It's housed in a brick building just a few blocks from downtown Portland. And it's been busy on weekday mornings lately.
About a dozen people are in a large central room, which is designed to look less clinical and more homely. Features skylights, barn walls, sofas, and chairs. Outside of its main room he has eight private meeting rooms, each with its own window.
Gov. Janet Mills' proposed budget includes $1.5 million to establish a crisis reception center in Lewiston. This is part of a broader plan Mr. Mills announced in his State of the State address to create a statewide network of centers to provide immediate assistance to people in crisis. The first center in Maine opened in Portland two years ago.
Ben Strick, vice president of adult behavioral health at Sparwink, which operates the center, said anyone in crisis can come here.
“That could be anyone from a teenager struggling in school to an upperclassman whose friends are dying to someone who is homeless and struggling with substance use,” Strick said.
The center is staffed by both clinical providers and peer support specialists. People can get help with medication or talk to someone who has experienced mental health issues. There will be rooms for groups to meet, and staff will help connect people with other services in the community. There is also a kitchen with snacks, showers and laundry. Although we are open seven days a week, we are not a resident program. A person can stay for up to 23 hours at a time.
Patti Wight
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maine public
“And they know they can come here and they know they can come back,” says program manager Megan Duest. She says it's a “faultless door” model, which aims to provide immediate help to whoever walks in.
“And that's a big part of it, is we want to encourage people to come back if they want to. And they know there's no barrier to doing that,” Duest says. “They don't need to call, they don't need to be introduced. It's completely like a walk-in and we'll greet you and understand what you need.”
Peer support specialist Brandon Krim knows from personal experience what it's like to need immediate care. The first time he tried to get treatment for substance use disorder, he says, he couldn't get into any programs. So he kept using until his friend helped him find a treatment out of state.
“Having been there myself, I can always understand when a time comes when you need help and you try to ask for it and it’s refused. It’s not only very heartbreaking but also humiliating. “And that deters you from accessing help again,” he says.
Additionally, when mental health care is not available, the response is often left to law enforcement, which can lead to incarceration. Bridget Sliwak, behavioral health coordinator for the Portland Police Department, said she frequently receives calls from local residents and businesses who see someone in distress.
“And we might end up interacting with that person multiple times a day. And I think it was really just a struggle leading up to this, like where is this person going?” Can we do that? How can we support them?”
Sliwak said police now bring people to the crisis center several times a week.
“I actually had someone there this morning,” she says.
The center also serves as an alternative to the emergency department. Dr. Christopher Racine, chief of emergency psychiatry at Maine Medical Center, said the hospital is in almost daily contact with the crisis center. Patients who show up in a crowded ER are often redirected to a reception center.
“Right now, everyone in the community is so busy and overwhelmed with such long waiting lists that there is an incredible need for this on-demand service that doesn't exist outside of the emergency room. did.”
In just two years, the center has served more than 1,200 people. Simonne Marin, executive director of the Maine Consumer Council System, said the center's strength is that it keeps people out of the emergency room and focuses on peer support.
“Often the most powerful thing we can do for each other during a crisis is to sit and listen,” Marin says.
The next crisis center in Maine could be in Lewiston. It is expected that the center could be operational within a year if lawmakers approve Gov. Mills' budget proposal.
