Welcome
to Ohana
A transformative model of mental healthcare for youth
A new model to meet the moment
A first-of-its-kind program, Ohana was created by nationally renowned mental health thought leaders, and is staffed by experienced, compassionate mental health professionals. It was designed specifically to address mental health challenges among the most vulnerable population: children and teens. Most mental health challenges in adults actually began in their adolescence. The Ohana model targets disorders at their roots in youth, when they are easier to treat or prevent.
Caring for the whole family is at the heart of the Ohana model. Our programs are designed to meet families where they are by offering a full spectrum of services in a variety of settings:
• Prevention and early intervention — outreach programs in collaboration with community partners such as schools, parent groups, nonprofits, local government, and pediatricians to engage families early, before issues arise
Ohana’s vision:
• Outpatient care — evidence-based treatments for a wide range of common mental health challenges faced by youth, including individual psychotherapy, group treatment, family therapy, and medication management
• Higher levels of care — care in more intensive treatment settings for complex problems, including after-school treatment, full-day treatment programs, and residential programs
• Emergency care — stabilization programs in a youth-friendly setting, with services that focus on supporting the full family through a crisis
• Supplementary care — supplementary to traditional treatment, including occupational therapy, art and music therapy, family-friendly nutrition, and more
Data shows that an increasing number of children and teens suffer from mental health challenges, which is further compounded by a lack of psychiatric beds, residential care facilities, shortages in mental health professionals, lower-than-average funding, and outsized demand for behavioral health facilities.
1 California Department of Education, California Healthy Kids Survey (2019) 2 www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7108e2.htm 3 www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/pdfs/su7103a3-H.pdf
CENTRAL COAST NATIONWIDE 1 in 6 Considered suicide 1 in 3 Suffered depressionrelated feelings PANDEMIC IMPACT According to a Monterey Peninsula Unified School District student survey1 Increase in mental health emergency room visits2 of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, the highest level ever recorded3 INCREASE ages 5–11 24% 44% INCREASE ages 12–17 31%
A community in which every child can flourish because they and their families have the knowledge, skills, and support they need to grow into healthy and resilient adults.
Building mental fitness for Monterey County families
While mental health disorders afflict an estimated 20 percent of the youth population, Ohana knows that prevention, early intervention, and mental fitness development can reduce that incidence to five percent, representing the most acute cases. Prevention efforts and improved mental fitness should alleviate demand for mental health services and eliminate the bottleneck in access to care for those most in need. Through our prevention and early intervention outreach programs, our goal is to engage families and young people in building their mental fitness before issues arise — providing compassionate guidance for raising emotionally healthy, resilient children, equipped with tools to face and master adverse situations.
Ohana was founded thanks to an unprecedented gift of $105.8 million from Bertie Bialek Elliott to Montage Health Foundation in 2018. Since then, philanthropists throughout the community continue to support Ohana’s growth and progress, helping to reach more young people and families. Ohana’s work would not be possible without continued philanthropic support.
In addition to treating illness, if we can partner with caring adults to build mental health, we will be contributing to greater resilience in children and well-being in families.
Inspired
philanthropy
Susan Swick, MD, MPH Executive Director, Ohana
by
Designed for healing
Shaped by neuroscience research, which shows that environment plays a critical role in mental health treatment, the Ohana campus was designed to help young people and their families feel welcome, comfortable, safe, and supported. It is intended to be the opposite of “institutional,” with inspiring views of nature from every room, high-ceilinged open spaces, abundant natural light, therapeutic scents from the gardens, and curated artwork designed for healing.
The 55,600 square-foot facility is a winner of The American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Health 2022 Healthcare Design Awards, which showcases the best of healthcare building design. Ohana's innovative, healing campus has also been featured in publications such as the New York Times and Harvard Business Review.
Contact Us
montagehealth.org/ohana
(831) 642-6201
Media inquiries: Montage Health Communication and Marketing
(831) 625-4505
Philanthropy inquiries:
Montage Health Foundation
(831) 658-3630
Dr. Swick asked architects at NBBJ for a design that would possess some of the wonder of a children’s museum or a public library — “a place you step into that gives you a sense of soaring possibility."