Network180 and Trinity Health Grand Rapids Hold Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Behavioral Health Crisis Center

Today, Network180 and Trinity Health Grand Rapids hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Behavioral Health Crisis Center (BHCC) located at 260 Jefferson Ave. S.E. in Grand Rapids. The Center will open in June, providing walk-in behavioral health services 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

“This is a game changer for our community. After years of collaboration, planning, and advocacy, we’re getting ready to open the doors to a new era of behavioral health care in West Michigan,” observes Bill Ward, Executive Director of Network180. “And it was accomplished through a public-private collaboration between Network180 and Trinity Health Grand Rapids, alongside tremendous support from our Kent County and State leaders and legislators.”

The primary feature of the BHCC is the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), which provides rapidly accessible intensive treatment for up to 16 patients at a time. While most behavioral health crises can stabilize within 24 hours, the CSU provides a space for patients to remain in a safe, secure, and supportive setting for up to 72 hours. Previously, people experiencing a mental health crisis often ended up in emergency rooms seeking help. Medical clearance is necessary to find placement in a psychiatric facility. If this placement isn’t available, the wait in an emergency room can be very traumatizing for the individual and places great strain on health care workers.

“It’s powerful to see what can come from community collaboration that’s all focused on improving access to care for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis,” says Matt Biersack, MD, President, Trinity Health Grand Rapids. “There has been a consistent gap for this type of care identified in our community health needs assessments, and I’m so grateful for the incredible support from county and state leadership, as well as such great partnership with Network180, to address this need. It’s only together that we can remove the stigma associated with mental illness and improve access so that there is no ‘wrong door’ for those in crisis.”

In addition to walk-in appointments, the BHCC offers a secure bay for law enforcement and EMS to bring people in for help. By diverting people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis away from jail and emergency rooms and connecting them to the behavioral services they need, the BHCC will reduce the strain placed on emergency departments and law enforcement.

“We know that delay of care results in poorer outcomes for the individual in crisis, and more people in need of behavioral health care end up in emergency departments or jails. With the opening of the Behavioral Health Crisis Center, we will be able to help most people get stabilized and connected to ongoing care within 24 hours,” says Beverly Ryskamp, Network180’s Chief Operating Officer. “This is not only better for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis, but the rapid access to care will help reduce overall costs for behavioral health in our community.”

The BHCC was established through years of community collaboration. Since 2017, representatives from health care systems, education, law enforcement, government, insurance providers, community advocates and the mental health system have worked together to develop a continuum of innovative crisis mental health and substance use disorder services for West Michigan residents.

“The Behavioral Health Crisis Center removes barriers to care, by opening the doors to any adult who needs help in a behavioral health crisis,” states Kristin Spykerman, Chief Clinical Officer at Network180. “The collaboration between Network180 and Trinity Health Makes this possible, alongside all the community providers that make up the crisis continuum in Kent County.”

Granger Construction is the general contractor for renovations to the 8,600-square-foot facility with design from Progressive Companies. The total construction cost is approximately $3.6 million.

This revolutionary model of bringing together medical and behavioral health care through a collaboration of public and private entities is the first of its kind in the state. The result is the creation of a ‘no wrong door’ system of crisis care for all Kent Country’s adults, regardless of income, insurance type or zip code. The BHCC is a hub for connecting people in crisis to the right care, at the right intensity, at the right time.