New mental health 'living room' opens in Spartanburg
Herald-JournalSep 06, 2018
"Our goal is to prevent a crisis," said
Previously, the crowded hospital emergency department is where many mental health patients ended up -- even though they may not have had an emergency, he said.
Now patients can drop in at the clinician-staffed living room and receive peer support before a crisis potentially arises, he said. It's called a living room because it was designed with a patient's comfort in mind, an informal setting where he or she could receive support.
The living room has been named the Ray C. Eubanks Jr. Support Center, in honor of the retired probate judge who founded the former detox center in
It will be open
Williams said it is open at no charge to everyone in
The project is a result of years of work by the
The task force originally wanted to open a 24/crisis stabilization unit, but the scope was deemed too large for
So the
The living room offers group support in a home-like environment with a kitchen, couch, chairs, dining table, spaces for talking, listening to music or using a computer.
One of the rooms has been set aside for use by Mental Health America to operate a reassurance line, in which a volunteer follows up with a phone call to a patient or visitor just to say hello or remind them of an appointment.
There is also a group meeting room, Williams said.
"Our goal is to not be an emergency room," Williams said. "There's no harsh lights or beeping machines."
When
It is near
"This is for those who don't need acute (emergency room) care, who just need a safe place that understands," he said.
The staff consists of four trained peer counselors and two mental health clinicians, he said.
He said the counselors have already been through recovery and are better equipped personally to understand what someone is going through.
Barnet, who leads the
"It is a site that offers an individual a middle alternative to either an ER visit or an unscheduled appointment with the local
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