Children's Peace Center Meets The Behavioral Health Needs Of Local Communities

By Tim Brady, President & CEO of Our Lady of Peace

Recently, my wife and I moved to Louisville after I accepted the position of President and CEO of Our Lady of Peace. We’re not new to the area, as I worked for another Louisville-based company some 20 years ago, but for the last few months we’ve been getting acclimated to the area again.

We’ve met quite a few folks along the way sharing our stories, just like southern hospitality expects. Along the course of these conversations, I ask people what they know about Our Lady of Peace. It’s interesting to hear the variety of perceptions about a facility that has had a long-standing position within the community. What is truly amazing to me is that these perceptions are the same perceptions that existed when I worked in Louisville many years before an inpatient psychiatric hospital treating adults with severe mental disorders. Although this is true, it is only a fraction of the story.

Over the years, the state of Kentucky’s demand for children’s psychiatric services has grown. Our Lady of Peace was always there opening its doors and hearts to help these children regardless of age, condition or ability to pay. In a sense, the demand for meeting the children’s needs is how Our Lady of Peace truly evolved to what it is today.

Now at Our Lady of Peace, we have so much more to offer besides continuing to care for adults. [note to Leah I think the following sentence would be a great pull quote - AGP] For example, did you know that Our Lady of Peace is the largest private provider of youth behavioral health services in the country? We offer the greatest range of children’s services from the most acute inpatient cases to outpatient and day programs. We treat children ranging from 3 to 18 years of age. We ARE the children’s behavioral health hospital in the area which is why we’re renaming our children’s services the Children ’s Peace Center at Our Lady of Peace.

Just like any other children’s hospital, the Children’s Peace Center offers a safe, friendly environment for treatment. Children are grouped by age and levels of need so that treatment can be carried out with the greatest effectiveness and safety. Our beautiful campus, located in the Highlands, has special areas for activities, playgrounds and a gymnasium. We even have classrooms with 41 educators through collaboration with Jefferson County Public Schools, so that children can continue their class work while undergoing treatment and not fall behind.

Did you know Our Lady of Peace has the largest psychiatric physician staff of any private provider in the state or region? The size and complexity of the services we offer allows us to attract highly-skilled nurses, clinicians and psychiatrists. Many on our medical staff have been trained at the highest-ranked medical schools, such as the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky. Their comprehensive training enables them to work with a full range of services from general psychiatry to the most complex cases. Some of the more common behavioral disorders we specialize in at the Children’s Peace Center include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Depression, Anxiety, Anger Control and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Recently, while we were house hunting, a realtor asked what brought us to Louisville. When I told her about my new position she emotionally said to me, “Our Lady of Peace saved my daughter’s life.” She proceeded to tell me her daughter’s story and how happy her daughter is now with a wonderful family and a great job. This sure made me feel good about being a part of Our Lady of Peace and the Children’s Peace Center.

I felt compelled to write this article, not as a CEO, but as a parent who knows the joy in helping a child succeed after facing difficult behavioral challenges. Sometimes these challenges children face cannot be fully understood by parents, teachers, friends or other family members. Often times, they go overlooked and a child is left to struggle alone with frustration, anger, anxiety and low self-esteem.

What I want you to know is there is help. Help for your child, help for you and help for your family. You see, at the Children’s Peace Center at Our Lady of Peace we work with your child to assess the problem and then provide a specialized treatment program to help your child overcome these difficulties that have become a barrier, and quite frankly, a frustration stealing away at their quality of life, preventing them from living to their full potential.

If you sense that your child is facing any of these difficult challenges, give us a call at (502) 451-3333 to schedule a free assessment by a licensed clinical therapist who will personally assess your child’s needs and provide guidance to you so your child will receive the most appropriate type of care. At the Children’s Peace Center at Our Lady of Peace, we will treat you like family.