New mental health crisis unit for kids coming to Douglas County

• And expanded virtual services could help some families avoid the ER altogether.

Driving the news: Douglas County is investing $3.4 million in opioid settlement funds, alongside a private donation, to create a dedicated mental health emergency unit and short-term crisis care.

• The unit is expected to open in October 2027.

• DougCo expects nearly $22 million through 2038 from national settlements with drugmakers and distributors accused of fueling the opioid crisis.

The big picture: Mental health-related ER visits across Children's Hospital's four campuses jumped 65% from 2019 to 2025, while inpatient psychiatric admissions grew 50%.

Zoom in: The hospital's South Campus draws patients from across metro Denver, particularly Douglas, southern Arapahoe and Jefferson counties.

• Roughly one-third of all patients come from Douglas County. The campus also serves families traveling from mountain communities.

What they're saying: "To be able to build crisis services here is huge," Ron-Li Liaw, Children's mental health in-chief, tells Axios.

The hospital plans to turn roughly 2,200 square feet into a psychiatric care unit with five or six beds, private consultation rooms and a space for families.

• Children could stay for up to 72 hours while doctors assess their needs.
• And parents can stay with their children during treatment.

Zoom out: The hospital is also expanding same-day virtual health services, giving families across Colorado access to specialists while potentially avoiding ER visits.

The hospital already offers short-term psychiatric stabilization at its Anschutz campus in Aurora, where some kids have gone home after about 24 hours rather than spending days in inpatient care.

• The Highlands Ranch unit will follow the same approach, combining psychiatric screening, short-term treatment and connections to follow-up services.

What's next: Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon hopes the new Children's unit becomes a model for other hospitals, including services for adults in crisis.