The Milwaukee Center for Independence plans to open a new Crisis Resource Center on Milwaukee’s northwest side to serve people experiencing psychiatric crises.
The site of the new center is a vacant rectory, owned by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, located at 69th Street and Silver Spring Avenue. It will provide an additional 10 beds to address the growing need for 24/7 stabilization services in Milwaukee, MCFI said.
The new site is supported by Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division and Milwaukee Health Care Partnership.
MCFI has two existing CRC locations, which provide an alternative to involuntary emergency room admissions and criminal justice facilities for those experiencing psychiatric crises. They offer services including recovery-focused assessment, stabilization, psychosocial groups and peer support. The centers are a program of Whole Health Clinical Group, a division of MCFI.
The current facilities see about 100 admissions monthly, with a growing number of daily walk-in non-admissions.The average length of stay at a CRC is seven days, but it is individualized for each patient, with a focus on linking clients to services upon their discharge.
In 2018, 34% of CRC clients self-referred to the center, indicating they were seeking support before experiencing a mental health crisis, and clients report a 50% decrease in mental health symptoms from admission to discharge, according to MCFI.
The CRC team recently received a BizTimes Media Health Care Heroes award for their work to address behavioral health needs in the community.
