Los Angeles-based Kedren Health is launching a new site to serve as a national model for children’s behavioral healthcare.
In April, Kedren Health broke ground on Kedren Children’s Village in South Los Angeles. Kedren, a federally qualified health center, operates the largest inpatient psychiatric hospital in Los Angeles County.
When completed, the $145 million site will include a 24-bed acute psychiatric hospital, a 16-bed residential program, a 12-bed crisis stabilization unit and an outpatient program, and primary care.
Gregory Polk, CEO of Kedren Children’s, told Becker’s the goal of the new campus is to take care of the whole person on one site.
“We have a continuity of care going on, not only from a mental health perspective, but also understanding what the physical health needs are at the same time,” he said.
The site is one of the first in the country to integrate behavioral, primary care and social support at this scale. The three-building campus will total more than 103,000-square-feet.
Kedren expects to serve more than 500 patients annually at its inpatient and residential programs and more than 4,300 clients in crisis stabilization. It expects to serve 72,000 people annually through the outpatient program, according to a fact sheet shared with Becker’s.
In addition to healthcare, the site will include a 24-unit transitional housing site for Kedren patients experiencing homelessness.
“We want to make it a one-stop shop,” Mr. Polk said. “If the families are on campus, have somewhere to live, it makes it easier for patients to make their appointments. It makes it easier for them to see a [primary care] doctor. It makes the transition easier for the people of this community.”
The site is expected to open in 2027. Kedren will transfer some staff from its existing inpatient pediatric psychiatric unit to the new site, Mr. Polk said, but recruitment is underway for more professionals to provide care at the children’s village.
“I’m getting calls from people that want to be part of this, from physicians to staffers on the front line. It’s all about the children in this community, and it’s all hands on deck,” Mr. Polk said.
