Public health officials in DuPage County think they've found a way to improve mental health care that reduces emergency room visits, gets people the help they need and helps keep some facing arrest out of the county jail.
Calling it a"transformational project," Ayala said the crisis hub is the next logical step in the county's continuum of care for mental health needs. by signing up you agree to our terms of service "So many of our families and youth are struggling today, and they have nowhere to go, and they don't know what to do," DuPage County Chair Deborah Conroy said."What this facility will provide is that space for them to come and have that soft handoff to make those connections for those families."
Ayala and other officials have visited two similar facilities in Florida and Virginia. Though the DuPage crisis hub will not be a replica of either, it will adopt some features of both facilities to help meet regional needs. The Living Room Wellness Center in Waukegan offers crisis intervention and counseling services to Lake County residents in need. Additionally, through partnerships with county and municipal police, officers can bring people to the Living Room Wellness Center, where they can receive care, rather than taking those people to jail.Exactly how DuPage County's behavioral health crisis hub will run still is being worked out.