Covenant Children’s and Texas Tech Physicians have announced the expansion of their Relational Health Center.
Thanks to a $4.1 million grant from the State of Texas through Senate Bill 30, Covenant Children’s will construct a sixbed inpatient unit, expanding the services of it’s current Relational Health Center.
“Covenant Health remains at the forefront of pediatric mental health care in the region,” Senator Charles Perry said. “Offering vital services to our community’s most vulnerable children. The support provided through Senate Bill 30 enables them to expand their continuum of care, including a six-bed pediatric facility dedicated to treating children in crisis. This $4.1 million grant bridges a crucial gap, empowering us to meet these children where they are and guide them towards becoming whole and healthy adults.”
In 2023, along with Texas Tech Physicians, Covenant Children’s opened the Relational Health Center. The outpatient unit supports children and families mental, physical, and emotional needs.
In its first year, over 12,000 patients have been treated through the Relational Health Center including intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs, outpatient care, individual and group therapy, and via telemedicine with Texas Tech Physicians and the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program providing care inside schools across the state.
“At Covenant Children’s our relational health unit is changing the landscape of pediatric care for children and adolescents in our community,” said Dr. Lara Johnson, Covenant Health Chief Medical Officer. “We are beginning the design phase of our crisis stabilization unit for children and adolescents which will work alongside our outpatient programs in the relational health center. We’ve already seen the positive impact these programs are having on so many children and families in our community and we look forward to continuing to meet the needs of our community with this next phase.”
Senate Bill 30 was approved in 2023 during the 88 th legislative session. The Children ’s Hospitals Construction Grant Program designates money from the general revenue fund specifically for constructing inpatient mental health beds for children.
Covenant Children’s is one of two hospitals in the state to receive funding to provide inpatient mental health resources specifically for children. A condition of the grant requires Covenant Children’s to match the funds given with private donations or other means. The Covenant Health Foundation has raised the money, matching the grant, giving the hospital a total of $8.2 million for this project.
Covenant Children’s wants to extend its deepest gratitude to our state elected official Senator Charles Perry for his support of our efforts. Without his encouragement and stewardship, our hospital would not have received these funds.
Recently, Senator Perry toured the outpatient Relational Health Center guided by clinic director Dr. Sarah Wakefield and Covenant Children’s CEO Dr. Amy Thompson.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to bring the highest standards of youth day treatment to Lubbock and the surrounding area,” Clinic Director, Dr. Sarah Mallard-Wakefield said. “We have truly elevated mental health care for our region. We are not done yet.”
The new inpatient unit is in the design phase. Construction will begin in 2025 and is expected to be operational in 2026.