{"id":233336,"date":"2026-01-08T01:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T01:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/233336\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T01:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T01:13:09","slug":"r-i-aims-to-open-new-youth-psychiatric-facility-at-st-marys-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/233336\/","title":{"rendered":"R.I. aims to open new youth psychiatric facility at St. Mary’s site"},"content":{"rendered":"

The director of the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the chief judge of the Family Court had urged the committee members<\/a> to approve the deal. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is critical for families and children to have access to an in-state psychiatric residential treatment facility that meets the highest standards,\u201d DCYF Director Ashley Deckert<\/a> said in a statement Tuesday. <\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen completed, this 16-bed facility will allow children whose well-being requires intensive treatment in an out-of-home setting to receive the comprehensive help they need closer to their families and other support networks. Our practice is to provide behavioral health care to children in the least restrictive setting \u2014 and to return children to their homes as soon as appropriate for each child,\u201d Deckert said. <\/p>\n

Until it permanently closed in August 2024<\/a>, St. Mary\u2019s Home for Children, founded in 1877 as an orphanage within the Episcopal diocese, was the only psychiatric residential treatment facility in Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

DCYF had contracted with St. Mary\u2019s since 2019, paying about $29 million until it closed. <\/p>\n

In the spring of 2023, complaints led the state child advocate\u2019s office and DCYF to investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, and mismanagement. DCYF stopped sending youths to the facility in November 2023, and all of the children were removed<\/a> by the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n

The St. Mary\u2019s board put the 8-acre campus at 420 Fruit Hill Ave. up for sale in January 2025 for $6.5 million.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit needed to sell the property in order to dissolve, but the board wanted a buyer who would continue the mission of helping children. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, DCYF needed a psychiatric residential treatment facility in Rhode Island. <\/p>\n

The state is operating under a consent decree, after the US Department of Justice found in 2024 that DCYF had been allowing children to languish at a psychiatric hospital<\/a> after they were ready to be discharged.<\/p>\n

Since St. Mary\u2019s closed, all youths who need psychiatric residential treatment are sent out of state. In mid-December, there were 70 children and youth in DCYF care who were placed out of state<\/a> in different programs, and another 21 in DCYF care were in psychiatric hospitals. Deckert said most of the youths were within a 60-mile radius of Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

Deckert said that her office had been searching for the right facility in Rhode Island and realized that with some improvements, the St. Mary\u2019s campus \u2013 with residential buildings, a school, and indoor and outdoor recreational space \u2013 offered what was needed. <\/p>\n

Child welfare advocates, Family Court judges, state officials, and the lawyer for St. Mary\u2019s nonprofit board had been in discussions for months about the proposal. <\/p>\n

The board agreed to a discounted price on the property that\u2019s equal to the amount required to conclude its dissolution. This deal is seen as a win-win.<\/p>\n

The General Assembly will need to approve completing environmental remediation and renovations. Deckert said that $10 million in capital funds would be dedicated toward the costs of renovations of three buildings to be used by DCYF. <\/p>\n

DCYF will also select a new provider for the psychiatric residential treatment facility. Deckert said the new facility could open in about two years and serve 16 youths.<\/p>\n

Amanda Milkovits can be reached at amanda.milkovits@globe.com<\/a>. Follow her @AmandaMilkovits<\/a>.<\/p>\n