Background
Like many counties across the United States, Franklin County, Ohio had a gap in mental health and addiction treatment services, which was further underscored during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2020, Franklin County approved additional public funding for a new crisis center in collaboration with the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH).
Challenge
ADAMH and Franklin County wanted an experienced owner’s representative to manage the development of the new crisis center. The owner’s representative’s immediate responsibilities would be to validate the proposed location for the new facility, validate the proposed program, develop a design and construction schedule, and manage the selection process for design and construction partners.
Another important aspect of this project would be community outreach and engagement. Equally important would be collaborating with multiple stakeholders, including the operator, the Franklin County Board of Commissions Public Facilities Management (PFM) group, and multiple Central Ohio health systems, as this new facility would become the central and preferred destination for mental health and addiction crisis needs for Franklin County.
Solution
After conducting a competitive selection process, ADAMH selected Hammes Healthcare as its owner’s representative. Hammes evaluated the proposed site for the facility as well as the program, which includes the following components:
- Intake and assessment area
- Walk-in clinic/urgent care
- 23-hour observation unit
- 16-bed inpatient unit
- Substance use disorder treatment services
- Medical services
- Pharmacy
- Discharge planning area
- Administrative offices
- Family support services
- Linkage services
Hammes assisted ADAMH with the selection of the project architect, engineers, and construction manager, which were announced in late 2021. The project had an established MWBE goal of 12%, but ultimately achieved 31% MWBE participation.
Before its completion, the new Franklin County Crisis Care Center was already receiving national attention for its unique “no-wrong-door” approach to supporting individuals in crisis and their families with its EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment Treatment and Healing) unit. The EmPATH unit is open to individuals at any time of day, any day of the week, and importantly, away from the ED where individuals in crisis often present. The environment is calm and supportive allowing for comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, treatment options, and recovery areas.
Before the Franklin County Crisis Care Center, only 10 observation units existed. Now, Franklin County has significantly increased its capacity, adding 60 units to provide much-needed crisis care to the community.
