Posted: Tuesday, August 16, 2016 12:15 am
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A North Wilkesboro behavioral health center is adding a 16-bed crisis stabilization unit that will serve five Northwest N.C. counties.
The WilkesC3 Comprehensive Care Center, at 1400 Willow Lane, is expanding as part of a collaboration between Smoky Mountain Center, a behavioral health managed care organization based in Asheville, and provider DayMark Recovery Services.
The center primarily serves Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Watauga and Wilkes residents with outpatient care only currently, and only during weekday business hours.
The center is gaining 10,000 square feet of space that is expected to be operational by January 2018.
DayMark already provides 44 crisis beds overall in the markets it serves.
DayMark expects to hire up to 30 employees with the expansion. Smoky Mountain plans to provide $1.3 million of the $2.1 million cost.
The center offers walk-in appointments, mobile crisis management, crisis stabilization and alcohol/drug detoxification services for individuals seeking care either voluntarily or under involuntary commitment for a psychiatric illness.
“WilkesC3 will be a much-needed addition to the communities we serve,” Brian Ingraham, Smoky Mountain’s chief executive, said in a statement. “The center will be an innovative example of things being done right in today’s health care system.”
Sen. Shirley Randleman, R-Wilkes, said the expansion “fulfills a long-standing need for crisis care in our community ... and is foundational to a recovery-oriented system of care.”
Billy West, DayMark’s chief executive, said the center will help alleviate “the long waits and high costs often associated with visiting a hospital emergency department.” West said there are plans to add 16 crisis beds to a similar facility DayMark operates in Lexington.
West said that on monthly average, about 225 Wilkes residents experience a behavioral health crisis. More than half typically are admitted to the Wilkes Regional Medical Center emergency department for care, where they may wait days for an available bed.
State law requires law enforcement officers to stay with a person experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis until they are admitted to a medical facility.
WilkesC3 is part of Smoky Mountain’s 2016 community reinvestment plan, which includes a dozen projects to reinvest Medicaid cost-savings back into local communities in its 23-county territory.
Smoky Mountain officials did not have an update on its state-recommended merger with Partners Behavioral Health Management of Gastonia.
Among Partners’ eight counties are Surry and Yadkin.
It’s unclear whether Smoky Mountain and Partners are willing partners or invited to participate in a shotgun wedding by state health Secretary Rick Brajer in which the number of managed care organizations would be reduced to three.
On July 1, CenterPoint Human Services of Winston-Salem became a satellite office of Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions of Kannapolis.
Article Reference: Wilkes Gains 16-Bed Behavioral Crisis Center Expansion