Stride Crisis Center and mobile unit to open Feb. 14

A new 24/7 mental health and substance abuse crisis center and mobile crisis unit will enable all residents within 60 miles of Richmond to access immediate care.

Centerstone has received a capital grant of up to $50,000 from Indiana United Ways to develop a new Stride Crisis Center at 816 Dillon Drive in Richmond. The building, just off U.S. 27 near Reid Health, is the former location of Quest Diagnostics lab.

The facility will supplement local emergency departments and mental health counselors and provide a short-term diversion alternative to incarceration. The on-site center serves adults, while the mobile unit helps all ages.

Staff will take the mobile unit into the community to assess and de-escalate a crisis in virtually any location.

Services will begin Feb. 14, and full 24/7 operations are anticipated to begin by March 1.

Richmond was selected as Centerstone’s third crisis center in Indiana after Bloomington and Columbus. That’s because of gaps in the current mental health network and persistent high rates of substance misuse and suicide in the region, according to a news release from United Way of Whitewater Valley.

Funding is possible because of UWWV’s membership in Indiana United Ways. It’s the first Statewide Capital Projects Initiative grant made to a nonprofit United Way partner in Wayne County.

Tamara Brinkman, UWWV president, said enabling health and well-being for all residents of Wayne and Union counties is a core part of its mission.

Brinkman said the local agency endorsed this project to the state fund because of a significant gap between need and capacity in the area’s behavioral health network, especially for 24/7 crisis care, and the crisis center will fill that gap.

“Along with United Way’s other investments in mental health for children and teens, this project will ensure that everyone, at any age, at any hour, has somewhere to turn when life feels unbearable,” Brinkman said.

The $50,000 building renovations are to create a trauma-informed space that meets certification standards and best practices established by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.

Amanda Mullins, Centerstone’s local director of adult services, said community collaboration fosters lasting recovery, and staff are grateful for support from United Way and other partners “in strengthening this critical addition to our local network.”

“Life’s challenges can overwhelm anyone,” Mullins said. “Our goal is to provide no-barrier access to essential support, helping individuals regain stability through mental health and substance use services like crisis intervention, treatment, case management, peer networks, and community resources such as food, clothing, housing and employment.”

As a Certified Community Behavioral Center, the Stride Crisis Center in Richmond will collaborate closely with local leaders, first responders, the state 988 crisis line, and other local healthcare-related facilities to ensure every resident has somewhere to turn during a crisis.

Centerstone is a nonprofit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatments for people of all ages. Services are available in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina and Tennessee.

If you or a loved one are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call 988 to access free and confidential emotional support resources.