Through KVC Missouri’s sister organization, Camber Children’s Mental Health, we provide inpatient children’s psychiatric treatment to 1,000 Missouri youth per year. Camber is a nonprofit subsidiary of KVC Health Systems, just like KVC Missouri.

At Camber, we provide acute hospital treatment for youth ages 6 to 18 who are struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, the impacts of trauma, and other mental health conditions. Our goal is to help your child stabilize and return home as soon as safely possible, equipped with the skills, support, and resources they need to continue treatment in their community.

Expanding Access in the St. Louis Region

In the St. Louis region and across Missouri, there is an alarming children’s mental health crisis. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among Missouri’s young people ages 10-34, and Missouri ranks in the bottom 10 states nationally in access to mental health care, according to Mental Health America.

While the need continues to grow, the number of beds is not keeping pace – with the St. Louis region lacking 150 inpatient pediatric beds for children and teens in mental health crisis. This results in delayed admissions, lengthy waitlists, and extensive travel times for desperate families and young people.

At KVC Missouri, we’re committed to leading the change. We are working with state and local partners to mobilize support and provide the necessary facilities and staff to properly care for our children in greatest need. KVC Missouri is connecting with leaders and experts throughout Missouri – and in the Greater St. Louis region – to help us lead change and transform lives. Follow along with us to see the latest updates on this project: Leading Change.

How We Help Children and Families

At our children’s mental health hospitals, we provide a patient-centered approach to treatment, which supports and encourages family involvement. We believe parents/guardians are significant partners in the treatment process and can help us best support their child when they are involved in therapy and discharge planning.

Inpatient Treatment Includes:

• Full medical, clinical and nursing assessment within the first 24 hours of admission
• Intensive psychiatric care and medication management
• Individual, family and group therapy sessions
• Case coordination
• 24/7 Support and supervision from our skilled nursing staff
• Innovative treatment and education to teach youth about their brains and how to regulate their emotions

Find a Camber location offering inpatient treatment near you.

What to Expect During Admission

When a client or family arrives for admission, a nurse or other healthcare professional will meet them in our lobby and escort them to one of our visiting rooms. In this room, Camber will:

• Ask parents/guardians to complete the admission paperwork, providing consent and contact information
• Provide education about the treatment program and our highly-trained staff
• Assign the client a bedroom
• Integrate the client into therapeutic activities as soon as possible

We know that sometimes it can be difficult for parents/guardians to be onsite with their child due to different life circumstances. When that is the case, as long as the parents/guardians send us the completed consent paperwork we can complete the admission process over the phone. Click here for answers to frequently asked questions during the admission process.

What to Expect at Discharge