Children’s mental health facility soon to open in Hays

HAYS, Kan. (KWCH) - Fulfilling a need with services not seen in Western Kansas in more than three years, the Camber Children’s Mental Hospital is set to open by the end of February in Hays.

“We are happy to bring back acute beds, which is usually a five-to-seven-day stay for those acute mental health disorders or those critical incidents the bring people into ERs,” said Camber Children’s Mental Health Hospital Executive Director Sara Berens.

Previously, families would have to drive to Wichita, Kansas City, or even out of state to receive care for acute mental health disorders.

“We’re happy to bring a closer location to Western Kansas,” Berens said.

With the new facility in Hays, Camber will be able to provide acute care and expand the number of patients it can serve.

“All of Western Kansas, that is our primary target,” Berens said. “However, we will open up our doors to anyone in the state that is in need.”

The center will also focus on long-term cases. Berens said she doesn’t want people who come into the enter to feel like patients.

“What sets us part is our trauma-informed care,” she said. “We really collaborate within our setting to really work on the holistic part. You’re not just the medication you take. You’re not just the experience you’ve been through.”

Instead, Berens said she wants the children treated at the facility to feel at home.

“(We) care. We have a great staff of nursing, physiatrists, doctors, therapists, and direct-care staff that are with them 24/7,” she said.

The goal is to get children the help they really need.

“We want to be that beacon of hope. We want to be that place where they can land to heal,” Berens said.

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