TRAVERSE CITY — On Wednesday, Grand Traverse County commissioners approved additional plans and made Munson the fiduciary for the new Grand Traverse Mental Health and Wellness Center.
The additional approval comes one year after commissioners approved $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to create the center.
Munson’s chief operating officer, Laura Glenn, along with Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority and community partners have spent the past few years coming up with the plan.
“We’re trying to establish a location where they can go to our non-emergency department where they can receive the focused behavioral health care that they need and in an environment that’s a little bit more welcoming and calming,” Glenn said.
She said they are continuing to see an increase in people visiting the ER seeking mental health services.
“We hope that if we’re able to effectively handle and address patients that are in a behavioral health crisis that then we can reduce the need for inpatient psychiatric admissions,” Glenn said.
Munson laid out the timeline to county commissioners at Wednesday’s meeting. Phases one and two will renovate the current behavioral health center, bring all of Munson’s crisis services under one roof and create 24/7 access. Phase three will create crisis residential units for both children and adults.
“We’re the hub for the region, we hold a lot of the services that people in surrounding counties count on,” county commissioner Rob Hentschel said. “So, this gives between five and 13 counties, depending on how you draw the circles, an opportunity to stay closer to home when they have these mental health issues.”
Construction on phase one and two is set to begin in January and wrap up by the end of next year, with the completion of phase three expected sometime in 2025.
“Once the center opens, we’ll have a place where you don’t have to send families out of the area to get the services they need,” Hentschel said.
