VCU news

By Shira Pollard
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU

VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU are celebrating the ribbon-cutting of their new Virginia Treatment Center for Children. The new VTCC is the result of $56 million in funding from the Virginia General Assembly and a dedicated community of donors and children’s mental health advocates.

The new VTCC space eases the stigma surrounding mental illness and reduces access-to-care issues. The facility is transformational for mental health care, and will bring VTCC services out of a 50-year-old institutional space and into a modern facility with an inspirational design that incorporates natural light, green space and unique safety features important to modern mental health care. The facility is set to open to patients and families in early 2018.  

WHAT:         Virginia Treatment Center for Children ribbon-cutting                         

WHEN:         Nov. 17 
                     9 a.m. media tour                                   
                     10 a.m. ribbon cutting                            

 
WHERE:      Virginia Treatment Center for Children
                     1308 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220
                     Parking will be available directly outside the facility
                     Media tour will begin at Sherwood entrance near the stage.

 
WHO:          The Honorable William Hazel Jr., M.D., secretary of health and human resources
                    Anita Everett, M.D., CMO, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrati
                    VCU and VCU Health leadership
                    Mental health advocates                 
                    Patient family

 
VTCC is part of the VCU Department of Psychiatry and provides inpatient and outpatient services for children and adolescents with mental health needs ranging from depression and ADD/ADHD to anxiety, autism spectrum disorder and behavioral problems. In 2016, VTCC cared for nearly 1,000 children requiring inpatient care and saw more than 7,000 outpatient visits. The new facility will enable VTCC to develop new programs and services to better meet the needs of Virginians, expand inpatient and outpatient capacity and enhance research and training initiatives.

On-site or post-event interviews, images and b-roll available upon request.