Sherburne County, along with Stearns, Benton and Wright counties, is looking into the possibility of constructing a new mental health center.

 

Last week, Health & Human Services (HHS) Director Mary Jo Cobb and Dr. Richard Lee, executive director of the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, gave the Sherburne County Board an update on the project.

 

Cobb said the 2018 Minnesota Legislature appropriated $28.1 million to the Dept. of Human Services to establish regional mental health centers. 

 

“It’s one of the few things the 2018 legislature did accomplish,” she said.

 

Under the grant, projects will be selected through a request for proposal (RFP) process, which closes Dec. 14. Eligible applicants are public entities eligible to receive state general obligation bond proceeds. 

 

Cobb said the four counties, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center and CentraCare have been meeting for six months in order to plan for a mental health urgency center in the four-county area. 

 

Meetings are being held every one or two weeks to formulate a response to the RFP.

 

If they are awarded the grant, the plan is to have services at the new center provided by Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, CentraCare and other agencies as needed.

 

Cobb said the goal is to  provide sufficient space for the Mobile Crisis Team; provide a drop-in site for persons experiencing a mental health crisis; provide more residential crisis beds; reduce emergency room visits for mental health and detoxification; provide a space for primary care screening and provide transportation as needed.

 

Lee said the bed space for clients would increase. There are currently five beds available. The new center would have space for nine, with the capacity to expand in the future.

 

“We have five beds in the crisis center in St. Cloud and we are functionally full all the time,” he said. “Our average daily census is 4.1 to 4.3 (beds occupied)”.

 

“A lot of these services already exist in our four-county area,” said Cobb. “What this would do is give us more room and a space that meets the needs of clients.”

 

Lee said the key part of the vision is that it is a new way of providing care to people with mental health and substance abuse conditions. CentraCare has made informal commitments to provide a primary care person at the new center.

 

“This will bring additional medical resources to residential crisis and detox that as a mental health center, we don’t have the capacity to bring in at this point,” said Lee. “It’s a new way of functioning and coordinating care.”

 

Regional grants will be up to $5 million. The funds can be used for all aspects of planning, development and construction. Lee said the funds are expected to cover the full cost of the project, with no match required. 

 

He said the preliminary plan is to locate the new building on the Central Minnesota Mental Health site in St. Cloud.

 

Cobb said it will also provide a calming environment.

 

“The current buildings are old, small and not conducive to recovery,” she said. It’s time. Those buildings are quite old.”

 

The next steps are to determine ownership, determine the cost of the building, complete the written proposal and obtain letters of support from agencies, hospitals and counties.

 

Cobb said she would keep the board updated.