New facility in Cape Girardeau aims to help those with mental health issues

An open house and ribbon-cutting were held Friday, March 3, for the new Behavioral Health Crisis Center.

The new facility is on the Gibson Center for Behavioral Change property at 1112 Linden St. in Cape Girardeau, and is planned to officially open Monday, March 13.

Ryan Essex, Gibson Center's chief operating officer, said the facility will have four overnight beds plus four medical chairs for short-term stabilization. It will be staffed by 10 full-time nurses and medical assistants, as well as two peer-support specialists.

Essex said Gibson Center partnered with Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau to complete the new Crisis Center. He said the facility being located at Gibson Center means they will be able to operate with a "no wrong door" access approach.

"Whatever door someone walks in here they can access services," Essex said.

John Gary, Gibson Center chief executive officer, addressed those assembled for the open house and thanked many people, including Gov. Mike Parson, for "unwavering commitment" to mental health and for making the Crisis Center a possibility.

"I just cannot say enough about the support we've had." Gary said.

Savannah Martin, program director for the new Crisis Center, told a story about how she first got the idea for the facility. She said she read story in 2018 about a crisis unit in Tupelo, Mississippi. She said she contacted Jason Klaus of the Perry County Sheriff's Office, who is now Perry County sheriff, and said she hoped they could "one day figure out a way to make something like this happen."

"It has been in my mind for seven years now," Martin said. "I'm just so excited today to be able to share this with our community."

Klaus said the Crisis Center is the result of "a seed that was planted five years ago."

"But today is not about reflecting back on the journey." Klaus said. "It's about what this building is going to do in the future."

A benefit of the Crisis Center to law enforcement officers will be a reduction in time spent on mental health calls. Shannon Farris, a member of the Co-Responder Unit with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said officers can spend an average of one hour on a mental health call, much of it spent waiting in hospital emergency rooms. He said, in the three weeks the Co-Responder Unit has been active, that call time has been reduce to 16 minutes.

Rodney Barker, Cape Girardeau Police Department assistant chief, said Martin has assured the department that, when the Crisis Center opens its doors, officers in-and-out time will be 10 minutes or less.

Martin said the Crisis Center will be able to accept adults ages 18 and older. She said they will be a service for individuals in crisis and they will try and avoid sending them to emergency rooms or jail in appropriate situations.

"We can accept individuals 24/7," Martin said. "We can take walk-ins and referrals from partners or law enforcement. They'll come in, they'll be able to see a doctor for treatment, receive medication if needed, and get access to counseling services."