Mental health crisis center, detox facility to open in Bemidji in 2019
Bemidji PioneerOct 28, 2018
Today, the pieces have fallen into place for the project.
In spring 2019, the Sanford Health Primewest Crisis and Detox Center is expected open at
The 6,800 square-foot facility will have three sections and have 14 beds, according to Sanford Director of Behavioral Health
In the mental health wing, there will be 10 beds, five dedicated to patients in crisis and the other five for patients requiring longer term treatment.
"The long-term scenario is someone who needs treatment in the initial crisis and has more issues, so they may need to stay longer for their treatment," Nistler said. "The stay is deemed by case managers, insurance and what the mental health professionals find and a treatment plan is developed."
Long term treatment beds, also called intensive residential treatment, are for up to 90 days Nistler said, while the crisis beds are for up to 72 hours. A crisis, according to
In the third wing, staff will be treating individuals for detox, whether it's alcohol or drugs, Nistler said. The detox center will have four beds and will be the only detox center in
Funding and renovating
The coming treatment center was formerly the location of Prime West, which partnered with
"When it started, the expectation was to have enough staff in the
For a few years, the building had been leased to nonprofits by Prime West, such as the
"This all really started back in 2015, when the Legislature created a study group related to offenders with mental illness," Hodapp said. "The thought at the time was to look at all of the offenders in the state who suffered mental illnesses."
Hodapp said he was visited by legislative officials who saw first-hand the lack of resources toward treating mental illnesses in the community.
"It's a desperate problem," Hodapp said. "We would have people in a crisis situation and the only place we would be able to take them to was the jail. We'd bring them to the ER, or try to get them placed in a facility, either in
"The jail is not a place for person who hasn't committed a crime, and in most cases, these people hadn't committed a crime," Hodapp said. "But, we didn't have another place to go to keep them safe."
In the following years, the Legislature provided
In the next several months, the inside of the structure is getting a full renovation at a cost of
According to Nistler, along with
While it's a step in the right direction, though, Hodapp said more like it will be needed moving forward.
"I think it will have a significant impact, it will probably not be enough, though," Hodapp said. "It is a significant project, and it's a big move for our county, but it's still not going to be enough in the end."
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