The Village Network breaks ground on new Residential Treatment Center

WOOSTER, Ohio – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, children throughout the United States, including youth right here in Ohio, are amidst a mental health crisis.

What’s worse, many of these children are presenting with developmental trauma and complex mental health conditions, which cannot be met by the current capacity of Ohio’s current behavioral health facilities. In fact, on an average day, Ohio has 140 youth placed in out-of-state treatment facilities.

“As part of our commitment to empower youth and families to build brighter futures, The Village Network would like to bring these youth back home, close to their support systems, and prevent others from being moved from their families, schools and communities,” said Rich Graziano, CEO and President. “To accomplish this, we’ll be adding intensive inpatient services to our robust continuum of care with a brand-new Residential Treatment Center, which will provide the newest mental health approaches within a secure and safe environment.”

To celebrate, The Village Network held a special groundbreaking ceremony for the Residential Treatment Center on Wednesday, June 1 at the Wooster Residential Campus, 2803 Akron Road, Wooster. Members of their Board of Trustees, community partners and donors were present to commemorate the special occasion.

When it’s complete in January of 2024, the 16-bed, 13,716-square-foot Residential Treatment Center will provide youth ages 10 to 21 with more intensive services than The Village Network’s current residential program, and on a longer-term basis than their Therapeutic Stabilization Center. Youth from Wayne and Holmes counties will be the priority for the coed Center.

“The goal of the of this new program will be to help children stabilize their emotional and behavioral functioning as they begin the process of healing from trauma,” said David Paxton, Chief Clinical Officer. “We also strive to keep youth in an environment that is the least restrictive. So, the Residential Treatment Center will also serve as a secure step-down option from higher levels of care.”

For more information about The Village Network, please visit their website at http://thevillagenetwork.org or follow them on their social media pages at https://www.facebook.com/tvillagenetwork or https://twitter.com/TVillageNetwork.