- Miami-Dade Approves New Crisis Stabilization Center To Shift People From “Jail Cells To The Treatment Center” And “Break A Cycle Of Crime, Jail And Homelessness.” Miami Today reports that county commissioners unanimously approved opening the Miami-Dade County Mental Health Center, a 75-bed facility designed to provide “a comprehensive, one-stop system of care” that shifts people “with mental illness from jail cells to the treatment center in hopes of breaking a cycle of crime, jail and homelessness.” The center will offer crisis stabilization, substance use treatment, residential and outpatient care, transitional housing and an on-site courtroom to expedite diversion into treatment. For Local 10, Christina Vasquez spoke with Judge Steven Leifman who explained that the center will provide “a full continuum of care under one roof… [and] gently reintegrate them with housing, peer support, treatments, supportive employment opportunities, everything that they need.” County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, a champion of the facility, said “For two decades, too many of our neighbors with severe mental illness have cycled through jails instead of getting the treatment they need… This is a victory built on compassion, teamwork and common sense.”
- In Louisville, Kentucky, “New Mental Health Crisis Center To Be Alternative To Jail, Hospitals.” For the Courier Journal, Killian Baarlaer reports that Louisville is opening a new mental health crisis center next month that will serve as “an alternative to jail or hospitals” for people experiencing behavioral health crises. The voluntary, community-based center will complete Louisville’s crisis care continuum by providing the “safe place for help” alongside 988 and the city’s mobile crisis response team, while also connecting people with licensed therapists, nearby hospitals and community partners addressing homelessness and food insecurity. Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey, a champion of the new center, explained: “LMPD officers want more options. They need more options for what to do with people in mental health crisis. We want to be able to direct people to the resource that is most appropriate for them…”
- Lynnwood, Washington, Opens New Crisis Stabilization Center To Serve As “An Alternative To An Emergency Room Or Jail” For People In Mental Health Crisis. For The Seattle Times, Taylor Blatchford reports on the City of Lynwood opening the doors on its new crisis center, which will provide 24/7 mental health crisis services regardless of insurance status or ability to pay while accepting drop-offs from all first responders and serves “as an alternative to an emergency room or jail for someone who is experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.” For the Herald, Jenna Peterson spoke with Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon, a champion of the new center, who explained that instead of taking someone in a mental health crisis to jail, “ this will allow them to be part of our community, to come in here and get checked in and get stabilized, so [they] can get back out to live and be a part of our community.”
