- A new crisis stabilization center opens in Birmingham, Alabama. As the Birmingham Fox News affiliate reports, “prior to having a crisis center, police who responded to calls would either take those experiencing an emergency to the ER or the jail. Now they will take them to the crisis center […] The center will have 32 temporary beds and 16 extended stay beds. Following their stay, [patients] will be connected with community partners to continue their care.”
- A ballot measure in King County, Washington, which encompasses Seattle, would fund and create five new crisis stabilization centers. The county council voted unanimously to put the measure on the ballot. As the Seattle Times reports, “the centers are intended to serve as a one-stop location for anyone who needs behavioral health help, whether they’re coming by themselves, or are brought by a family member or police.” This would be a significant departure from the status quo given that, “today, people experiencing an urgent mental health crisis […] often end up in hospital emergency rooms or in jail.”
