HopeWay – a Joint Commission accredited nonprofit mental health treatment center for adults – will be expanding HOPE for mental health and eating disorder treatment for adolescents and young adults with a new location in east Charlotte.
Construction is underway on the 18,716 square-foot space located in Oakhurst Commons at 4000 Monroe Road. REDLINE Design Group is the architect on the expansion project, and Bailey Patrick and Rebecca Herron of MPV Properties are HopeWay’s brokers for the lease. Based on the construction and licensure timeline, the new state-of-the-art facility is targeted to open in the fourth quarter of 2023. HopeWay’s main campus is located at 1717 Sharon Road West.
“HopeWay has received calls about mental health services for adolescents since the day we opened in 2016,” said Dr. Alyson R. Kuroski-Mazzei, a triple-boarded psychiatrist and HopeWay’s chief executive officer and chief medical officer. “The need for care and programming for adolescents and young adults is severe and immediate. We know our model of care works, and we are excited and confident to expand and bring additional mental health resources to this younger age group.”
HopeWay at Oakhurst Commons will feature physician-led, evidence-based Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) built on HopeWay’s proven model of care, which includes psychotherapy, medication management, integrative therapies, on-site educational support, and more. The HopeWay team will treat mental health diagnoses in teens and eating disorders in teens and young adults who will attend treatment during the day and return home after programming.
Taren Coley, MD, a double-boarded psychiatrist and HopeWay’s director of child and adolescent services, will lead the adolescent program for mental health disorders including, but not limited to, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, ADHD/ADD, trauma, and co-occurring substance use disorders. The Adolescent Mental Health Program will treat teens ages 12-17.
Greer Mitchell, MD, JD, a psychiatrist and director of HopeWay’s Center for Eating Disorders, will lead the adolescent and young adult eating disorder program. The Eating Disorder Program will treat adolescents (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-25) with primary eating disorders.
Added Dr. Kuroski-Mazzei, “Research shows the earlier in life mental health diagnosis and treatment occurs, the better the outcomes and that early intervention helps impact the trajectory of the illness. The U.S. Surgeon General has described the state of youth mental health as the ‘defining public health crisis of our time’. Thankfully, HopeWay will join the urgent need to increase access to care for this age group here in Charlotte and surrounding areas.”
The following are some statistics about adolescent and young adult mental health and eating disorders:
- More than 2.5 million youth in the U.S. have severe major depression, and over 60 percent of youth with major depression do not receive treatment.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.
- Eating disorders among adolescents have doubled since the start of the pandemic, and patients are presenting with more severe symptoms.
HopeWay will be hiring additional staff as they prepare for the opening. In addition, HopeWay is raising $3.5 million for this endeavor. To learn more or inquire about employment opportunities or donating to the project, and to sign up for HopeWay’s newsletter for updates, visit hopeway.org.