMarch 20, 2025, 4:13 pmConnecticut Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On MinorsKeep readingbyCoral AponteFebruary 7, 2025, 5:00 am‘Behavioral Cocaine’Keep readingbyJamil RaglandSeptember 20, 2024, 5:00 amSeptember 20, 2024, 3:33 pmBlumenthal Pushes For Federal Funding For Mental-Health ServicesKeep readingbyHudson KamphausenApril 15, 2024, 3:46 pmApril 22, 2024, 1:45 am “No one wants to wait four hours in an ER while their child is in mental distress,” Varrs-Patrick said. “With these centers, families finally have somewhere else to turn.” AI Toys, Counterfeits, Weak Oversight Drive New Warnings In 2025 ‘Trouble in Toyland’ Report
Urgent
Crisis Centers Concerned
About Future Funding
Behavioral
Health
Board Reviews 2025 Legislative Wins, Outlines Next Steps
New
Software Aims To Identify Students
With Behavior Issues, Prevent Disconnection
Lamont
Addresses School Superintendents
On Education Funding, Mental Health, Technology
Connecticut
Lawmaker Seeks To
Ban Social Media’s Use Of Algorithms On Minors
Blumenthal
Pushes For Federal
Funding For Mental-Health
Services