The Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center (CCC) opened up to the public March 31 at 8:00 am. Though coupled with the same staff team and system used by the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI), patients are given immediate care no matter their abilities to pay. It is open all day, every day and available for anyone eighteen and older.
There are many resources available for the public such as crisis stabilization, medication based treatment, mental health support, dental care, outpatient treatment for substance use disorders, a caring team of specialized doctors, and an overall safe space for those who need it.
Jordan Crofts is a Psychiatric Technician who works at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Mental Health Institute on the fourth floor’s Mood/Detoxing unit. He specialises in patients with mental health concerns as well as the use of unprescribed medications. Crofts explains the CCC. “It’s a Receiving Center, not an Emergency Room […] They are just for different reasons. They don’t do assessments for mental health at the ER,” he says. The CCC is for patients who need psychiatric support. Mental health problems are rising and that is causing an elevated amount of crises with each person. This local crisis center is there to help anyone who needs it, with an additional 40 beds, as Crofts remarks, “It’s going to be beneficial, because there are more beds for more patients.”
As a specialist in mental health, Crofts explains why opening the CCC is so important: “There are usually about 120–130 patients in the whole hospital, so with the CCC, they will probably be able to get to 150–160. These are supposed to be the high turnover patients that get treated quickly.” This high turnover of patents is especially important because the HMHI is one of the best mental health institutes. “Also HMHI is usually ranked #1 or #2 in the country for psychiatric care,” Crofts says.
Because of Crofts’ position at the HMHI, he knows how important the CCC will be for those who need help in the “mood” section of the hospital. He also explains that the Receiving Center for adults and youth were once the same. He said, “Adults go to the CCC and youth go to HMHI’s Receiving Center now.” For people younger than 18, there is still a crisis line (988) that can be called or texted in an emergency as well as the Receiving Center in the HMHI hospital. This means there is more space for all ages. The crisis line is available all day every day along with the CCC and HMHI.
A nurse technician that works at the CCC was also spoken to but wanted to stay anonymous. The nurse said, “People come from all around the country for HMHI. It could still be improved drastically. It’s still so much better than other places.” This means that the CCC is very important for the local residents of Utah. Because so many people want to go to the HMHI, having another receiving center will be very useful. After being asked what could be improved, the nurse said, “There could just be more resources available to everyone, things like accessible care for the ones that need it the most. Management could also be improved. We need more help here.” The CCC is newly opened and the nurse expects it to get better soon. “There are more beds, more treatment, more access to the community,” says Crofts.
