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Southcentral Foundation recently broke ground on a new crisis treatment center that will offer behavioral health and detox services for patients seeking urgent care. The facility will offer 30 beds and they expect to finish the construction in 2026.
People experiencing a mental health crisis often end up in emergency rooms, which may not have the right resources, or in jail, which can exacerbate the crisis. Many people experiencing homelessness suffer from substance abuse or mental and behavioral health conditions. Expanding our behavioral health services with trauma-informed care will directly aid the homeless population. It is also a direct investment in public safety for the neighborhoods and communities most affected by homelessness.
In 2020, I introduced House Bill 290 to authorize the establishment and licensing of crisis stabilization centers in Alaska. Later the same year, the Senate incorporated the crisis stabilization provisions of HB 290 into Senate Bill 120. The Legislature passed this important legislation and the governor signed the legislation the same year. The legislation establishes a necessary intermediate treatment option for those facing mental health crises. An emerging component for improving the behavioral health continuum of care, crisis stabilization centers are open 24/7, staffed by mental health professionals, and provide prompt mental health evaluation and stabilization.
In 2022, following the passage of SB 120, the administration introduced House Bill 172 to establish and license crisis residential centers. Championed by the Alaska Mental Health Trust, HB 172 builds on the crisis stabilization legislation by increasing the number of beds available for intermediate-term treatment for Alaskans while helping our public safety officers focus on crime prevention. Following extensive review and hearings in the House Judiciary Committee, which I chaired, the Legislature passed HB 172. In addition to the 23-hour limited hold in a crisis stabilization center established in SB 120, HB 172 established crisis residential centers with a maximum 7-day hold. The 7-day crisis residential hold is substantially shorter than the 30-day hold with an involuntary commitment order. HB 172 also made sure that both public and private guardians receive prompt notice whenever the courts hold a person for behavioral treatment.
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