Tri County Human Services outlines plan for 20‑bed crisis stabilization and detox unit in Hardee County

Tri County Human Services presented a plan Jan. 16 to build a 20‑bed crisis stabilization unit (CSU) and detox facility near Wauchula funded by a $5.2 million state appropriation, but said the appropriation covers construction only and separate operating funds are needed.

Don Van Stee, CEO of Tri County Human Services, told the Hardee County Board of County Commissioners the proposed facility would include 10 beds dedicated to involuntary mental‑health holds under the Baker Act and 10 beds for substance‑use detox under the Marchman Act. Van Stee said the appropriation secured in Tallahassee will pay to build the facility but not to fund ongoing operations.

Van Stee described operational needs the board would face if the region had a local CSU: reduced law‑enforcement transport time (now often to Lakeland), closer clinical coordination with local hospitals and pharmacies, and better local client tracking under Tri County’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) obligations. He said the CSU would give law enforcement “more time to be in the community” and allow local agencies to provide follow‑up services when patients are discharged.

Why this matters: the closest receiving facilities for Baker Act and Marchman Act clients are typically in Lakeland and other more distant counties. Van Stee said transporting people to those facilities uses multiple deputy hours and can leave deputies out of their districts for many hours. A local CSU, he said, would shorten those transports and support continuity of care.

Key details presented to the commission

- Construction funding: Tri County said it received a $5,200,000 state appropriation to build the facility; those funds are routed through the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Central Florida Behavioral Health Network as the managing entity.

- Facility size and scope: 20 beds total — 10 for Baker Act (mental health) and 10 for Marchman Act (detox). Van Stee said the facility will be a locked, adult receiving facility and will not serve children.

- Staffing needs described: at least one full‑time psychiatrist plus physician assistants or APRNs, multiple nurses per shift, master’s‑level clinical counselors and 24/7 medical and support staff.

- Operating costs and revenue sources: Van Stee stated an estimated annual operating budget of about $3.5 million. He described a funding plan combining state appropriations, negotiated rates with insurance companies, Medicaid/Medicare where applicable, and local support or donations. He said Tri County’s typical “usual and customary” daily rate expectation and negotiated insurance rates would be used where applicable. (Van Stee emphasized the appropriation covers only construction; ongoing operational funding would be a separate requirement.)

- Patient flow and catchment: Van Stee said the facility would primarily serve Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto counties and estimated an initial average monthly census of about 100 admissions across the region, with about 20 admissions from Hardee County.

Board questions and clarifications

Commissioners asked where operating support might come from and whether the county would be expected to provide an annual match. Van Stee said no local funding request was being made at the Jan. 16 meeting; rather, Tri County intended to document local use and return with a specific request if needed. He estimated a very preliminary local share could be in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars annually but said that figure was not final and would depend on the actual client mix and other revenue sources.

Commissioners raised site and property questions. Van Stee said the intended site is the county‑owned parcel south of Walmart and north of the health department that the county recently acquired and that the site was expected to be annexed into the city of Wauchula prior to zoning and permitting.

Tri County’s next steps

Van Stee said DCF had given preliminary approval to Tri County’s paperwork and that formal written approval to release the construction funds was expected within roughly 30 days. Once the written approval arrives, Tri County expects to engage civil engineers and architects and to coordinate with county staff on zoning and site work.

Proponents and local partners

Van Stee said he had letters of support from local sheriffs (Sheriff Crawford and Sheriff Blackman were named in his remarks) and from DeSoto and Highlands county officials. He credited former state Senator Denise Grimsley and current Senate leadership for assistance securing the appropriation.

What remains unsettled

Van Stee stressed Tri County still needs long‑term operating funding and that Tri County is pursuing state funding streams, insurance reimbursements, Medicaid/Medicare, philanthropic support and local partnerships. He also said Tri County will return to the commission with specific requests if and when precise local match amounts become clear.

Provenance: presentation began with Don Van Stee’s remarks (transcript segment starting at 578.635) and continued through commissioner Q&A concluding around the transcript segment at 2752.455.