A leadership team looking to bring a new mental health center to the region has identified a possible site near Munson Medical Center and will appear before Grand Traverse County commissioners this or next month with a proposal to use up to $5 million in county American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to launch the facility.

Representatives from Grand Traverse County, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health (CMH), Northern Michigan Regional Entity (NMRE), Community Health Innovation Region, Munson Healthcare, and United Way of Northwest Michigan are on a leadership team working on “bringing access and crisis services under a single roof and serving children, youth, and adults regardless of insurance or ability to pay,” according to a memo from the group. County Administrator Nate Alger said anyone who is in crisis – either for mental health or substance abuse disorders – will be able to walk into the center and receive immediate help. After an assessment, individuals will be connected with the proper resources and organizations to guide them on where to go next for longer-term care.

“We’re hoping that that is any place but jail and minimally the ED (emergency department),” Alger said. Individuals who go to the emergency room for mental health issues frequently face extensive waits for care, Alger said. “An ED is not designed for behavioral health treatment,” he said, noting that the new center could “significantly” alleviate pressure on Munson’s emergency room. The center is expected to consolidate services into one location, including central service inquiry, referrals, scheduling, crisis phone screening and interventional services, mobile crisis services, and a welcoming center.

Additional services to be provided include brief outpatient therapy, assessments, hospital preadmission screening, nursing and psychiatric assessments, peer support services, and other wraparound services. The leadership team outlined three phases for building out the center, with the first phase to include bringing existing services under one roof for 24/7 year-round access. Organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Before During and After Incarceration, Addiction Treatment Services, and Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan would all have space in the facility.

A second phase would add nursing and psychiatric assessments to the services offered. The third and final stage could see crisis residential unit and crisis stabilization unit beds added for both adults and youth. Alger said that while the community currently has some mental health care services available, resources are “insufficient” compared to the demand. “We want to expand and improve upon services,” he said.

Alger said the leadership team recently toured a possible location for the new center near Munson Medical Center (negotiations are active, so the address has not yet been publicly disclosed). Grand Traverse County commissioners previously voted in December to allocate $5 million in county American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for mental health services/infrastructure, but did not specify which projects or organizations those funds would go toward since discussions about a new mental health center were still evolving. Alger said he expects the leadership team will appear before commissioners in late May or early June with a proposal to use that $5 million to renovate and open the new center.

Chair Rob Hentschel said he was hopeful state grants could help defray costs, noting that Grand Traverse County would otherwise be putting up a sizable amount of its own ARPA funding to build a center that would be used by surrounding counties. “All of northern Michigan, the whole region, will benefit from having this center,” he said. Alger said other funding sources – including state grants, substance abuse funds through NMRE, Medicaid dollars, and/or contributions from partners like Munson – could help offset costs. CMH Interim Chief Executive Officer Brian Martinus added that CMH also has a $3 million state grant that can be used toward staffing the new center.

Commissioner Darryl Nelson said that since he’s joined the board, the one issue that’s been “universally discussed” and a source of deep frustration among community leaders he’s met with is the lack of mental health resources in the region. He commended the leadership team for making rapid progress toward opening a new center over the last year. “That is lightning speed in government,” he said. “This has been a long-term problem that we have been concerned about, and it’s our responsibility cause it lands in our lap. And it’s more than just the 5,700 clients of CMH. There’s a lot more (people in need of mental health services) out there.”

Hentschel agreed, saying he was “encouraged” by the direction of the project. “There’s the ER and there’s the jail: That’s what you can do with mental health problems right now,” he said. Hentschel said individuals today are frequently sent out of the area for treatment, having to travel to places like Grand Rapids to get help when experiencing mental health issues. He encouraged the leadership team to “keep that vision” of providing robust local care in mind as it works through funding and logistical issues, calling the project a “bright shining future for Grand Traverse County and how we handle mental health services that are emergent.”

Pictured: Chart on behavioral health crises at Munson Medical Center's emergency department from Northern Lakes Community Mental Health