Along the pathway to The Buckeye Ranch’s campus in Grove City are banners offering uplifting messages: Bravery. Inspire. Strength.
For youth experiencing a mental health crisis, these words are the first sign that this is a place of hope and healing.
Established in 1961, The Buckeye Ranch is a leading provider of behavioral health, mental health, and child welfare services for youth and families. Operating six locations throughout Ohio, the organization serves more than 9,000 people each year through a continuum of care in four key areas: integrated care services, community-based and education-based mental health services, child welfare services, and residential treatment services.
PICTURED: Vickie Thompson-Sandy, President and CEO of The Buckeye Ranch. The Columbus Foundation/Challen Brown.
Although most youth and families are served through The Buckeye Ranch’s school- and community-based programs, those requiring the highest levels of care receive treatment in residential facilities at the Grove City campus. These programs provide a safe, nurturing environment where youth can receive specialized, evidence‑based care that equips youth and their families with tools to transition back into the community.
“We’re very committed to making sure families get access to the right service at the right time,” Vickie Thompson-Sandy, President and CEO of The Buckeye Ranch, explained. “Our goal is to give kids the mental health treatment and coping skills necessary to successfully and safely go home.”
Roughly one in five children in the United States has a diagnosable mental health condition. Although the stigma around mental health has improved in recent years, Thompson-Sandy says that significant barriers to care remain.
“We’re seeing more kids raise their hand and identify that they have a mental health challenge,” said Thompson-Sandy. “The downside is that so many of the kids raising their hands don’t have access to the treatment they need.”
In November 2023, to address the growing need for high-acuity mental health services, The Buckeye Ranch opened the state’s first psychiatric residential treatment facility for teens. This was followed by the opening of the Hope Treatment Center in December 2025, which expanded The Buckeye Ranch’s capacity to serve nearly 100 youth on its residential treatment campus. Developed in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Hope Treatment Center provides around-the-clock care to youth experiencing a mental health crisis.
Thanks to the generosity of donors who have left charitable legacies for our community, The Columbus Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to The Buckeye Ranch to support the construction of the Hope Treatment Center. Additionally, the Crane Family Foundation and the Central Benefits Health Care Foundation, Supporting Foundations of the Foundation, and the Wolfe Associates Fund, a Donor Advised Fund at the Foundation, made significant investments in the project.
“The Hope Treatment Center not only expands access to essential treatment—it provides hope, safety, and stability during a family’s most difficult moments,” said Teresa C. Long, MD, MPH, Chair of the Central Benefits Health Care Foundation, which focuses grantmaking on the preventative healthcare needs of children. “We are honored to support The Buckeye Ranch and the dedicated professionals who brought this vision to life.”
For families navigating a child’s mental health crisis, the path forward can feel uncertain. Through its compassionate and comprehensive care, The Buckeye Ranch’s Hope Treatment Center offers youth and families the strength, guidance, and healing they need to move forward.