Millcreek Behavioral Health, a privately held company that serves students with psychiatric and emotional disabilities, will soon open a day treatment facility in Newton.

Males and females ages 6 to 21 can access the center and receive academic instruction from highly qualified licensed teachers. Educational services are provided for students with educational rulings such as autism and emotional disabilities.

James Gilbert, principal of the center’s Magee location, said locating a school in Newton will eliminate the need to travel a long distance for students in the area who qualify to attend.

“Our schools service a 60-mile radius, and we have several students that attend the Magee school that live in Scott County and that makes for a long travel time,” Gilbert said. “Newton, Newton County and Neshoba were outside of our service area. So we were looking at long term, least restrictive environment availability for those school districts that had students with emotional disabilities that they couldn’t serve in the classroom.

“I know there are some things in Meridian, but they are not necessarily as long term as ours can be,” Gilbert said. “We looked at it and talked with special education directors in those areas and felt we would be able to provide a service for that section of the state, a different service than they have.”

Gilbert said the center’s teachers will be certified by the Mississippi State Department of Education. The schools are fully accredited.

“We will provide educational services in conjunction with the school’s district and many DHS (Department of Human Services) students they may want to send to day school,” Gilbert said. “We also provide nursing, psychiatric, psychological and educational services. There will be a nurse that will be able to administer any medication that is prescribed.

“Also, If there is any speech or language services that are necessary we will get a speech pathologist to come to the school and access the students,” he said.

Gilbert said plans are for the school to be open for the upcoming school year sometime in August or September.

Millcreek has three other locations in Mississippi: Magee, Pearl and Meadville.