COLUMBUS, Ohio — A drive along Harmon Avenue will reveal a hulking structure in the middle of a construction site. That will soon be the home to the new Franklin County Crisis Care Center.
The 72,000 square foot facility will open to the public in the spring of 2025. The plan for the building will be a first-stop approach to treatment for people experiencing mental health crises or struggling with substance abuse and addiction.
"By including services like pharmacy services, physical health care services, family support services, more needs can be met in one location as opposed to someone having to go throughout the community to get various needs met,” said Jonathan Thomas, COO of the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County. “Once someone is at the crisis care center, it's all about linking them to the next level of care whatever it may be.”
The facility will be able to serve up to 80 people at a time, including 16 in-patient beds in a crisis unit. Thomas hopes the addition of the crisis center will help alleviate some of the strain currently placed on hospitals and first responders in the county.
“Currently about 30,000 encounters happen every year with adults experiencing crises,” said Thomas. “The majority of those are going to our hospital emergency departments. Hospital emergency departments provide vital services, but they're not purpose built for those cases and conditions though.”
According to numbers from ADAMH, 21% of Franklin County’s 1.3 million residents will experience a mental illness in a given year. 10% will struggle with drug or alcohol abuse. With the county’s population projected to grow by 8% in the next decade, the need for more mental health and addiction services will also grow.
Columbus City Council allocated $4.5 million to the project Monday night. This will complete the fundraising goals set by ADAMH. As of November 2023, $60.2 million have been committed by various partners on the project.
Once open, the crisis center will be open 24/7 for walk-in patients. There will also be a separate entrance for patients brought to the facility by first responders.
Thomas said the facility is taking a unique approach to treatment. Some of the staff will have personal experiences with substance abuse or mental health struggles to better relate and assist patients. There will be several open-air spaces available as well.