A row of gold-painted shovels await their time during a groundbreaking ceremony at 240 NW 4th Street in Corvallis, Ore., on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The site will be home to a new crisis center slated to open in summer 2024.
Brian Bull / KLCC
Work officially kicked off Wednesday on a new crisis center for Benton County.
Several dozen city and county officials gathered for the event, which saw stakeholders breaking ground with golden shovels.
Damien Sands is Deputy Director for Benton County Behavioral Health. He told KLCC that the $7.7 million facility will be a year-round, 24/7 space for people experiencing a crisis to get help.
“It’s unfair for individuals to have to access it through an emergency room or other environments that aren’t really set up for them,” said Sands. “So the crisis center is going to be a wonderful place for an individual to come in, get that support, and care within our community.”
After the facility opens, a person can stay up to 23 hours or 29 days, depending on their situation. Five to seven stabilization recliners and five to seven respite beds will be part of the services. The facility — located at 240 NW 4th Street in Corvallis — was paid for with state and federal grants.
Corvallis Chief of Police Jason Harvey at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new mental health facility in Corvallis, Ore., Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
Brian Bull / KLCC
Among those excited for the developing center were Corvallis City Police Chief Jason Harvey and Benton County Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall. Both said their officers often have to respond to calls that involve someone who’d benefit more from a mental health intervention than law enforcement personnel.
“Often the jail or the hospital are the only two options for us. And having this crisis center in place gives us that sort of middle ground, if you will,” said Harvey.
“It’s not necessarily a jail issue, but it is a community safety, or public safety, or law enforcement issue,” added Van Arsdall. “And now we’ll be able to bring them someplace where they’ll be able to receive care immediately.”
Harvey estimated that roughly a third to a half of calls to Corvallis police involve mental health issues rather than an actual crime.
In an email to KLCC, a county spokesperson said the crisis center is a project of Benton County’s Justice System Improvement Program (JSIP), a multi-year effort to improve outcomes.
On the topic of other forms of intervention, the county said it has Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams (MCITs) consisting of Mental Health Professionals, paraprofessionals and peers. The MCITs form a two-person, non-law enforcement approach that help with de-escalation and trauma-informed interventions.
“By working together, these teams can provide a more holistic and tailored approach to crisis intervention, ensuring that individuals receive the appropriate care and support they need while keeping the community, employees, and others safe,” concludes the message.