The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is supporting Step Up Step Down, a program helping youth aged 13 to 17 who have complex mental health challenges.

Step-Up Step-Down will find a new home in the Centre of Excellence, described as a centre for “healing, recovery, and prevention” being built at Red Deer Polytechnic.

“We thank our generous donors for supporting the Foundation’s greatest needs, which allows us to dedicate funds to help young people and families in our community,” says Manon Therriault, Chief Executive Officer of the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation.

Funds raised by the Foundation will provide a fully furnished, equipped and supplied environment to allow staff to provide timely recreational, therapeutic, and extracurricular activities to the youth in care. Funded items include furnishings, equipment, and supplies for the kitchen, bedrooms, sensory and therapy rooms, classroom, living room, gym, outdoor spaces, and indoor activity spaces.

The move into the Centre of Excellence will allow expansion of the Step Up Step Down program up to 16 beds from the current 5 beds and allow the program to provide intensive, comprehensive, individualized clinical services to youth in a live-in and community setting.

Step Up Step Down will support approximately 50-75 live-in treatment families, along with 100 intensive outpatient families per year, reducing stress on the Emergency Department and Pediatric Psychiatric units at the Red Deer Hospital. The facility will serve youth and families from all areas of the Central Zone.