CLEVELAND — When looking at how to tackle the mental health crisis sweeping the nation, including Cleveland, there is no single solution.
However, a nearly $7 million center designed for crisis care is a good start.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services approved a $6.8 million grant to the collaborative of St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center, MetroHealth, and the Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County for the development of the center.
The goal is to bring much needed crisis care to the area.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so this gives us the opportunity to take that little piece of a problem and fix it. And then if we see positive outcomes or outcomes are good, let's repeat it," said MetroHealth Chief Operating Officer Olusegun Ishmael.
The center will be located in repurposed space inside St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center in Cleveland's Central neighborhood. It will utilize a "living room model" intake area, which is supposed to feel less clinical and will have peer supporters for those coming in.
"Mental health and substance abuse issues have increased and part of that are the consequences of COVID-19, isolation and loneliness, but also increased use of social media, because people have a fear of missing out they are comparing their lives to other people as well," explained Scott Osiecki, the CEO of ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County
The facility will also have a 23-hour psychiatric observation unit, plus a 16-room crisis stabilization unit for people who are in need of additional care, including medications.
"We're expected to open fully in the fall of 2024, but as the project continues, parts of it will be open. So there will be services provided there at that time," added Osiecki.
Once the center opens, MetroHealth system caregivers will run the 24/7 facility. ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County is providing oversight of the capital project and funding for the operations of the crisis center. St. Vincent Charity is serving as "landlord and collaborator."
The goal is to replicate this setup, if successful, across Northeast Ohio, the state and beyond.
