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Southwest Counseling presents comprehensive plan proposing 23‑hour crisis bed or smaller drop‑off center amid funding changes
Summary
Southwest Counseling presented a strategic plan that includes options for a 23‑hour crisis stabilization bed and a lower‑cost 5‑bed drop‑off center, outlined budget estimates (~$1.35M and ~$1.0M respectively) and warned state billing changes and slower payments threaten provider revenue and program sustainability.
Southwest Counseling Services' board chair Kayleen Logan and leadership presented a comprehensive plan to address gaps in crisis behavioral‑health services, including two facility options: a traditional 23‑hour crisis stabilization center (estimated startup ~$1.35 million) and a smaller 5‑bed nonmedical drop‑off center (estimated ~$1.0 million) intended to provide short‑term safe shelter and immediate support.
Board members and CFO Melissa Ray Marchetti explained the agency's $20,000,000 annual budget is dominated by grant‑earmarked funds and that recent state behavioral‑health billing reforms limit eligibility and slow payments, reducing net funding available for new programs. Commissioners praised the planning work but repeatedly asked for finer operational detail: which beds can be repurposed, facility rent/utilities assumptions, staffing models, and whether county‑owned buildings could be used to reduce capital costs. Commissioners directed the agency to refine cost estimates, pursue grant funding where possible and return with a narrower, implementable plan that better distinguishes the lower‑cost drop‑off model from a full medical 23‑hour facility.
