Virtua Health officials, joined by U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-3rd District, on Aug. 7 announced $1 million in federal funding for a new Burlington County facility for the health care provider’s Children Achieve Success through Therapeutic Life Experiences (CASTLE) program. 

The CASTLE program provides diagnosis and treatments for children with behavioral and mental health issues in South Jersey, according to a statement from Menendez’s office. “The $1 million federal grant that we are announcing today will move the needle forward in an issue that requires an all-hands-on-deck-effort: youth mental health,” Menendez said.  

The new facility, which will be near the Virtua Willingboro Hospital, will help South Jersey families avoid traveling to behavioral health services at Virtua’s Berlin or Camden locations. The Burlington CASTLE program will include short- and long-term programs for children and adolescents. 

“Right now our kids and their generation are facing a huge crisis with mental health,” said Kim, who, along with Menendez, secured the funding in Congressionally Directed Spending. “The pandemic poured fuel on the fire, and we need to get them the help they need.” 

Virtua Health President and CEO Dennis Pullin and CASTLE Program Director Amy Quick thanked the legislators for making the new facility possible. 

“Children, particularly those with complex care needs, cannot advocate for themselves, and so we must step forward a source of hope for them and their families,” Pullin said. 

The announcement cited data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which found that 10.7% of children in New Jersey were struggling with anxiety and depression in 2020. In 2016, that number was at 7.6%. 

In the northern part of the state, Bergen County also is facing a crisis with mental health, which was described as a “major problem” by 67.2% of respondents of the county’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment. There, a $8.2 million New Jersey Department of Children and Families grant was recently announced to establish a network of prevention and clinical services for students and their families.