First Northeast Texas Regional Crisis Response Center Opens

Healthcore to bring services to the Ark-La-Tex region that will provide enormous community benefit and relieve strain on area emergency departments.” The RCRC, funded through the Texas 1115 Waiver, offers care for both voluntary clients and those who are on an involuntary 48-hour-hold. The Texas 1115 Waiver applies to projects designed to improve outcomes and reduce cost. Construction for the project was provided through CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital-Atlanta. “We would not have been able to do this without the partnership with CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System,” said Roberts. Operating as a temporary three-bed voluntary unit since April of 2014, the mental health unit has served over 95 clients from Cass, Bowie, and surrounding counties. The new RCRC unit has 10 secure beds and 14 open beds for patients. At full capacity, the unit brings over 25 full-time, part-time, and PRN jobs to the Atlanta community. The Regional Crisis Response Center (RCRC) in Atlanta, TX, a collaborative effort between Community Healthcore and CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, opened Jan. 21, 2015, for patient care at CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital-Atlanta. Established to address the findings of a community needs assessment, the RCRC will help ensure patients (18 years of age and older) suffering with a behavioral health crisis receive “the right care, in the right setting, at the right time,” according to Jeanell Cannon, Regional Administrator for Community Healthcore, Bowie, Cass, and Red River Counties. Historically, a large number of patients facing a behavioral health crisis in the Ark-La-Tex region have presented to area hospital emergency departments to seek care. The 24-bed RCRC unit will provide a more appropriate setting for these patients while decreasing the demand for emergency department resources that are designed and best used to address an already high volume of physically emergent patients. “The RCRC will provide services at a level of care appropriate to the situation and provides an alternative level of care to the community in need,” said Rick Roberts, Director of Integrated Health Services. “In our region’s nine counties, approximately 6,000 people are seen in a mental health crisis each year,” said Loren Miller, Regional Program Director for Community Healthcore. A portion of the CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital-Atlanta facility was remodeled to create the mental crisis unit. “The facility is comparable to some of the most highly advanced psychiatric facilities in the country,” said Thomas McKinney, Administrator, CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital-Atlanta. “Community Healthcore really did their homework when they put this together.” “CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System has worked for several years to identify a better means for assisting patients in mental health crisis,” McKinney added. “We are excited the efforts have resulted in collaboration with Community