According to the nonprofit, guests will also be provided with other forms of care before coming to a casual setting to speak with a mental and behavioral health worker.
“One of our first meds is food,” said RI International State Director Vince Sabino. Hot showers and time to rest may also be provided.
The center is funded through a combination of federal and state grants and a portion of the Montgomery County levy, according to Tina Rezash, director of strategic initiatives and communications for Montgomery County ADAMHS.
First responders can also drop individuals off at centers, and other agencies can recommend centers to individuals seeking care.
Law enforcement and other first responders are one of the largest partner groups for the Montgomery County project, Sabino said, providing another tool for emergency personnel to answer calls.
In recent years, the cities of Dayton and Kettering, the Montgomery County Jail Union, and others have pushed for more mental health treatment and intervention options rather than letting law enforcement handle many mental health crises.
Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said the Crisis Center was a “significant step forward” in helping local prisons, hospitals and more.
“The Crisis Reception Center provides law enforcement and county residents with additional options for immediate evaluation and care for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises,” Streck said. .
Guests can get help with medication administration, group activities and discharge planning with the help of therapists, peers and medication providers, the nonprofit said.
The 7,500-square-foot center is expected to be operational by early summer, Sabino said.
Centers are the last part of the model to call someone to a community member in crisis (Montgomery County Crisis Now Hotline (833-580-2255)); someone comes to them (mobile crisis response team) and goes somewhere else (crisis center).
Sabino said Montgomery County is the first county in the nation to have all three prongs.
A Crisis Call Center and Mobile Crisis Response Team opened in Montgomery County early last year.
By 2022, the Crisis Call Center will handle more than 12,000 calls and the Mobile Crisis Response Team will have dispatched more than 600 times, Sabino said.
“We are on track to reach 19,000 calls this year,” Sabino said.
The facility’s ribbon cutting will take place on Monday at 10:00 am.
