From Stigma and Shame to Hope and Health
Charlie Ellis has lived with bipolar disorder for more than 15 years. When he suffered a crisis, his friend called the police asking for help. Instead of receiving care, Ellis found himself surrounded by police holding guns and tasers, was handcuffed, and taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He was released the same night, as providers determined he wasn’t a danger to himself or others. But the stigma he experienced—along with the hospital and ambulance bills he had to pay—made him angry and frustrated.
“From the crisis lines we manage to the mobile care teams we dispatch, our integrated crisis intervention system aims to normalize mental health and reduce the stigma and shame associated with it so people get the care they need. Our Mental Health Crisis Care Center is a critical part of making the whole system work."
Ross Van Vranken, Executive Director, HMHI
Breaking Down Barriers to Access
The barriers Ellis faced in accessing care are all too common among those experiencing a mental health crisis. They’re the obstacles HMHI hopes to clear away with our new Mental Health Crisis Care Center.
The new walk-in Crisis Care Center—proposed to open in 2024 on the future site of the HMHI Campus of Hope— will include 30 emergency care beds in its 23-hour stabilization center and 24 private in-patient hospital rooms to provide immediate, compassionate care to people of diverse populations who are suffering from a mental health crisis. People in psychiatric distress and their families can receive a compassionate evaluation, while those at any level of care can access personalized case management and individualized recovery plans.
With hand-offs from law enforcement, fire, and EMS professionals, the center will provide a safe place for people in distress to get immediate care rather than waiting in an emergency room or ending up in a jail cell. And with an intake area specifically for adolescents, we can address the specific needs of our pediatric patients.
“This critical community resource will be a space for healing and a model for future mental health crisis care.”
Mark H. Rapaport, MD, CEO of HMHI
Collaborating for More Quality Care
The new Mental Health Crisis Care Center brings together dozens of partners to develop a solution to a major community problem and fill a gap in the mental health system. A collaboration between the state of Utah, Salt Lake County, South Salt Lake, the University of Utah, and the Huntsman family, the Mental Health Crisis Care Center will offer comprehensive crisis care from a team of licensed psychiatrists, advanced practice nurses, social workers, certified peer specialists, and psychiatric technicians.
And the work doesn’t stop there. According to Van Vranken, supervised housing and a step–down program are on the horizon as HMHI builds out its crisis continuum.