Inpatient Youth Behavioral Health Hospital

North Central Health Care’s Youth Behavioral Health Hospital is the first step in life-changing treatment for young people between the ages of 13-17 who are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

Under the direction of a psychiatrist and other licensed medical and professional staff, our hospital provides 24-hour care in a secure setting that provides a safe and healthy environment where healing can begin. The Youth Hospital provides short-term therapeutic interventions by reducing and stabilizing a child’s crisis and linking them to the necessary care that will help manage their illness and help them better navigate their world.

The average length of stay at the Youth Hospital is usually 5-7 days and is determined based on each child’s needs. Treatment includes regularly scheduled group therapy sessions that utilize evidence-based practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. The decision to discharge your child will be based upon his/her safety. Our Social Worker and treatment team will be working with you and others involved in your child’s life to develop a discharge plan that helps them be safe and best meets their needs.

All Admissions to the Youth Behavioral Health Hospital are referred through the NCHC Crisis Center.

If your child is experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis or emergency, please call 1.800.799.0122 or 715.845.4326 or visit the Crisis Center at 1100 Lake View Drive in Wausau. No appointment necessary.

Each child is unique, and therefore so is their care and treatment.

A Space to Heal. A Space to Grow.

The Youth Hospital is modern and offers both private and group spaces, has a beautiful outdoor courtyard and plenty of windows for natural light. Designed with an open concept floor plan, the facility was specifically created to provide tranquil spaces to foster healing and growth for adolescents. The facility is co-ed.

Upon arrival to the Youth Behavioral Health Hospital you will be greeted by our team who will be ready to help you and your child. Please be sure to go to the NCHC Crisis Center first for referral and admission to the Hospital.

All rooms in the Youth Behavioral Health Hospital are private, so each child will have plenty of privacy in their own space. Each bedroom is furnished with the basics including a twin bed, nightstand with storage space and desk with a chair. Furniture has been carefully selected to meet safety requirements for behavioral health care settings. Each child will also have the opportunity to use our recreation room.

Admission & Therapy

Upon admission, our highly skilled treatment team will meet with your child individually. They will then work together to develop the best treatment plan for your child. Each child is unique, and therefore so is their treatment.

Learn more about the admission process.

Psychiatrist Consultation - Our Psychiatrist will evaluate, diagnose, and treat each patient’s mental health and substance use challenges through a suggestion of supports and prescriptions of psychotropic medication, if needed. After the first day, patients will meet daily with the psychiatrist for assessment and medication management if necessary. Medications are ordered by our physician and given to patients by our nursing staff. Our Psychiatrist may change your child’s medication or prescribe new medication.

Psychologist Consultation - Our Psychologist is specially trained to assess your child’s unique situation to help our team gain a better understanding of their needs. When a child is referred to the Psychologist, the Psychologist will meet the patient and provide specific tests that are useful in developing treatment plans.

Individual Therapy - A therapist who is specially trained to work with children and adolescents is part of our team at the Youth Hospital. Our therapist may initiate one-to-one sessions, however our entire team will work with your child on setting daily goals and learning new skills to help them cope through group therapy, individual contact, and recreational and therapeutic activities.

Group Therapy- Group therapy is a treatment that uses social interactions to examine mental health issues and learn new skills. Group topics are determined by the participant’s needs. Topics may include social skills, coping skills, self-expression, life
skills, or anger management.

Team or Family Meetings-The goal of family meeting is to gather family perspectives
of your child’s needs and to involve the family with discharge planning.

Programming & Activities

The Youth Behavioral Health Hospital offers a variety of programming to support mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Our multidisciplinary team schedules each patient daily for appropriate groups and activities including the following:

• Goals Group
• Dialectal Behavioral Therapy
• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Family Relationships
• Psycho-educational Groups
• Health & Wellness
• Trauma Group
• Communications Group
• Life Skills
• Coping Skills Group
• Arts & Crafts Group
• Skills Practice
• Discharge & Safety Planning

Questions? We Know You Will Have Many…

Read some of our most Frequently Asked Questions or call 715.848.4585 and a member of our professional services team will get back to you. Please note: For privacy reasons, patient care information cannot be emailed, however, you may ask questions via email and we can respond back in the most secure way.

Want to Print and Share A Brochure?

Click here for our Forms & Literature Page or you can go directly to our Youth Behavioral Health Hospital Brochure. An Overview Booklet is also available if you would like more detailed information about care, services and more.