Reinventing Youth Mental Health Treatment with Cambia Hills

We have a mental health crisis in our country, and often it is the children that slip through the cracks. In Minnesota alone, over 100,000 children need treatment for serious emotional disturbances. Many children with complex mental illnesses will need weeks or months of round-the-clock care to get well, but the average stay in children's psychiatric hospitals is 7-10 days, on average. The Hills Youth and Family Services, based in Duluth, Minnesota, is working to address this growing need across the state. Their latest facility, Cambia Hills of East Bethel, is the first purpose-built psychiatric residential treatment facility for children in Minnesota. It combines specialized education services and residential treatment all under one roof. Its innovative partnership with the Northeast Metro 916 School District is providing flexible learning opportunities for Cambia Hills residents, ranging from ages 6-17. In the latest episode of the Build Me Up podcast, The Hills Youth and Family Services CEO Jeff Bradt, along with District 916 Assistant Superintendent Daniel Naidicz and Tammy Bednar, Principal at Cambia Hills, discuss their partnership, this state-of-the-art facility, and the growing need for mental health treatment.