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Youth 180 outlines outpatient treatment and new medication-assisted options as gaps remain for adolescent inpatient care
Summary
Youth 180 CEO Carrie M. Stitt told commissioners the nonprofit provides prevention and intervention services across North Texas and is expanding medication-assisted treatment for young people amid a lack of inpatient options for Medicaid or uninsured adolescents.
Carrie M. Stitt, president and CEO of Youth 180, briefed the City of Dallas Commission on Disabilities on Feb. 25 about the nonprofit’s prevention, intervention and clinical programs for adolescents and young adults.
Stitt said Youth 180 provides school- and community-based prevention services across four North Texas counties and that 86% of people served in 2024 were Black and Latino and 91% were economically disadvantaged. “Our clinicians are duly licensed and able to handle both [mental health and substance use] at the same time,” she said, describing the organization’s bilingual, multidisciplinary model.
Stitt told the commission that there are currently no inpatient treatment beds in Dallas for adolescents who are uninsured or covered by Medicaid, creating a major service gap. To address urgent needs, Youth 180 is offering extended outpatient services and is adding medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for young people, including buprenorphine for opioid use disorders. Stitt said buprenorphine “drastically reduces that person's ability to overdose” and helps eliminate cravings that impede engagement with therapy; she emphasized patients receiving MAT must also engage in treatment and testing.
Commissioners asked about ADA access and services for people with disabilities; Stitt said Youth 180’s facilities are ADA-compliant and that MetroCare is a potential partner and referral source. Stitt also urged fast access to services, noting “substance use and treatment is a minute is a issue of minutes and seconds,” and provided contact information for the nonprofit’s intake and program managers.
No formal action was taken.
