Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program Opens In Rockland County

NYACK, NY — A new program in Rockland County will help provide mental and behavioral health and education services for children, young adults and their families.

Rockland's Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program was unveiled Sept. 6 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its location at the BOCES Educational Resource Center campus in Nyack.

The program, run by Astor Services and modeled on its existing PHP in Poughkeepsie, is available to youth ages 11-18 who are facing challenges at home, at school, or in the community. To prevent out-of-home placement to psychiatric hospitals and other residential treatment programs, the group therapy program helps youth learn to safely manage their emotions.

The nation's children are in a "mental health pandemic" according to a 2022 report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. More than 7 million struggle to make it through the day, suffering from anxiety and/or depression.

Rockland County was clearly experiencing significant unmet needs for high-risk youth, Astor Services officials told Patch. From June 2022 to June 2023 there were 342 Medicaid recipients under the age of 21 who visited the ER for behavioral health reasons resulting in 162 hospitalizations. A significant number of those cases also struggled with linkages post-discharge with more than 25 percent having no follow-up after 7 days and more than 15 percent with no service follow-up at the 30-day mark, a need that the partial program can address, they said.

PHP Director Samantha Kroener explained the phrase "partial hospitalization."

"The Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) provides short-term intensive therapeutic treatment to youth ages 11-18 who are struggling at home, at school, or in the community," she told Patch. "This group therapy program helps youth learn to safely manage their emotions to prevent out of home placement to psychiatric hospitals and other residential programs.

"PHP can support a youth and their family at any point in their mental health and/or co-occurring substance use treatment, whether it is their first time participating in services or they are transitioning from another program. Up to 12 youth can participate in the program at a time, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m."

Services include initial assessment, safety planning, and screenings, daily educational support provided by LearnWell, daily DBT group therapy, weekly individual & family therapy, weekly DBT caregiver support group, psychiatric assessment and continued medication management, 24/7 on call DBT coaching support, and additional services. See Astor's website for more information and how to make a referral.

New York State Senator Bill Weber, New York State Assemblymember Kenneth Zebrowski and Dr. Susan Hoerter, Acting Commissioner of Rockland County Department of Mental Health all addressed the crowd at the ribbon-cutting. Also in attendance were Donna Chiapperino, deputy district director for U.S. Rep. Michael V Lawler, and Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann. Astor’s Chief Executive Officer Yvette Bairan spoke at the event and Kroener cut the ribbon to mark the opening.

The center will provide treatment using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, an evidence-based treatment model, along with group therapy, individual therapy, and family therapy. For more information or to access support, please contact (845) – 405-4146 or visit the center's website.

“Astor has been providing high quality care in New York State for over 70 years,” Bairan said in a news release. “We have seen a heightened need for mental health services in recent years. The PHP addresses this gap in Rockland County and can support a young person and their family at any point in their mental health journey, whether it is their first time participating in services or they are transitioning from another program.”

Astor serves more than 9,000 children and families annually in more than 70 locations in the Hudson Valley and the Bronx. Astor’s range of services include early childhood programs and community-based behavioral health and prevention services.

SEE ALSO: America's Children Are In A Mental Health Pandemic: Kids