By Tim Mastro

WILMINGTON — A new diagnostic behavioral health center is coming to the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families (DSCYF) Wilmington campus.

The agency announced plans for a $16 million investment to renovate and remodel Wharton Hall on Tuesday. The funding will come from the American Rescue Plan Act which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.

The new Wharton Hall will feature a trauma-informed behavioral health diagnostic center which DSCYF secretary Josette Manning said is the first of its kind in Delaware. This model will help provide better services to youth and adolescents while keeping them closer to their homes and their communities, she said. She added statistics have shown one in three high school students are reporting they feel persistently sad and hopeless.

Four additional crisis beds will also be added to the facility and the campus will have a total of 10 when construction is complete. Ms Manning said DSCYF projects serving approximately 100 youth a year in these beds.

Ms. Manning said the new Wharton Hall will give DSCYF an opportunity to really investigate what’s at the heart of the issues of the youth it serves.

“This will enable us to sort of hit the pause button and really take a deep dive on these kids and figure out what do they need,” Ms. Manning said.

Gov. John Carney said while there is no exact timeline for when construction will be complete, he hopes to see the new building open by the end of his current term in January 2025.

“This facility fundamentally is about diagnosing mental health challenges of these young people, helping them get the services they need to be successful and to go back to school,” Gov. Carney said.