By Mike Sherry

The University of Kansas Hospital is expanding a four-year-old relationship with Marillac, a youth behavioral health provider in Overland Park.

The hospital announced Thursday that, starting June 22, it will take over management of Marillac’s inpatient facility, which will operate as The University of Kansas Hospital – Marillac Campus.

Dennis McCulloch, a hospital spokesman, said the partnership began when KU Hospital closed its children’s psychiatric unit in 2011 and began referring patients to Marillac. KU physicians started providing care at Marillac, McCulloch said, in part to support their teaching mission as faculty at the KU School of Medicine.

The new partnership, he said, is focused more on clinical care. The arrangement should provide for better integration of medical care with the patients’ behavioral health needs, McCulloch said.

Under the new partnership, Marillac will continue to operate its outpatient and in-home services. Marillac, established in 1897, is part of the Cornerstones of Care, which includes Gillis, Ozanam, Spofford and Healthy Families Programs, a provider of child and family support programs in Northwest Missouri.

“As a health system, we are making a major commitment to our growth by expanding acute psychiatric services for youth and adolescents,” KU hospital CEO Bob Page said in a statement.

“We have seen a growing need in our community for behavioral health, and both our hospital and Marillac truly believe this partnership can help fill the gap in mental health disorders and maintain healthier communities in Kansas and Missouri.”

Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.