Central Minnesota Mental Health Center expands, prepares for further growth
St. Cloud TimesNov 08, 2021
Nov. 8βST. CLOUD β
CMMHC Executive Director Dr.
CMMHC tore down a different building that was aging poorly to make room for the new, larger building. According to Lee, the new space will be home to CMMHC's mobile crisis response team and its crisis hotline operators. The mobile crisis response team "can travel to homes or community locations within
It will also be the location for 15 residential detox beds and nine residential crisis unit beds. While that's not an increase in the number of people who can be in detox, it will be a roomier, expanded space, Lee said.
It is an expansion of the residential adult crisis stabilization unit, which currently has five beds. He said the setup of the new building will also be a more welcoming environment for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The residential adult crisis stabilization unit is a short-term safe space for people working through a mental health crisis.
Lee said serving people in the midst of a mental health crisis or substance use disorder outside the emergency room not only helps with traffic levels in the ER, but also provides a better level of care.
Lee said that in 2018 and 2019, the center averaged almost 4.5 people in the residential crisis unit every day.
In a place with a capacity of five, that means "you're full all the time," Lee said. "... That place was full every single day for two years."
He said the COVID-19 pandemic meant those numbers dwindled, but he estimated that in
The building that is currently housing residential crisis and detox space will be remodeled for future use for outpatient services. That means all
He attributed that growth to a new certification model CMMHC achieved in September called
That certification comes with a new funding model, which allows CMMHC to provide all its services on a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay. Because this payment option can help people who are underinsured receive care they previously may have had to pay more for, he's expecting even more people to utilize CMMHC services, Lee said.
"Five years from now, this organization will probably be 30% to 50% larger than it is right now," Lee said.
Pandemic- and supply-chain-related delays means the project is currently expected to be done in mid-February.
The project is being funded largely by the grant, but as construction-related prices went up, additional funding is also coming from CMMHC and American Rescue Plan Act funds, Huberty said. She said no
It's not new for this kind of teamwork in the area to advance
Lee said the new CMMHC building is a prime example of what can be achieved through teamwork like he's seen in the area.
"None of us can achieve what we need to achieve for the citizens of our communities alone," he said.
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