Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears presentation on new Lewis County crisis relief center offering 23‑hour care
Summary
Cascade Mental Health staff told commissioners the county’s new 23‑hour Crisis Relief Center opened Feb. 2, has added about 43 positions and in its first month served 44 clients and 384 service hours; staff and partners flagged limited initial funding and transportation as key implementation challenges.
Cascade Mental Health representatives described a newly opened 23‑hour Crisis Relief Center (CRC) in Lewis County, telling the Board of County Commissioners on March 17 that the facility provides assessment, basic medical care, case management and medication‑assisted treatment to divert people in behavioral health crises from hospital emergency rooms.
"This is a 23‑hour crisis relief center that is over on our Stillhammer building," said Mindy, summarizing services that include full nursing and mental‑health assessments, medication management and the ability to initiate Suboxone and Vivitrol. She said the CRC can transfer voluntary patients to the on‑site 16‑bed locked stabilization unit when appropriate and arrange designated‑crisis‑responder evaluations when detention is needed.
Mindy said the center opened Feb. 2 and that staffing ended up at about 43 positions (earlier estimates had been higher). In its first month the facility logged 44 clients and 384 service hours and recorded multiple law‑enforcement and EMS diversion drop‑offs; partners cited include local police, Riverside Fire Authority, EMS, Centria Hospital and Destination Hope and Recovery. "We were able to keep 230 people out of the ER" during an earlier pilot, Mindy said, describing a two‑year pilot that informed the CRC’s launch.
Trinidad addressed funding and operations, saying Great Rivers Behavioral Health Services Organization can provide limited support (roughly six months) to help underinsured and uninsured clients while staff project utilization and prepare grant applications. "There has been some funding made available, but I do not believe it's sufficient," Trinidad said. Staff emphasized transportation as a critical operational need and said mobile crisis teams and community partners will help with transport while longer‑term funding remains uncertain.
Staff also described clinical safeguards and protocols: staff use screening tools (COWS and SIWA) to monitor withdrawal severity, limit nicotine use during admissions, restrict cell phones to reduce exposure to stressors, and will escalate care when medical needs exceed the CRC’s capacity.
The presentation highlighted partnerships with regional detox providers for seamless handoffs and with law enforcement to divert appropriate cases from emergency departments. Commissioners and staff asked follow‑up questions about readmission rules, repeat clients, and how the CRC will measure utilization and budget needs during the initial funded period.
The CRC’s leaders encouraged community feedback and partnership as they move from the initial six‑week pilot and early data collection into longer‑range planning.
