Upcoming psychiatric health facility receives approval

The Merced County Department of Mental Health recently received funding and approval for the construction of a 24-hour Crisis Residential Unit, which would serve as an alternative to the hospitalization of patients in emotional crisis.

The department received a total of $3.5 million in grants as part of the state’s Investment in Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013, which aims to increase community-based crisis support programs.

During last week’s Merced County Board of Supervisors meeting, the department received the green light to utilize the state funding for the new project. County mental health officials are now working on finding a location for the new psychiatric health facility.

Curt Willems, Merced County’s assistant director of mental health services, said the CRU will be the first of its kind in Merced. It will be built for the short-term housing of 16 patients at a time, for a period of up to 30 days. The facility will serve on a referral basis and it will provide services such as therapeutic support, individual counseling, housing assistance and help in enrolling in public benefits.

The project, Willems said, spans six counties: Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Tuolumne, Calaveras and Stanislaus.

Willems explained that the CRU will be a flexible, apartmentlike resource in chich guests are free to come and go. This option will help provide stabilization for patients who need monitoring, and it will help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, Willems said.

Turning Point Community Programs, a nonprofit partner based out of Sacramento, will operate and staff the facility. The nonprofit has offered basic services in Merced County for seven years.

Al Rowlett, Turning Point Community Programs’ chief executive officer, said Merced’s crisis residential program will be modeled after the 12-bed unit in Sacramento, which has been running for more than two decades.

Rowlett said there are several benefits to the implementation of an outpatient, homelike facility. One benefit is the amount of money saved. Hospitalization can be very expensive, sometimes in the thousands of dollars per night for some patients, Rowlett said, but a day spent in a crisis residential unit will typically run less than $300.

John Buck, vice president of operations and personnel at Turning Point Community Programs, said a facility such as this is most beneficial to patients because it provides an environment in which patients can contribute.

“We want hospitalization only for those who can’t survive in the community,” Buck said. “CRUs are much better for some people because they are in a setting where they are participating and being supported.”

The newly accepted funding will be used to purchase and equip a building and pay for three months of program startup costs, Willems said. Informational technology that will facilitate communication between the counties will also be a priority.

The grant money will also cover the purchase of four vehicles to transport patients from other counties to the Crisis Residential Unit in Merced.

Willems explained that the facility will be built in Merced because of its accessible, central location. Merced is also the most convenient location because most of these counties already make use of the Marie Green Psychiatric Center, which provides inpatient psychiatric care.

Operating costs after the first three months will be covered through Medi-Cal billing, Willems explained.

Willems said location possibilities have not been solidified. The facility could be built from the ground up or an existing building could be refurbished as needed. He anticipates the CRU will be ready for use in late 2016 or early 2017.

This story was originally published December 25, 2014 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Upcoming psychiatric health facility receives approval."