Daily Herald opinion: Crisis Recovery Center in DuPage provides blueprint for making behavioral health care more accessible
DuPage County has completed a new Crisis Recovery Center that will help fill critical gaps in suburban mental health and addiction services.
Expected to open the first week of September on the grounds of the DuPage County Health Department in Wheaton, the $25.8 million facility will provide 24/7 immediate help for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.
In addition to separate mental health units for adults and youths, the center will include an adult substance use stabilization unit.
Family members, individuals and first responders will be able to bring those experiencing a crisis to the center, where they will be screened and cared for by trained mental health and substance use professionals and connected to community resources for continued support.
DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy said the facility will be open to anyone needing an immediate mental health or substance use intervention, regardless of whether they are insured, Medicaid users, or uninsured.
“In terms of mental health, it's OK to not be OK. It's just not OK to have nowhere to go, and now we have somewhere to go,” Conroy said.
We have applauded DuPage officials for their efforts to expand the county’s behavioral health system. Services added through the years include outpatient substance use treatment programs, a crisis hotline and mobile crisis response teams. This center is another huge step forward. It’s also an accomplishment that officials devoted many years to achieving.
As a state lawmaker in 2019, Conroy spoke with health department leaders about the need for a Crisis Recovery Center, especially for families seeking help for their children. After Conroy helped to secure $5.5 million in state funding, the project gained further momentum when she took the helm of the county board in 2022.
“I said, ‘All right, we're doing this … and I want to include a children's hub,’” she recalled.
In addition to the state funds, DuPage County Board members dedicated $15.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds for the project. The health department also provided $5 million, including a $1 million grant secured by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten.
“In DuPage, we work incredibly collaboratively,” Conroy said. “We put the right people at the table. Everybody had the same vision.”
DuPage officials deserve credit for their willingness to work together on the project. It was also wise to use a portion of the federal stimulus the county received to build a facility that will provide long-term benefits to the region.
One significant benefit of the Crisis Recovery Center is that it will serve as an alternative to hospital emergency departments or law enforcement intervention.
“Moving forward, when someone in our community feels lost or overwhelmed, they will have a place to turn … a place that never closes its doors, a place that offers hope,” said Adam Forker, the county’s health department executive director.
At full capacity, the center will be able to serve approximately 15,000 people a year. And when you consider that it will help anyone in crisis regardless of where they live, the center should become a valuable resource for the suburbs.
Leaders in DuPage deserve praise for making the center a reality. The facility will serve as a model for how other communities across the state and nation could make behavioral health care more accessible.