Idaho opened Headwaters Behavioral Health Center in Idaho Falls in late November, marking completion of a multi-year effort to bring intensive inpatient mental health care for children and adolescents back to the state. The facility is one of three psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) established statewide after Governor Brad Little included $15 million in his 2022 budget to address a critical gap in Idaho’s behavioral health system. The Idaho Legislature approved the funding that same year, and the Department of Health and Welfare awarded grants to three regional partners: Idaho Youth Ranch in southwest Idaho, Northwest Children’s Home in north Idaho, and Jackson House in east Idaho, which operates the Headwaters facility.
Addressing an Urgent State Need
Before these facilities opened, approximately 100 children each year were sent out of state to receive this level of psychiatric care, often far from their families and communities. Idaho’s youth suicide rate is 46.8%, higher than the national average. Jackson House President and CEO Bruce Figuered emphasized that the Headwaters opening represented “the realization of a multi-year effort” to address this unmet need. DHW Behavioral Health Administrator Ross Edmunds noted that “this level of mental healthcare did not exist in Idaho, so these three facilities are filling a critical gap in our continuum of care for children and youth.”
Treatment Model and Community Engagement
Headwaters Behavioral Health Center is designed to serve up to 40 adolescents ages 12 to 17 through a therapeutic model that emphasizes structure, consistency, and active engagement. Treatment includes individual and group therapy, nursing and medication support, with individualized plans that may include de-prescribing medications when appropriate, according to Program Director Lex Fanopoulous. The state conducted stakeholder engagement sessions across Idaho before selecting providers, with community members raising concerns about patient safety, age limitations, prioritization of Idaho youth, and coordination with neighboring states. Headwaters Behavioral Health Center began serving youth on January 1, completing the three-facility vision first outlined by the Idaho Behavioral Health Council.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/dhw-voice/state-investment-expands-access-inpatient-mental-health-treatment-idaho-youth