Wednesday, May 21, 2025
5/21/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - In Franklin County, many of our friends, families, and neighbors are ending up in emergency departments or jails instead of settings designed to provide the care they need while experiencing or at risk of experiencing a mental health or addiction-related crisis. As a community, we strive to better link individuals with appropriate care, but we know our current care capacity is undersized and will become increasingly so as our population grows. Franklin County currently has a population of about 1.3 million people, and estimates suggest Central Ohio will see at least a 23% increase in demand for mental health and addiction services over the next ten years. Addressing our currently undersized capacity to meet the short and projected long-term demand for these services is of utmost importance for our region and our residents, and it is the purpose behind the planned construction of the Franklin County Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Center (Crisis Center) for which $500,000 in Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding is being sought. We are proud of the broad support this project has garnered, and we are grateful to Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Senator Sherrod Brown for championing the inclusion of federal funding for the construction of the Center in the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Once opened, the Crisis Center will provide services to support the wellness of Franklin County adults experiencing or at risk of experiencing a crisis associated with their mental health and/or substance use disorder. It will provide 24/7 care for individuals, families, hospitals/health systems, first responders, probate court, and community providers. The facility will have several critical service units including assessment and triage, medical services, medication-assisted treatment, 23-hour observation and stabilization, and a psychiatric hospital-grade inpatient unit. It will also include walk-in services to support individuals not yet in crisis but in need of supports and linkage to community-based services. The Center will be located at Parcel Number 010-284121, Columbus, OH 43223, which is property owned by the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH). ADAMH will own the new building once constructed and will contract for on-site services. The project lead from ADAMH is Jonathan Thomas, Vice President of Planning and Evaluation and can be reached at jthomas@adamhfranklin.org or (614) 222-3764. Project information and updates are provided at https://adamhfranklin.org/crisis-center/. The Crisis Center will align with a focus on inclusive, respectful, and culturally competent services and serve as the cornerstone for Franklin County’s continuum of mental health and addiction-related crisis services. It will divert people in crisis from the criminal justice and emergency medicine systems when appropriate, decompressing our hospital emergency departments and giving law enforcement officers an appropriate place to take individuals who do not require the involvement of the criminal justice system. It is estimated that the Crisis Center will have the capacity to serve more than 34,000 encounters each year.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).