General Info 503-239-8101

Crisis Psychiatric Care for Youth

If you or someone you know needs help for a child or teen facing a mental health challenge,
call us at 503-408-4705.

About Kerr’s Crisis Psychiatric Care for Youth (SUBACUTE)

Kerr’s crisis care program provides children and adolescents a short-term residential placement and 24-hour access to mental health professionals.

Youth and families are assigned to an attending child and adolescent psychiatrist and a child and family therapist.

Our multi-disciplinary team includes registered nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and milieu psychiatric technicians.

Our program offers a safe, structured setting with 24-hour care for children and adolescents who require mental health treatment in a secure setting.

Crisis Psychiatric Care

Click on topics for additional information.

 

Services Provided
  • Individual therapy for the client
  • Family therapy
  • Medication management by a psychiatrist
  • Skills-building groups
  • Nurse practitioner appointments as needed
  • Case management/after-care planning
  • Education groups by teachers from Multnomah Education Service District
Your team

The treatment team includes:

  • A Master’s level Child and Family Therapist who follows the case from start to finish
  • A Psychiatrist who follows the case from start to finish
  • A minimum of 16-hour Nursing availability daily
  • 24/7 Psychiatric Technicians
Who do we accept?

Our program accepts children and adolescents ages 5 – 17 years old experiencing a psychiatric crisis. Youth accepted by the Subacute program are typically those who pose an imminent risk to themselves or others and as such require both a secure setting as well as intensive mental health treatment.

Who can refer to Subacute?

We can accept referrals from:

  • Emergency departments/hospitals
  • Outpatient treatment teams
  • Acute psychiatric units
  • Crisis response teams

All referrals must include a recommendation from a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) for Subacute services. The QMHP must be able to justify why Subacute is a medically necessary level of care for the child. In Oregon, common examples of QMHPs include: psychiatrist, mental health therapist, social worker, psychologist, psychiatric nurse-practitioners. Families cannot self-refer to this level of care.

Subacute Referral Packet and Form

Click here to download Kerr’s Subacute Referral Packet.

Our Location

832 NE 162nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97230

Once you enter the Kerr campus, follow signs for Crisis Psychiatric Care (Subacute). The entrance is located under the awning at the end of the parking lot. Ring the doorbell and staff will greet you.

What your child needs to bring

Our goal is to provide a safe and therapeutic environment for all children and staff. Each child has their own bedroom, which other children are not allowed into. Parents are welcome to bring personal items for their child, including:

  • Blankets
  • Pillows
  • Stuffed animals
  • CD or MP3 players without Wi-Fi
  • Age-appropriate books
  • Clothing appropriate to the season (one week’s worth).

The following items are not allowed:

  • clothes with drawstrings
  • belts, scarves, or ties
  • shirts with themes of violence, drugs, or sex
  • tank tops
  • pants that require the use of a belt
  • skirts or dresses
  • underwire bras (disallowed for the first 24 hours, please provide at least one sports bra if needed)
  • thong underwear
  • cell phones
  • tablets
  • laptop computers
  • handheld game systems
  • any item with WiFi capability
  • any item which can take photos
  • any recording device (video or audio)
  • sharp items such as knives or scissors
What insurance do we work with?

Please note, our contracts change over time. Please call our Access department to see if we can accept an insurance not listed below.

Currently, for our Subacute program, we can accept:

  • Most Oregon Health Plan CCOs
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • BlueCross BlueShield
  • Moda
  • PacificSource commercial plans

 

Visiting your child

You will be able to add people to a contact list to visit or call your child while in Subacute. Family and supportive adults are allowed on the contact list; we do not allow friends or significant others to be on the list. Please note we do not place those under 18 on the contact list unless they are family members. Only those on the contact list will be permitted to call your child.

Phone calls are generally permitted in the morning before groups begin, during unit movie time, and during evening free time. You may request a copy of your child’s unit schedule for more precise times. Phone calls are limited to 10 minutes in length.

We offer both virtual and in-person visits; however, due to the continued COVID-19, our ability for in-person visits remains limited to help maintain the safety of all families and clients we serve and all staff we employ. For the most updated visitation policy, please contact 503-408-5011.

Visiting hours are from 12:15-1 p.m., 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. for adolescents, and 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. for children during the week and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekends and holidays. We ask that you limit your visits to one hour or less. If you need to arrange a visit outside these hours, please coordinate with your Child and Family Therapist.

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