Over the years, there has been a broad community effort to create a mental health crisis center and a consortium of other services. Leaders from Hope Network, Forest View Hospital, Kent County, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Network180, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Spectrum Health, Trinity Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Rapids, University of Michigan Health – West, and many other organizations have spent the past few years developing a comprehensive list of mental health services for the community.
This effort took a giant leap forward when Governor Whitmer signed the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget into law, including $5 million to construct a new Behavioral Health Crisis Center (BHCC) in Kent County. The BHCC is a private-public partnership between Network180 and Trinity Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Rapids and will be located downtown on the Trinity Health Grand Rapids campus.
The heart of the new BHCC will be a Crisis Stabilization Unit, which will allow for rapidly accessible intensive treatment to stabilize most behavioral health crises within 24 hours. The goal is to open the BHCC in 2023.
“There has been a lot of hard work by individuals at the local, county, and state levels to bring expanded crisis services to West Michigan,” said Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Stan Stek. “The funding included in the state budget will bring positive change for those experiencing mental health or substance use crises in our communities.”
A special thank you to Rep. Whiteford, Sen. Winnie Brinks, Sen. Curtis Hertel, and Sen. Jim Stamas for advocating for the inclusion of this funding in the budget, and our remaining legislative delegation for supporting this request.
“We’re thankful our state legislators and Gov. Whitmer recognized the need for expanded behavioral health services in Michigan,” said Network180’s Executive Director Bill Ward. “This $5 million will go directly into providing people the help they need, rather than leaving them caught between gaps in service.”
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