Belmont Behavioral Health is opening a crisis response center in Delaware County
Belmont Behavioral Health will operate a 24-7 crisis center for people experiencing a mental or behavioral health emergency.
Belmont Behavioral Health, one of the Philadelphia area’s largest mental health providers, has been selected to the fill the gap in mental heath crisis services in Delaware County.
The county has been without a leading crisis response provider since Crozer Health closed earlier this year. The health system operated the county’s only 24-7 crisis center — at Crozer-Chester Medical Center — and was a leading provider of mental health services.
Belmont was selected by the Delaware County Council last week to operate a 24-7 crisis center for people experiencing a mental or behavioral health emergency, and to manage a mobile crisis unit to respond to 911 emergencies.
The crisis center is designed to help people who are experiencing a mental or behavioral health emergency and need immediate help that often is not available at general hospitals. The center will be staffed by psychiatrists, nurses, and social workers who are specially trained to work with mental health patients.
A location for the crisis center and financial terms of the agreement have not yet been finalized, but county officials said they expect Belmont’s services to be phased in over the coming months.
» READ MORE: Here’s Delaware County’s plan for addressing emergency response shortages following Crozer’s closure
Since Crozer’s closure, nearby Riddle Hospital in Media and Mercy Fitzgerald Medical Center in Darby have been struggling to meet demand for mental and behavioral healthcare in emergency rooms that are increasingly crowded.
The organization will aim to reduce hospitalizations by improving access to critical mental health services, Belmont CEO Jacqueline Basile said Wednesday during a presentation to the Delaware County Council.
The crisis center will include expanded pediatric services and a stabilization unit that can reduce the number of patients who must be transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility.
Belmont is owned by Acadia Healthcare, one of the largest mental health providers in the country, with headquarters in Tennessee. Belmont operates crisis centers and specialized mental health facilities in Philadelphia, and partners with local teaching hospitals to provide specialized training.
New crisis center
Belmont and county officials are reviewing a short list of potential locations for the crisis center, which will operate around the clock.
Monica Taylor, the head of the county council, said she anticipates the center will open within the next six months.
Belmont’s mobile crisis response unit should be on the road within a month, Taylor said. The unit will be able to respond to 911 calls at homes, schools, and other locations where first responders believe someone is experiencing a mental health emergency.
The organization would like to work with local first responders, hospitals, and other stakeholders to expand access to training for handling mental health emergencies, Belmont leaders said during the county council presentation.