New Crisis Stabilization Center described as ‘paradigm shift’ for mental health opens in Hurricane

Written by Chris Reed
August 23, 2023

HURRICANE — A year and five months to the day ground was broken on an experiment to bridge the mental health gap locally, a celebration was held Tuesday for the opening of the Washington County Crisis Stabilization Center in Hurricane.

(L-R) Utah Rep. Walt Brooks, Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby, Washington County Commissioner Adam Snow, Washington County Administrator Nicholle Felshaw, Washington County Commissioner Victor Iverson, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and other dignitaries cut a ceremonial ribbon to open the Washington County Crisis Stabilization Center, Hurricane, Utah, Aug. 22, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Almost like how the State of the Union sees all of Washington’s officials in one chamber, if there was a police chief, council member, mayor, commissioner, state legislator or governor who represents a resident in the five counties of Southern Utah, they were at 176 S. Regional Park Road on Tuesday afternoon.

The center is designed to be for mental health what urgent care and emergency rooms are for physical health, officials said. It’s also a new intake for law enforcement to use in place of jail or mental wards for people dealing with mental and substance abuse issues.

Sen. Evan Vickers, who represents Iron County, told St. George News that it couldn’t be understated how crucial the center’s opening is for the mental health needs of Southern Utah. 

“This is a paradigm shift,” said Vickers, who has experience in health care as the operator of Bulloch Drug and Township Pharmacy in Cedar City. “This is going to change how we take care of those with mental health needs throughout our area.”

The center will be open 24 hours, seven days a week and is free of charge. The idea, officials say, is for family and/or friends to bring in people who pose a danger to themselves or to others, as well as those who have overdosed or are severely impaired by substances.

At the same time, law enforcement can bring in people who are exhibiting mental health issues or are under the influence in a public place but are otherwise not committing a crime.

“The individual gets the critical care that they need and they don’t end up having to go to jail or even having the possibility of criminal charges hanging over their head,” Washington County Sherrif Nate Brooksby told St. George News. “It’s the hospital or the jail. Those are the only solutions that we’ve had in all of my 27 years in law enforcement. Now we have another option.”

The Washington County Crisis Stabilization Center, Hurricane, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Gov. Spencer Cox, who noted it is the rare time that he is able to attend both a groundbreaking and a dedication of the same building, called the new center a “generational change” during the ceremony.

“This is incredible to have a facility where basically, there are no questions asked,” Cox told St. George News after the ceremony. “You can just come — law enforcement can come, families can come — with somebody in crisis. You’ll be met at the front door by a team of people who are willing to help 24/7.”

The center is the second of its kind in the state after the first was opened in Davis County in 2019 and was touted as a “great success” for law enforcement, turning what had been five hours of processing into a 15-minute dropoff. 

Few other states have such centers, but when it was first tried in California in 2000, one of its first patients was actor Robert Downey Jr., who rather than just being locked up with no help received treatment for his substance abuse issue. He came out as sober since and eight years later became “Iron Man.”

Serenity garden in back of Washington County Crisis Stabilization Center, Hurricane, Utah, Aug. 22, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Not wanting the limelight is Chris Charter, who previously helped people with mental health issues at nearby Purgatory Correctional Facility but will now lead the new center as program manager for the Southwest Behavioral Health Center. He said the new center will help bridge the mental health gap locally and give people who come there their pride back.

“People don’t lose their rights when they come to us. When someone’s pink sheeted and ends up in behavioral medicine, they lose their rights because they’ve been committed. If they go to jail, they lose their rights,” Charter said. “They don’t lose their rights here and maintain their dignity and still receive the best help that they can get.”

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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