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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A new facility offering psychiatric care and substance abuse treatment to children and teens in northwest Iowa is expected to address an important need in the region when it opens this spring.
The Sioux City Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1M0NEgh ) the new Jackson Recovery Centers Child and Adolescent Recovery Hospital is expected to open in May.
"The reality is we've never had a facility really designated for the needs of children in our community," said Kermit Dahlen, CEO of Jackson Recovery Centers. "It's just so badly needed."
Right now the closest child psychiatric crisis centers are either about 60 miles away in Cherokee, Iowa, or about 90 miles away in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The $10.5 million project has been under construction in Sioux City since August.
It will have 72 inpatient beds and a 12-bed psychiatric stabilization unit. The first floor will be used for treatment, classroom space, dining and a conference room. The patient rooms will be upstairs.
The facility is designed with safety in mind, including features like door knobs that robes can't be attached to. The bathrooms and showers are separate.
"It's all at an eye distance so everyone can be supervised at all times," Dahlen said. "We know that they're in the bathroom and we can monitor time to know that they're safe. Everything is going to be really, really safe so people don't hurt themselves."
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Information from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com
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