Lane County updates plan for International Way stabilization center, partnership with PeaceHealth

Lane County staff told the Board of County Commissioners on July 23 that due diligence is advancing on a planned behavioral health “stabilization center” and a co-located PeaceHealth inpatient psychiatric unit on a roughly 17.8-acre site on International Way in Springfield.

The presentation said county staff entered a purchase-and-sale agreement in October and extended it while conducting site feasibility work. Staff said the property meets the project’s primary criteria: centrality to Eugene–Springfield, access by multiple modes of transport, proximity to partners such as law enforcement and the hospital, and sufficient acreage for both a short-term stabilization facility and an inpatient unit.

County Health and Human Services Director Eve Gray said the project would provide a range of behavioral health care on a single campus, from 24/7 urgent care and short-term stabilization stays to inpatient psychiatric services. "We have $35,000,000. It is our intent to build a $35,000,000 facility," Gray said when summarizing the capital budget for the proposed campus.

Why it matters: County staff and several commissioners said the site and the PeaceHealth partnership are intended to reduce reliance on emergency rooms and jails for people in behavioral health crisis and to provide more accessible, trauma-informed care. Staff also told…