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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Council voted Tuesday to approve the final plans for a new $12.27 million behavioral health facility that can help respond to mental health crises in people on Medicaid.
The MAPS 4 Robert Ravitz Crisis Center aims to increase local treatment options for residents experiencing psychiatric and addiction crises. The center will be operated by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which accepts Medicaid.
More than 768,000 adults in Oklahoma live with a mental health condition, which is more than 6 times the population of Norman. Meanwhile, 1 in 4 Oklahomans are on Medicaid: just over 1 million people.
CAT bulldozers and heavy equipment rest in the bulldozed lot that formerly held the Lottie House, a temporary shelter, and will soon hold a mental health crisis center. (Photo/Sam Royka, The Journal Record)
The center, which seeks to offer services to these Oklahomans, will rest on the east side of the OU Health Sciences Center campus where the Lottie House is undergoing demolition at 1200 NE 13th St.
Support like assessment, counseling, detox services, crisis de-escalation, respite and sleep support are all expected to be included in the new center’s programming.
Currently, two facilities offering crisis services are located in Oklahoma City, but the new facility is situated in a part of the city that operators said is underserved by current facilities. The Department of Mental Health operates one in an older building, while NorthCare operates another facility on its campus near Pershing and May.
Another mental health and substance-focused support system, the Restoration Center, is planned as part of MAPS 4 with NorthCare as its operator.
MAPS Program Manager David Todd serves as the lead administrator in charge of the city public improvement portfolio, managing the rollout of infrastructure investments across the metro.
“(MAPS4) is a cash program,” Todd said. “So when this building is finished, it’s paid for. There’s no debt service on it.”
The mental health crisis facility is designed to provide quick intervention services in a therapeutic, trauma-informed setting. The inside of the building is expected to be warm-toned and provide patients with a safe place to land.
“(The City’s) part is maybe the easiest, just building the building. But operating it, funding it, those things are the hardest,” Todd said.
A rendering shows a care area of the new MAPS 4 mental health crisis center. (Provided by Kristy Yager)
Designs include an urgent recovery center featuring 25 specialized observation stations and a living-room-like social space.
There will be two wings for crisis stabilization with a capacity of up to 16 beds in each wing. The design also includes a group therapy room, a quiet room, another social living space and an outdoor courtyard. Administrative offices will be on the property, where workers will have access to an on-site commercial kitchen and employee cafeteria.
In addition to MAPS4 funding, the Arnall Family Foundation added $3 million in funding to support the development. Local architectural firm S.A. Studio created the blueprints for the development.
A groundbreaking and structural framing is expected early this summer, while the crisis center expects to see its first clients next year.