Families across the Charlotte region are one step closer to having specialized mental health care available closer to home.

Construction crews have reached a major milestone at the Katie Blessing Center on Central Avenue. The building is now fully enclosed, drywall installation is complete, and work is moving into the next phase as the pediatric behavioral health campus remains on track to open in early 2027.

Once complete, the Katie Blessing Center is expected to become the largest pediatric behavioral health hospital in North Carolina, helping address a critical shortage of mental health services for children and teenagers.

What the first phase will include

• A 48-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital
• A behavioral health urgent care center
• Telehealth services
• Indoor recreation areas
• An outdoor therapeutic courtyard designed to support healing and recovery

The need for these services is significant. Many families across North Carolina currently travel long distances to find specialized behavioral health treatment for their children, sometimes leaving the state entirely to access the right level of care.

The new center is designed to give more families access to treatment in Charlotte while reducing the stress, cost and disruption that can come with traveling for care.

Why it matters

Children’s mental health care remains one of the Charlotte region’s most urgent healthcare needs. The Katie Blessing Center will help fill that gap by creating a dedicated place where young people can receive specialized treatment, urgent support and ongoing care.

There is still more work to be completed before the center opens, but this latest construction milestone represents meaningful progress for families across Charlotte and the surrounding region.

Read the full story from WCCB Charlotte.