Nc Mental Health Nonprofit Expands As Families Struggle To Find Care For Kids

The Lucy Daniels Center, which has provided intelligence wellness services for young children successful nan Triangle for 35 years, is breaking crushed Friday connected an description that will astir triple nan number of children nan nonprofit tin serve.

The $4.1 cardinal task will adhd 18 offices to nan Cary-based center, which provides psychiatric and therapeutic services each twelvemonth to astir 500 children younger than 12 years old. The description will let nan halfway to scope much than 1,500 children annually and adhd reside therapy, occupational therapy and onsite psychological testing, said scientist Emily Odjaghian, objective and executive head of nan center.

A $900,000 seed assistance obtained from national COVID-19 backing funneled done Wake County successful 2022 helped kick-start nan project, Odjaghian said. At nan clip they received nan grant, they already had an almost yearlong waitlist, she said.

Emily Odjaghian is objective and executive head of nan Lucy Daniels Center successful Cary, N.C.

“And wow … nan children’s intelligence wellness situation benignant of exploded astatine that point,” she said.

As needs person accrued — driven successful portion by nan pandemic and societal media usage fueling intelligence wellness issues among youth, according to Odjaghian — uncovering thief has go harder for parents.
More than half of North Carolina children ages 3 to 17 person problem uncovering intelligence wellness help, according to nan 2025 Child Health Report Card from defense group NC Child on pinch nan North Carolina Institute of Medicine. That’s up from 37 percent astatine nan opening of nan pandemic.

“The request is already successful these communities,” said Harold Kudler, a Duke University psychiatrist who has served connected nan Lucy Daniels Center Board of Directors. “The description provides an opportunity to proceed to turn and meet nan needs.”

‘I was stymied’

A deficiency of intelligence wellness providers, particularly those focused connected children and adolescents, makes it difficult for families to find care, Kudler and others told NC Health News.

North Carolina is struggling pinch a shortage of kid psychiatrists, contempt adding 36 practitioners betwixt 2019 and January 2024, according to data compiled by nan American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

While location are now 390 psychiatrists serving children successful nan state, galore are concentrated successful larger, chiefly urban, communities and astir ample hospitals. That leaves ample swathes of nan authorities — 61 counties — pinch nary kid aliases teen psychiatrist, according to information compiled by Cecil B. Sheps Center for Health Services Research astatine UNC- Chapel Hill.

The national authorities has identified 15 North Carolina counties arsenic Health Professional Shortage Areas owed to a deficiency of entree to intelligence wellness providers. 

While nationalist schools supply galore intelligence wellness services to students, they excessively are woefully understaffed to meet nan need, kid advocates say. 

In 2024, location were 1,928 students for each schoolhouse scientist successful nan state, according to nan 2025 Child Health Report Card. That’s astir 4 times nan 500 students per scientist recommended by nan National Association of School Psychologists.

There is no full-time scientist successful 21 of nan state’s 115 schoolhouse districts.

Finding intelligence wellness attraction for children has agelong been an issue, Kudler said. 

He remembers really difficult it was to find thief erstwhile his ain youngest kid was struggling.

“We tried to find a bully therapist for her, and moreover knowing nan community, I was stymied,” he said. “I knew nan ropes. I knew nan community. I knew really … to advocator for her.”

After a agelong period, they yet recovered a bully therapist, he said.

Promising programme cut

In 2022, Congress passed nan Bipartisan Safer Communities Act successful consequence to nan schoolhouse shooting successful Uvalde, Texas, wherever an 18-year-old changeable and killed 19 students and 2 teachers astatine Robb Elementary School. As portion of nan weapon unit prevention law, $1 cardinal was earmarked for 2 assistance programs focused connected expanding intelligence wellness services offered to students while they’re successful school. 

In April, nan national Department of Education cut backing to those programs, canceling hundreds of millions successful grants crossed nan country, including 4 grants successful North Carolina. Department of Education representatives person told news media outlets that connection astir diversity, equity and inclusion successful nan assistance proposals contributed to nan section canceling their funding. President Donald Trump’s management has been focused connected dismantling immoderate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

In North Carolina, grants to summation nan number of schoolhouse societal workers and psychologists were canceled for Guilford and Wake region schoolhouse systems. Grants to thief train much school-based intelligence wellness professionals were besides canceled astatine UNC and N.C. State. 

Guilford County Schools officials told NC Health News earlier this twelvemonth that it utilized its assistance backing to prosecute a twelve intelligence wellness clinicians and statement pinch 35 others to supply in-person and virtual intelligence wellness services to students. The territory has seen a 50 percent simplification successful nan number of termination consequence assessments per year. 

In a Sept. 17 letter, nan National Association of School Psychologists urged national Education and Health section officials to activity pinch them “in shaping evidence-based strategies that prioritize prevention, early intervention, and equitable entree to services for each students.”

“Research consistently demonstrates that school-based intelligence and behavioral wellness services amended attendance, trim disciplinary issues, and beforehand world achievement,” Executive Director Eric Rossen and President Shawna Rader Kelly wrote successful nan letter. “Importantly, schoolhouse intelligence wellness professionals service arsenic a cardinal assets to parents and families to thief them amended understand and meet nan needs of their children and entree basal care, some successful and retired of school.”

The Lucy Daniels Center expects to triple nan number of children it tin thief acknowledgment to a 6,000-square-foot description . The caller building (with nan greenish roof) will apt unfastened to patients successful autumn 2026, halfway officials said. Credit: Szostak Design / Provided by Lucy Daniels Center

Fall 2026 opening planned

Work connected nan caller building astatine nan Lucy Daniels Center should return astir 9 months, Odjaghian said. She said it apt will beryllium fresh to judge patients by autumn 2026.

The summation will beryllium named nan SECU Therapy Wing to grant nan State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation’s $750,000 gift for nan project.

“They person a proven way grounds of being capable to show nan activity that they’re doing is effective and besides their expertise to triple their capacity is really what brought america here,” said Caitlin Duke, vice president-associate head of grants for nan SECU Foundation.

The number of children they’ll beryllium capable to thief and nan area they tin scope pinch this description “is conscionable impressive,” Duke said.

The halfway serves children successful Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties, pinch telehealth allowing them to scope patients elsewhere successful nan state, Odjaghian said.

The Lucy Daniels Center building opened successful 1991 to location a schoolhouse and was later adapted to make abstraction for an outpatient clinic.

An architect’s rendering shows what nan wrong of nan SECU Therapy Wing will look for illustration astatine nan Lucy Daniels Center successful Cary. The 6,000-square-foot description is expected to unfastened successful autumn 2026. Credit: Szostak Design / Provided by Lucy Daniels Center

As of Oct. 13, nan Lucy Daniels Center School had 18 children enrolled successful pre-K done 5th grade. The programme is designed for children whose societal and affectional issues led to difficulties astatine their original schools.

The 6,000-square-foot summation will let outpatient therapy to beryllium housed separately from nan school. However, Odjaghian said students will beryllium capable to use from nan further therapy and testing, arsenic good arsenic different services that will beryllium offered successful nan outpatient clinic.

She said they’re listening to nan organization astir what other is needed that could beryllium portion of nan expanded clinic. Among ideas that person been shared are a pediatric session for obsessive compulsive upset and testing for children connected nan autism spectrum to reside agelong hold times.

The schoolhouse could besides perchance grow astatine immoderate point, Odjaghian said.

“We desperately request much affordable attraction for typical needs kids,” said Linda McDonough, co-founder of a school successful Durham for kids who person developmental, affectional aliases behavioral issues. “The nationalist schools conscionable can’t do it.”

She praised nan description and further services planned astatine nan Lucy Daniels Center.

“For group that spell there, having it each successful 1 spot would beryllium wonderful,” she said.

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