Andy Alexander, of Security State Bank in Chehalis, attempts to cut the ceremonial ribbon at the groundbreaking for Cascade Mental Health's new facility near the Port of Centralia on Monday afternoon.
Rain drops and freshly shoveled dirt collect on one of the ceremonial shovels used during Cascade Mental Health's groundbreaking of a new facility near the Port of Centralia on Monday afternoon.
Members of the community, the board of Cascade Mental Health and employees at the facility, pose for a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the organization's new 22-bed mental health evaluation and treatment center housed near the Port of Centralia on Monday, May 1, 2017.
Cascade CEO Richard Strider speaks prior to a ceremonial ribbon cutting and groundbreaking at Cascade Mental Health's new facility near the Port of Centralia on Monday afternoon.
Construction of Cascade’s new mental health facility officially got underway on Monday with a ribbon cutting and groundbreaking ceremony hosted by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce.
“This is a big thing for our community,” Chamber Executive Director Alicia Bull told those gathered at the site on Steelhammer Lane in the Port of Centralia.
To kick off construction, a ribbon was first cut in front of the construction site. Then, members of Cascade’s board of directors and other important individuals ceremoniously broke ground.
The $8 million, 22-bed facility is expected to open in early spring of next year, Cascade Chief Executive Officer Richard Stride said. It is expected to create 45 to 50 jobs in the area. There have been minor delays in permit reviews, but
originally the center was scheduled to open in late January or early February next year.
Of the 22 beds, 16 will be in a locked unit for court-mandated treatment and for those with serious issues, The Chronicle reported last week. The remaining beds will be in an unlocked unit for patients with less serious issues who checked themselves into treatment.
This facility will provide local treatment for more serious mental health issues as well as an evaluation center, Stride said. The goal is to provide more services locally instead of sending patients out of county to places like Western State Hospital in Lakewood.
“(We will) be able to keep our citizens in Lewis County,” he said. “We believe in Lewis County and its people.”
Stride said treating people within the community will help reduce some of their stress because they will be in a somewhat familiar environment. It will also allow family and friends to visit their loved ones in the center.
The state Legislature has been increasing funding for local facilities like this over the past few bienniums, including $3 million for the facility in Centralia.
Western State Hospital has had several issues arise over the last few years and has been understaffed. Lawmakers in Olympia are working to address those issues.
The facility in Centralia will be similar to the Thurston-Mason Behavioral Health Center located in Olympia, Cascade Board Member Ron Averill said. Law enforcement officers will be able to bring a person to the facility to be evaluated and to receive treatment instead of being put in jail.
“This will have an impact, a direct impact,” Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza said. “This is incredible.”
Currently care is offered at the county jail, he said. The first evaluation will be within the first 24 hours of booking. However, the wait for care is around three months.
Many people with mental health needs are currently being diverted from jail, Snaza said. Every sheriff’s deputy and corrections officer has received, or will receive, at least 40 hours of crisis intervention training to help them deal with situations.
Mental health is no longer being shoved into the background, Averill said. It has become less stigmatized, and more is known about it and how to deal with it, Snaza added.
Snaza, a 25-year veteran of law enforcement, said in the past a domestic violence or assault call would be treated in somewhat routine fashion. Now, the cause of the call is looked at as well. The person could be a veteran coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan and have PTSD, Snaza said. So instead of just arresting the person and booking them into jail, responders are able to identify the problem and help the person get treatment.
“Nobody is immune to this,” Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund said at the groundbreaking.
The people working to build this facility are committed to providing services to members of the community, Stride said. The goal is to not only help those in need but to create jobs in the area for local graduates to stay in the area.
“Working in behavioral health is not just a job for us,” Stride said. “It is a calling.”
