2021年5月26日 - University of Utah and Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Mental Health Crisis Care Center on the future site of the HMHI Campus of Hope.
The new 24/7 facility will welcome people experiencing a 心理健康 crisis and provide immediate, compassionate care at no cost to individuals.
"The new Mental Health Crisis Care Center represents the commitment of the state of Utah, 盐湖县, 南盐湖, 犹他大学, and the donor community all working together for individuals facing a 心理健康 crisis,迈克尔·古德说, M.D., Interim President, University of Utah and CEO, U of U Health. ”在一起, we will develop a center where people experiencing a psychiatric emergency will be treated efficiently and with dignity."
The Mental Health Crisis Care Center will be designed to provide comprehensive crisis care functions:
- The compassionate evaluation of patients and families in psychiatric distress,
- The capacity to intensively treat and stabilize 30 patients at a time in its 23-hour stabilization center,
- A 24 bed in-patient facility where each patient will have an individual room, and
- Personalized case management and individualized recovery plans for all patients receiving any level of care in the facility.
"Our family is very proud to be part of this partnership that is creating a no- wrong-door approach to treating and caring for people experiencing a 心理健康 crisis," said Jennifer Huntsman Parkin. "Everyone deserves proper 心理健康 treatment and recovery services, just like any other medical illness."
Individuals at the Crisis Care Center will be seen and treated by a multi-disciplinary professional staff, including licensed psychiatrists, 高级实习护士, 社会工作者, 认证同行专家, 精神病学专家. Affiliated with 犹他大学 School of Medicine, it will also be a place for teaching, 学习, and research to improve and transform 心理健康 crisis care.
"The opening of the Mental Health Crisis Care Center allows us to continuously study, 进化, 改善危机服务,马克·拉帕波特说, M.D., CEO, Huntsman Mental Health Institute and Chair, Department of Psychiatry. "This critical community resource will unify services for people and their families and be a space for healing. Its unique design will be a model for the future of 心理健康 crisis care and an example for other communities to emulate."
Options are currently limited for individuals experiencing 心理健康 crises when they require immediate, 专门的面对面护理. Charlie Ellis, who has lived with bipolar disorder for more than 15 years, shared his story. "In 2019, I found myself in a crisis, and a friend called the police for help," he said. "All of a sudden, I was surrounded by officers with guns and tasers pointed at me."
Ellis was handcuffed and taken to the hospital by ambulance. Medical professionals quickly realized he was not a threat or harm to himself. 仍然, he left the hospital in the middle of the night with a hefty bill to cover ambulance and medical expenses. “我既愤怒又沮丧."
Ellis's situation is unfortunately not uncommon. The new Mental Health Crisis Care Center will now be the first option for anyone experiencing a 心理健康 or substance use crisis. Individuals can walk in with a self-defined crisis, be referred by a provider in the community, 或者被警察转移, 火, 或者紧急医疗服务.
"To have a facility of this size with so few barriers to entry meets a need in our community that has gone unmet for too long," said 盐湖县 Mayor Jenny Wilson. "Too many people with mental illness have spent unnecessary time in jails or emergency rooms. The crisis care center will be a safe space where people will receive proper 心理健康 care and treatment."
The Mental Health Crisis Care Center will be located at 3300 South and 1000 West in 南盐湖. Construction will begin in Fall 2021, and the center is proposed to open in late 2023.
"The Mental Health Crisis Care Center would have helped me have a much better outcome,埃利斯继续说道. "It will give people a lot of hope—there are options, and you don't have to be punished for having a 心理健康 crisis. Instead, you can be treated and cared for."
The Mental Health Crisis Care Center will be a critical part of Utah's best-in-class integrated crisis intervention system along with the regional crisis call center (Utah Crisis Line and Warm Line), 流动危机应变小组, 和SafeUT应用程序, all managed and operated by HMHI.