A new youth mental health facility opens next month in Fairbanks. The Boys and Girls Home of Alaska will provide residential treatment, previously only available in-state on a limited basis in Anchorage. The 120-bed facility is the product of a partnership between Iowa-based Boys and Girls Home, and Family Centered Services of Fairbanks. Family Centered Services director John Regitano says the new facility will allow kids previously sent to the lower 48 for treatment to remain in Alaska.
120 people, including psychiatrists, therapists and nurses will operate the new Boys and Girls Home. The $28 million campus-like facility includes classrooms, a gym and cafeteria. Yearly operational costs, estimated at $10 to $11 million will largely be covered by Medicaid funds, money that in the past has gone to outside treatment centers.
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
