Responding to the skyrocketing need for short-term, affordable behavioral health care among children and young adults, Altior Healthcare today announced that it has completed the conversion of two former traditional therapeutic boarding schools into accessible, mental health short-term residential treatment campuses that will make an additional 117 beds immediately available to meet the pressing demand.
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Intent on “democratizing” behavioral health care, Altior’s conversion of the two facilities, completed even as it has been accepting referrals at both campuses over the last nine months, means that it now provides a total of 254 beds across 19 facilities nationwide for these patients.
Key to the success of the conversion has been Altior’s ability to enlist the enthusiastic support of in-network insurance providers to cover the greatly reduced cost of such services, which dramatically expands the availability of treatment for families desperate to obtain care for their children and teenagers, many of whom suffer from acute depression and anxiety, often with thoughts of suicide.
In the past, these patients often had no option but to seek care at local hospital Emergency Room or were rotated through 10-day lockdowns at psychiatric hospitals already overwhelmed by the growing demand for care.
“We’ve witnessed a major shift, where the demand is for care that’s shorter in duration, offers easy access, and is affordable so that insurance will cover the cost,” said Ken Kosza, Altior CEO.
“In most cases, these are kids who are suffering from depression and anxiety, some with pre-existing medical conditions, and many of whom are suicidal,” Kosza said. “They need to be stabilized immediately, and that’s the model we offer.”
The success of the model has made Altior the nation’s second largest provider of residential mental health treatment for adolescents. Its growth has been driven by Ken Kosza, who was named CEO in 2023. Ken comes from a clinical background and holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He also has deep operational experience to match his passion for the work of helping young people in crisis.
Under the Altior model, responsiveness is a key advantage. Nearly all families who reach out, said Kosza, can benefit from the programs and would be immediately eligible for treatment. The time between first contact and admission to residential treatment, which often took several weeks under the old system, now can be completed in a week or less.
In addition to the two new Ridge Treatment Centers in New Hampshire and Maine, Altior offers similar programs in Texas, California and Idaho. Altior’s model is an intensive program that provides clinically focused behavioral health as well as a comprehensive physical evaluation to assess the impact of pre-existing medical conditions on a child’s mental/emotional issues. Because patient stays are less than half that of traditional residential treatment programs, insurers have demonstrated enthusiastic support for the Altior model
“The demand for affordable, accessible care for these young people is overwhelming, and our growth as a business is really a reflection of the crisis,” said Kosza. “It’s good business, but more important, it provides help for children and families in need.”
About Altior Healthcare
Altior Healthcare is a leading provider of behavioral and mental health residential treatment for adolescents (between the ages of 12 to 17) and young adults (typically between the ages of 18 to 25). The Company provides treatment for adolescents and young adults with issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, grief, trauma and any number of other behavioral and mental health concerns. Altior provides its services across 19 locations in five states with over 254 licensed residential treatments beds.
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SOURCE Altior
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