Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center readies to open in Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH | Champlain Valley Family Center (CVFC) is ready to open a new Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center at 14 Dormitory Drive near recovery facilities on the MHAB campus. This is one of 12 sites being built across New York State to provide immediate, compassionate, treatment-forward care for people in crisis with an emphasis on peer support. The new center is licensed jointly by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and the state Office of Mental Health (OMH) and was built with new mental health funding appropriated by the state in 2022. The target opening date is Sept. 1 on the first floor of the completely renovated Cumberland Hall, a former college dormitory. The crisis clinic is next to the MHAB residence dorm and across from the All Ways to Recovery Community Center on property leased from MHAB. As the site is named -- Intensive + Crisis + Stabilization -- the new clinic is designed to provide immediate care for people in mental health and/or substance abuse crisis. It can accommodate 12 people with up to 24 hours of immediate, rapid access stabilization care. Triage and screening are provided by registered nurses on staff and crisis support counselors. The space is designed to assist eight adults and four minors in separate areas. A medical exam room offers space for health wellness checks. There is meeting area, quiet rooms, a staff kitchen, laundry room and a nurses station. Ron "Buster" Garrow is the crisis clinic program director, having previously established CVFC's Schuyler Falls Recovery Campus. "This is an intensive stabilization walk-in clinic, which is important," Garrow said. "If a person in crisis calls 988, this would be the place to go." The aim is to deescalate crises, assess trauma or stressors, and connect each person to longer-term mental or addiction treatment health care. "We will work to get folks to the appropriate service in that time," Garrow said. Crisis center personnel encompass a team of 26 full-time and 10 part-time staff. Registered nurses assist with triage, medical evaluation and medication needs. Licensed mental health and substance abuse counselors will assess immediate and next steps in each person's path to wellness. Peer support is the heart of facility operations. Garrow and clinic personnel believe crisis stabilization is a critical addition to North Country health services, providing immediate mental health and addiction intervention with de-escalation care here instead of in a hospital or on a street. Assessment rooms offer safe and quiet places to ease out of crisis and think about next steps. Garrow isn't sure what days or hours of a week will prove the busiest. "We're excited to get open and find out. We are looking at a September 1st opening," he said. The facility has a separate entrance for law enforcement and first response personnel and a dedicated phone line for their use when assisting people in serious mental health crisis. Family practitioner Dr. George Disney is attending physician for health related concerns. Amy Price, RN, BS/MD, is on the foundational staff, which is comprised primarily of cornerstone peer professionals who have worked through addiction. "There is a great need here for this clinic," she said. A U.S. Navy veteran, Price said collaborating with this team to open this clinic is a true honor. Many come with experienced backgrounds in CVFC programs. "When a new boat is commissioned in the Navy and you are part of the original crew, you are considered a Plank Owner. This is a lot like that," she said. "There is a real sense of ownership here. I am very proud to be part of this." Peer Engagement Specialist/Crisis Interventionist John Burgess provided a look at the intake process, from the admitting area to lounge rooms specifically built for adults and minors. Rooms are arranged around a long corridor with areas for individual triage depending on the nature of a mental health crisis. Burgess said renovations were completed within the past few months after several years of design and planning. Champlain Valley Family Center will coordinate follow up treatment available from community partners, such as MHAB, University of Vermont - Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) and numerous support agencies. The Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help people reach resources they need. The open house July 29 brought in more than 50 staff, leadership teams and collaborating partners, all of whom share the goal of advancing support for mental health services, together.

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Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center readies to open in Plattsburgh

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