A walk-in center for crisis assessment services could soon become a new mental health care resource for Centre County.
County staff will be negotiating a contract with the Center for Community Resources to provide the new center, which would be open and staffed 24 hours a day, Natalie Corman, Centre County director of Mental Health/Intellectual Disability/Early Intervention, said at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Negotiations will set a budget, staffing and timeframe and the contract will be brought to commissioners for approval.
Corman said the center would allow anyone experiencing mental health crisis but not a medical emergency to walk in and meet with staff, be assessed and be given necessary resources and referrals.
‘A lot of it is really being able to provide that immediate opportunity to talk about what their crisis is and figure out what exactly we can provide them for immediate resources, whether that’s hospitalization if they would want it, whether it’s just somebody to talk to face to face, whether it’s being linked to services for the first time,’ Corman said.
A committee of representatives from several mental health areas in the county reviewed three proposals that were received after a RFP was put out in May. Centre for Community Resources scored highest of the three.
‘They bring of a wealth of ability to what we are hoping for,’ Corman said.
Originally based in Butler County, CCR has been a licensed crisis service provider since 2003 and has provided similar services in counties across the state. Its director of programs is Shannon Quick, formerly director of Centre County’s Can Help, which provides drug and alcohol and crisis intervention services. Quick also was among the first trained crisis intervention team members in the county.
‘Shannon knows our world. She has lived … and worked in Centre County,’ Corman said.
The new center would not replace existing county services. Can Help will continue to offer hotline and mobile services, and the center’s staff would have close working relationships with Can Help and Mount Nittany Medical Center.
Corman said CCR has a well-rounded portfolio of expertise and has different tools and assessments to address mental health crises.
‘They have a lot of that skill set, that experience we need to directly start working on a crisis when a person walks in the door,’ she said.
Corman said the services are voluntary and a person may decide to come in themselves, or be recommended, for example, by law enforcement, a health care provider or school counselor.
‘We really look at this as a number of different entry points, kind of a no-wrong-door opportunity,’ she said.
After assessment, a person could be referred to county services or if they are already in case management on-call staff could be called. Staff also will be able to make referrals to in-network providers for individuals with insurance. If hospitalization is needed, arrangements could be made with the medical center.
The goal, however, is to address the immediate crisis and get the person to the next step.
‘It allows us to have another avenue for individuals to come into the mental health system, and to receive services, begin their journey or continue their journey of recovery,’ Board of Commissioners Chair Michael Pipe said.
A location for the center will need to be determined, and Commissioner Mark Higgins said he hopes it will be in ‘the population core’ of the county and close to a bus route if at all possible.
Corman expects to either have a contract for commissioners to review or provide an update at the board’s July 9 meeting.
Community Conversation Set for Thursday
On Thursday, the county will hold a community conversation on mental health services from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Centre County Courthouse Annex, 106 E. High St., Bellefonte.
Staff from the state Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and the county’s Office of Mental Health will give presentations about laws, regulations and policies governing mental health services in Pennsylvania and how they are implemented locally. County staff also will explain the services available in Centre County and how they are delivered.
That will be followed by an opportunity for residents to ask questions, voice concerns and participate in a discussion about mental health services.
‘I think it will be a healthy conversation and an educational one for a lot of folks in the community,’ Commissioner Steve Dershem said.
Pipe previously said that law enforcement policies won’t be a specific focus of the forum, but that staff will be able to talk about how the mental health system interacts with law enforcement and can work with police department for answers to other questions.
All three commissioners said on Tuesday they are looking forward to hearing from the community.
‘The willingness for someone to come and spend their night sharing their thoughts on such an important subject allows us to understand how the community is receiving what we’re doing,’ Pipe said. ‘If there are ideas, suggestions, improvements, we’re going to be absolutely all ears. Every comment and question that’s asked at the event — or if you can’t make the event and want to get in touch with us — we’re going to answer every single one and give context and feedback, because we have such an opportunity to engage with the community.
‘People are extraordinarily interested, want to learn more and want to be a part of that change. We want to welcome that and encourage it. It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to listen and provide feedback as much as we receive it.’
Parking information for those attending the conversation can be found here.
