Families now have a dedicated 24/7 walk-in crisis center for youth ages 4–17, backed by an $11 million investment in behavioral health.
MEMPHIS, TN, UNITED STATES, May 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Alliance Healthcare Services, the region’s longest-serving behavioral health provider, will open the Children & Youth Wellness Center at 602 Malcomb Street on May 18, 2026, completing a multi-year, $11 million investment that gives Memphis families the first dedicated 24/7 walk-in behavioral health crisis facility for children and adolescents in West Tennessee.
The 10,000 square foot facility serves children and youth ages 4 to 17 experiencing behavioral health crises, including suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety, aggression, trauma symptoms, and psychiatric emergencies. The Center provides 24/7 walk-in crisis assessment, 15 crisis stabilization beds, and care from a multidisciplinary team including child and adolescent psychiatrists, therapists, nurse practitioners, and family support specialists. The clinical model is the MATCH curriculum (Modular Approach to Therapy for Children), with evidence showing that 85 percent of children demonstrate significant improvement and caregiver satisfaction at 84 percent. The environment is trauma-informed and calming, with natural light in every room and an open-air basketball court.
“For too long, parents in this community have driven to emergency rooms not built for pediatric mental health, or watched their child wait days for a bed that may not exist. That ends here. The Children & Youth Wellness Center is for Memphis, by Memphis,” explains Laurie Powell, President and CEO of Alliance Healthcare Services.
Family-inclusive care involves caregivers from intake through discharge, with follow-up coordination to schools, primary care providers, and community partners. At launch, the Center accepts BlueCare/TennCare Select, United HealthCare TennCare, & WellPoint TennCare. No child will be turned away regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Commercial insurance, including Medicare, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Cigna, Wellpoint, UnitedHealthcare, and AETNA, will activate following CARF accreditation, which is required 90 days post-opening and expected in September 2026.
“We built the program around what kids actually need: trauma-informed care, predictable routines, and clinicians trained specifically in pediatric behavioral health. A 7-year-old in crisis doesn’t process the world the way a 17-year-old does, and our staff is trained to meet both where they are.” says Dr. Kiersten Hawes, Director of the Center.
“Our team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed therapists, and family support specialists. They’re all trained in pediatric behavioral health. Medical oversight is on-site, not on-call from across town. That changes what we can do for a child in the first 24 hours,” explains Dr. Mallory Mitchell, Medical Director for the Alliance Healthcare Services Children and Youth Wellness Center.
The $11 million Center is fully funded with no debt. As part of a statewide initiative to expand pediatric crisis capacity, Tennessee issued three regional RFPs; Alliance was awarded the West Tennessee region. Funding sources include the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the State of Tennessee, Shelby County, the City of Memphis, the Alliance Healthcare Foundation, and a new market tax credit, in partnership with Hope Enterprise Corporation: $1.5 million.
It is Phase 2 of Alliance’s behavioral health campus, completing a combined $45 million-plus investment alongside the adult Crisis Wellness Center located across the street at 3200 Broad Avenue. It is Phase 2 of Alliance’s behavioral health campus, completing a combined $45 million-plus investment alongside the adult Crisis Wellness Center located across the street at 3200 Broad Avenue.
Alliance Healthcare Services serves more than 22,000 children, youth, and adults annually, delivering over 100,000 services. In 2025, Alliance crisis services generated over $20 million in community savings, including $6.1 million from emergency room and inpatient diversions and $14.8 million from jail diversions.
Shannon Briggs
Campfire Collective
+1 901-690-1028
shannon@buildacampfire.com
Ribbon Cutting for Children & Youth Crisis Wellness Center Alliance Healthcare Services
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