Children’s Center Utah tells Provo council it will open Lehi hub, urges expanded early-childhood services

Rebecca Dodson, president and CEO of Children’s Center Utah, told the Provo City Council during its work meeting that the organization is expanding beyond Salt Lake County and plans to open a Lehi hub Oct. 1 on the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital campus to provide outpatient family therapy and a therapeutic preschool/day treatment program.

Dodson said the center — founded in 1962 and serving roughly 1,000 families a year in its current Salt Lake County operations — specializes in early-childhood, dyadic therapies that work with children and caregivers together. "We are a licensed outpatient mental health center and a licensed day treatment center for children ages birth to 6," she said, adding that services are evidence-based and trauma-informed.

The organization also provides statewide training and teleconsultation aimed at early-childhood providers. Dodson said the center offers "100 free hours of webinars and consultation to early childhood providers of all backgrounds" to reach rural providers who otherwise lack access to specialized services.

Why it matters: Dodson cited findings from a 2020 Gardner Institute study commissioned by the center to underscore unmet need in Utah. "One in five — as many as 20 percent — of our children ages birth to 8 will experience a mental, behavioral, emotional, or developmental challenge," she said. She added that nearly 60 percent of children ages 3–17 who have a diagnosis are not receiving treatment in Utah and that suicide remains the leading cause of death among children 10–17 in the state.

On financing and access, Dodson said the Lehi hub will accept private pay and Medicaid and will use a sliding fee scale so that children who need treatment "are not turned away." She explained that private philanthropic fundraising is used to cover treatment costs that exceed reimbursement rates: "Everything is on a sliding fee scale. If we are the right place to treat a child and their family, we do not turn them away." (Rebecca Dodson)

Council members asked how the center handles transitions when children age out of the program and whether court-ordered therapy is provided. Dodson said the center has referrals and partnerships with Intermountain, Huntsman Mental Health, Valley Behavioral and Wasatch providers, and that some court-involved services are provided through the infant–toddler court program serving families involved with the welfare/court system.

Councilor Gary Garrett suggested the council help publicize the center’s local services; staff said they would add the center’s materials to neighborhood communications and calendar listings. Dodson invited council members and staff to the Oct. 1 ribbon cutting and offered site visits for council groups after the event.

The presentation emphasized four policy priorities for expanding services: building clinical capacity across the state, strengthening referral pathways with hospitals and behavioral-health systems, using public–private matches to extend legislative investments, and increasing public awareness so families know services are available.

The council thanked Dodson for the presentation and invited additional follow-up by staff; the meeting then moved to the next agenda item.