Mental Health Trust Grants $1.6M to Providence for Crisis Stabilization Center
A wing of Providence Alaska Regional Building, part of the Anchorage hospital campus and adjacent to the state-run Alaska Psychiatric Institute, will be remodeled into the state’s first full crisis stabilization center.
Providence Alaska
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority awarded $1.6 million to Providence Alaska for a new Crisis Stabilization Center for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis in Anchorage.
Third Component of Care
Trust funds support the ongoing planning, development, and implementation of a facility that will offer emergency behavioral healthcare, including a 23-hour crisis stabilization receiving center, a short-term residential crisis stabilization program, and behavioral health urgent care.
These services are expected to launch in 2024, providing prompt access to stabilization, treatment, and discharge planning services in one location with “no wrong door” (no-to-low barrier) access. They form one of the three main components of the Crisis Now framework, along with a crisis call center and mobile crisis teams.
“We are excited to help bring new and needed crisis stabilization services to the community and appreciate Providence Alaska’s leadership in helping grow our continuum of crisis care,” says Alaska Mental Health Trust CEO Steve Williams. “These improvements to our behavioral health crisis system will have real and positive impacts for beneficiaries of the Trust and would not be possible without partners at the State Departments of Health and Family & Community Services and in communities across Alaska.”
Current Issue
May 2024
Gaps in community-based crisis response and behavioral health services can lead to individuals waiting in hospitals or jails for hours to days, pending the availability of an appropriate treatment setting. The Crisis Now model recognizes that neither a traditional emergency room setting nor a law enforcement response is designed to meet the unique needs of someone in a behavioral health crisis.
“As the state’s first full Crisis Stabilization Center, our goal is to support and benefit Alaskans seeking care, not only at our hospital but also at provider partners throughout Southcentral Alaska and beyond,” says Providence Alaska CEO Ella Goss. “The Crisis Stabilization Center is not just part of the vision of how we can better care for Alaskans, it also reflects on the shared values of all of our stakeholders who are coming together to make this possible.”
This project is also supported by contributions from Providence, and local, state, and federal government funds.
Making History
The track of oil and gas development in Alaska shows the footprints of bold companies and hard-working individuals who shaped the industry in the past and continue to innovate today. The May 2024 issue of Alaska Business explores that history while looking forward to new product development, the energy transition for the fishing fleet, and the ethics of AI tools in business.