4 Our Kids 

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This number is sadly inadequate.  Last year alone, 792 children from our four- county region were admitted to a crisis stabilization unit.  The children were referred from parents, pediatricians, emergency rooms, schools, law enforcement agencies, New Horizons and other agencies serving children.   More than 300 of these boys and girls from Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast were sent to treatment facilities in West Palm Beach or Melbourne. With families traveling from 60 to 100 miles or more, to the nearest crisis treatment center, a traumatic situation was made even more upsetting for the children and their families. 

A Bold New Plan

4 Our Kids

New Horizons has stepped forward with a bold new plan to address the lack of services in our area. Our vision is to build The Center for Children on a ten-acre campus next to our Midway Road location in Ft. Pierce. This is an ideal location that is centrally located within the four county region that we serve.

The Center for Children will be a place for hope and recovery for boys and girls ages 6 through 17 who live in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie Counties.  When completed, the campus of The Center for Children will include a children’s crisis unit, a child advocacy center a family service center and a community resource center.   

Phase I of the Center for Children, will be a 13,000 square foot children’s crisis unit with provisions for twenty patient beds.   The Crisis Unit will be a safe and caring place where troubled youth experiencing a mental health or a substance abuse crisis come for emergency treatment and a brief inpatient stay of 3 to 5 days.  It will be a place not only for emergency treatment but also a place where families can come together for counseling and help in dealing with the child’s emotional problems. 

Pulling Together 4 Our Kids: 

A Public-Private Partnership 

 

New Horizons is moving forward with construction of this desperately needed children’s crisis unit and we are off to a good start.  We own the land and the State of Florida has allocated a total of $1,590,000 toward construction.   

 

The New Horizons Board of Directors has set a goal of $4.7 million for Phase I, the construction of the Children’s Crisis Unit and an endowment for its upkeep.  New Horizons seeks $3.2 million from the people of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie Counties to make this critically needed crisis unit a reality for children who have nowhere else to turn for intense mental health services.