Members of the community gathered to experience Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion last week, set to become America’s largest center exclusively dedicated to child and adolescent behavioral and mental health on a pediatric medical campus. At nine stories high and 386,000 square feet, the center will offer a colorful, friendly environment for those dealing with severe behavioral health concerns.
One of the Greatest Imperatives of Our Time
One in five children is living with a mental illness, and 50 percent of all lifetime mental illnesses start by age 14. Yet, there is a lack of resources and funding for children’s behavioral health and the persistent stigma around mental health issues challenges progress. In 2018, Nationwide Children’s Hospital launched the On Our Sleeves movement to address that stigma head-on through a comprehensive awareness and advocacy campaign. Nationwide Children’s Hospital and its partners believe that tackling this issue is one of the greatest challenges and imperatives of our time. The On Our Sleeves movement is about giving those children who are living with mental illness and the families who support them a voice, and hope.
That hope was palpable as the public gathered for a community dedication at the Pavilion. “We are very proud of the fact that right here in the center of Columbus, literally where 70 and 71 meet, we are saying we have a strong, strong location to support behavioral needs of any child in our community,” said Patty McClimon, chief strategy officer of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, to nbc4i in Columbus, Ohio.
An Emotional Community Gathering
The emotions flowed at last week’s community dedication. See for yourself below, and read more about how the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion is set to transform children’s mental health on the Nationwide Children’s website.
