By Bailey Coyle, Fox23 News
TULSA, Okla. — Parkside Psychiatric Hospital has officially transitioned its inpatient services to focus exclusively on children and adolescents, making it the region’s only inpatient psychiatric provider dedicated solely to youth ages 5 to 17.
Hospital leaders say the change is designed to address a critical shortage of pediatric psychiatric beds in Oklahoma and improve access to specialized care for young people in crisis.
“We have made a decision to move to just taking care of children and adolescents in our inpatient environment,” said CEO Jim Serratt. “There’s a critical crisis of beds for adolescents.”
Serratt said the decision has been years in the making and reflects a gap between the number of young people needing inpatient psychiatric care and the availability of specialized beds in the Tulsa area.
“Over 24 percent of the adolescent population lives in Tulsa, but only 12 percent of the psychiatric beds for kids are in Tulsa,” he said.
He said the hospital is now fully dedicating its inpatient resources to that need.
Focus on specialized inpatient youth care
With the shift, Parkside says it will concentrate all inpatient staffing, beds and programming on pediatric and adolescent mental health.
“What we want to do is get really good at this,” Serratt said. “We want to become a center of excellence for kids acute care hospitalization.”
He said the goal is to improve stabilization for young patients and move them more quickly into the appropriate level of care.
The hospital says inpatient stays are short-term and focused on stabilization, typically lasting about 5 to 10 days.
“This allows them to be lifted out of that spin and put into a safe environment for a short period of time,” Serratt said.
What families can expect
Parkside says its inpatient services now include crisis stabilization, residential treatment and youth-focused substance use and behavioral health programs.
When a child arrives, they undergo a clinical assessment to determine the appropriate level of care.
“The very first thing that happens is a professional meets with them and does an assessment,” Serratt said. “More importantly, we listen.”
While inpatient care is now limited to children and teens, Parkside emphasized that adult outpatient services are still available.
Adults seeking mental health support can still receive counseling and outpatient treatment through Parkside programs, and staff will also assist with referrals if inpatient care is needed elsewhere.
Growing demand for youth mental health care
Serratt said the shift reflects increasing demand for pediatric mental health services and a broader effort to ensure timely access to care.
He also pointed to the challenges young people face today, including rising anxiety and depression.
“The things that they have to deal with now are incredibly intensive,” he said. “This allows them to be in a safe environment where they can gain hope.”
Access and availability
Parkside says its access department remains open 24/7, offering free mental health screenings for families to determine the appropriate level of care.
“We have plenty of capacity, plenty of space, and plenty of expertise,” Serratt said.
Warning signs for parents
Serratt encouraged parents to pay attention to behavioral changes that may signal a mental health crisis.
“Withdrawal, changes in sleep, appetite, giving away belongings, those are real,” he said. “Any change that doesn’t make sense needs to be looked at.”
He urged families to seek guidance early if they are unsure.
“There’s no harm in having a conversation,” he said.
Looking ahead
Serratt said Parkside’s goal is to strengthen youth psychiatric care across Oklahoma while remaining a resource for families navigating mental health needs.
“Children’s behavioral health is one of the key health issues we’re going to face in this generation,” he said. “We’re ready to step into that gap.”
You can learn more about Parkside Psychiatric Hospital by clicking here.
