Daily Herald opinion: How government is supposed to work: Crisis Recovery Center in DuPage marks successful first year

A facility offering accessible mental health and addiction recovery services in DuPage County is fulfilling expectations one year after opening.

The Crisis Recovery Center, which opened Sept. 2, 2025, on the DuPage County Health Department grounds in Wheaton, has conducted more than 2,200 on-site assessments during its first year of operation.

Meanwhile, the center has received financial support from the community, including a recent $250,000 grant from a township mental health board.

In a story earlier this month, correspondent Alicia Fabbre reported that the county health department has been DuPage’s largest community mental health provider for decades.

The center represents the “keystone element” the health department needed to build an “ideal behavioral health crisis system” for residents, according to Adam Forker, the health department’s executive director.

“The Crisis Recovery Center is now that single point of access for any behavioral health crisis happening in our county,” Forker told DuPage County Board members on Sept. 8. “Together we’ve built a safe, stigma-free alternative to emergency rooms and to 911, and it is working.”

The center offers 24/7 immediate help for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. It serves as an alternative to hospital emergency rooms or law enforcement intervention.

Individuals experiencing a crisis can be brought to the center, where they are screened and cared for by trained mental health and substance use professionals. They are also connected to community resources for continued support.

According to county health officials, the center completed 2,290 on-site assessments from its first day through the end of August. The total includes 386 young people.

Forker said 97% of the people who received assessments had their needs resolved safely in the community setting. Only 3% needed a higher level of care at an emergency room or a psychiatric facility.

Fabbre quoted DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy, who spoke about the significance of the number of young people served at the facility.

“Every single youth who goes through the door is a celebration for the entire county because it is one less person who is going to have a serious crisis as an adult,” Conroy said.

As the center focuses on positive outcomes for clients, officials are making progress to ensure the facility’s long-term financial sustainability.

The York Township 708 Mental Health Board recently presented a $250,000 check to support the center’s ongoing operation.

Michael Ledonne, the board’s president, said using township dollars to help sustain a county resource “is exactly how local government is supposed to work.”

We couldn’t agree more.

County board members and health department officials worked together in DuPage to make the Crisis Recovery Center a reality. And the numbers show positive results after its first year. With support from 708 boards and other local groups, the facility could help many people for years to come.