Montrose, CO — In partnership with the City of Montrose, the Center for Mental Health (CMH) has been selected to receive a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $267,450 from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to help open its new walk-in center on North Cascade Avenue.
CMH will use the funds to replace the roof and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system on their Crisis Walk-in Center located at 300 North Cascade that is set to open soon.
The CMH targets its services to the low-income, indigent, and underserved population in the region and provides both mental health and addiction services on a fee scale based on the patient’s ability to pay.
Montrose County is one of the six counties served by the CMH, which has been identified by the State of Colorado as a “critical need area” for crisis services.
The CMH responded to 3,977 individuals in crisis across the region through mobile crisis support in 2018.
The absence of a local resource for inpatient care prompted the CMH to create a mobile crisis team and transportation team. When individuals need inpatient care, the transportation team responds. However, with limited resources on the Western Slope and no inpatient sources in Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel Counties individuals must be transported to Grand Junction, the Front Range or surrounding states for care. Having an inpatient facility in Montrose will help address this significant need.
Many years of caring for individuals in crisis has shaped the Center for Mental Health’s vision for the walk-in center.
“The Crisis Walk-in Center is a vital part of the health care services available to the Montrose community and our surrounding six-county region. It will provide around-the-clock access to acute behavioral health services, withdrawal management, and crisis stabilization close to home for members of our community. The CDBG funds, along with support from the City of Montrose and DOLA, have provided for a new roof and additional HVAC systems, which are critical components of this new location,” said Ed Hagins, chief operations officer for the Center for Mental Health. “The support and partnership of the Center for Mental Health has had with the city has been key to the successful launch of this important new facility. We will be opening the Crisis Walk-In Center as soon as we have all the necessary approvals from our city and state agencies. We hope that will be late July but will provide a formal release when we have a firm date.”
CMH anticipates it will manage 96 percent of all regional behavioral health crises within the walk-in center.
The CMH has invested more than $3.3 million to date with the building purchase, renovations, and asbestos removal.
Recent renovations have been completed with funding borrowed by the CMH and through the generous support of multiple entities and individuals who contributed during a two-year capital campaign.
The Colorado Health Foundation, Denver Foundation CHA Fund, El Pomar Foundation, Montrose Community Foundation, City of Montrose, State of Colorado, and private donations totaled $1.6 million.
The building was originally built as a care center and had many features necessary for a pleasing and functional crisis clinic, including a spoke and hub configuration, wide hallways, separate rooms with restroom facilities, and adequate square footage. It also includes a central observation area and four separate wings allowing for services to be provided for mental health crisis, withdrawal management, 24/7 walk-in access for assessment, and room for expansion.
To be eligible for CDBG funding, recipients must ensure that at least 51 percent of beneficiaries are of low-to-moderate income means. In 2018, 85 percent of patients served by the CMH met this criteria.
“This grant award continues the city’s efforts to partner with our local non-profits on CDBG projects. The Crisis Walk-in Center is a much-needed facility in our community and the Western Slope," said Kendall Cramer, the City of Montrose's grant coordinator.
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