Health & Medicine

Public input sought on 42-bed mental health facility in Lane County

KLCC | By Tiffany Eckert

Published June 15, 2022 at 6:51 PM PDT

Lane County has been planning since 2014 to establish a Stabilization Center to offer emergency/crisis support to Lane County residents who are homeless, addicted and in crisis due to untreated mental illness. The Center will include transitional care, officials say, — This graphic displays the plan for access and referrals at the proposed Behavioral Health Stabilization Center.

Lane County has been chewing on a problem for years: What to do about a growing mental health crisis playing out on the streets. Community members can learn more Thursday about a plan in the works.

A panel discussion is open to the public on ZOOM from 11am to noon this Thursday, June 16^th. Click here to sign up to participate in the panel discussion.

Lane County spokesperson Jason Davis put the problem in perspective. “Right now, more people are experiencing mental health crisis, addiction, homelessness in our county than ever before,” he said. “Our emergency services are overwhelmed. And the people of Lane County are very concerned about their public safety.”

A man sleeps for hours outside the KLCC studios on 8th Avenue and Olive Street in Eugene. He was reportedly homeless and had untreated mental health issues.

Davis said there is nowhere for people having a mental health crisis to go in an emergency. He says the county has a solution: A 42-bed Behavioral Health Stabilization Center.

“Where anyone and everyone in Lane County- who is in need of behavioral health stabilization- can go. We have no wrong door, Davis said.”

This graphic displays the means for access and referrals at the proposed Behavioral Health Stabilization Center.

Lane County’s proposed Behavioral Health Stabilization Center includes immediate, 24/7 intake available for:

Referrals from health care, behavioral health, and social service providers
Mobile crisis drop-offs and referrals
Walk-ins
Law enforcement drop-offs, as a diversion for arrest, via separate entrance with a turnaround time goal of <5 minutes

According to the county website, the Stabilization Center would have daily capacity to serve 42 individuals at any given time.

14 adult respite chairs
16 adult short-term stabilization beds
12 youth short-term stabilization beds

Annual Impact: 8200+ unique individuals served

6700+ unique adults
1500+ unique youth

There will be a panel discussion on the proposed Behavioral Health Stabilization Center with county representatives, law enforcement, hospital and mental health services personnel. Panel members will include Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger, Captain Clint Riley from the Lane County Sheriff's Office, Shana Mart from Lane County Behavioral Health, Alicia Beymer from PeaceHealth, and Jennifer Maclean from National Alliance on Mental Illness.
It is open to the public on ZOOM from 11am to noon this Thursday, June 16^th.
Click here to sign up to participate in the panel discussion.