Skyland Trail Opens Rollins Campus for Young Adults
ATLANTA – On October 13, Skyland Trail celebrated the grand opening of the Rollins Campus for young adults. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and officials from the City of Brookhaven and DeKalb County joined nearly 300 guests for a ribbon cutting program followed by tours of the 3.5 acre campus.
The Rollins Campus offers specialized residential psychiatric treatment for young adults ages 18 to 25 struggling with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. It is a one-of-a-kind program and facility in the Southeast, and one of only a handful of similar programs nationwide.
The 35,000 sq. ft. Young Adult Treatment Center on the Rollins Campus is specially designed to meet the mental health needs and socialization styles of emerging adults. The facility includes 32 private bedrooms with private bathrooms; group therapy rooms and offices; a family room and client lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows; a dining room that opens to an outdoor dining patio and firepit area; and a courtyard with unique water features, a boardwalk, a bocce ball court, and patio area.
Skyland Trail, a nationally recognized nonprofit mental health treatment organization, has been part of the Atlanta community since 1989. Development and construction of the Rollins Campus was made possible by generous community support through the Changing Minds Campaign. Key contributors include The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, The James M. Cox Foundation, the J.B. Fuqua Foundation, and the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.
“The new campus and treatment center will make a huge impact in Atlanta and the Southeast, where there are few options for this age group and this type of recovery-focused treatment,” says Amy Rollins Kreisler, executive director of the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation and Skyland Trail Board member. “For many young adult clients, Skyland Trail opens doors that once seemed closed and introduces opportunities that clients may never have felt capable of pursuing. We are proud to be a part of this endeavor.”
In 2015, 60 percent of Skyland Trail clients were young adults ages 18 to 26. This reflects a national trend of college-age adults struggling with mood and thought disorders and seeking treatment. According to an American College Health Association 2016 survey of 95,761 students, 17 percent of college students were diagnosed with or treated for anxiety problems during the past year, and 13.9 percent were diagnosed with or treated for depression. The numbers show an increase since the 2011 survey of 11.6 percent for anxiety and 10.7 percent for depression. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide remains the third-leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24.
The opening of the Rollins Campus adds an additional layer of specialization to the individualized mental health treatment program at Skyland Trail.
“What is fun or therapeutic for someone who is 20 is not always enjoyable or helpful for an adult who is 45,” says Beth Finnerty, Skyland Trail president and CEO. “More mature adult clients ages 26 and older at the South Residential Campus focus on skills and growth opportunities to help them navigate where they are in their lives – jobs, spouses, children, or coping with the loss of a parent or loved one. Young adults ages 18 to 25 at the Rollins Campus will participate in activities focused on developing skills to successfully navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood.”
Young adult clients typically participate in residential and day treatment services for about four months before returning home to their communities. Clients receive care from psychiatrists and therapists as well as experts in music therapy, art therapy, horticultural therapy, interfaith spiritual counseling, vocational counseling, nutrition and active living, and recreational therapy.
The new campus is adjacent to the existing Skyland Trail main campus in Brookhaven near the intersection of North Druid Hills RD and Buford Hwy.