NAMPA — State Hospital West, a new facility providing intensive behavioral health services to adolescents in Nampa, officially opened Monday.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced the opening of the facility on the grounds of the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center in Nampa, where adolescents will have a secure treatment environment open for services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to a news release.

Previously, adolescents who needed this level of care were treated in a unit at State Hospital South in Blackfoot, where most of the adolescents being treated had “family and other supports in the Treasure Valley area,” the department’s release said. The unit in Blackfoot will be converted to one for high-risk adults and those who are committed by the state of Idaho.

State Hospital West in Nampa is expected to make it easier for families to support their children at a critical and challenging time, according to the release. The Nampa facility will provide treatment for up to 16 adolescents ages 12-17 years and employ 51 staff.

“The Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans — that’s why we exist. This new facility is one of the tangible ways that we deliver on that mission,” Health and Welfare Department Director Dave Jeppesen said in a statement.

“As you know, this is a facility for 12-17-year-old youth who have psychiatric conditions,” he said. “Typically, these youth have a need for a high level of care, higher than they can find in the community — they may be a danger to themselves and others — and this is what this facility is for, to help those youth. To give them a safe place that is geared towards them and helps them to be successful.”

The facility is designed to be self-contained. All education, meals, recreation, and lodging are in the facility and on the grounds.

Sen. Jeff Agenbroad, R-Nampa, said in a statement, “We are incredibly fortunate to have this new facility in Nampa and serve Idaho’s most vulnerable youth population. The children who will live in this residency will get the opportunity for much-needed care and proper treatment.”

Parents of adolescents who are looking for assistance may call the Idaho CareLine by dialing 2-1-1 in Idaho.