Coleman Health Services officially announced the opening of its first 24/7 Portage Crisis Center by hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Tuesday morning at 3922 Lovers Lane in Ravenna.
“We are very excited to be able to provide these services in Portage County,” Coleman Health Services President and CEO Hattie Tracy told The Weekly Villager “We have been providing 24/7 crisis services in Portage County since the 1980s. What we are doing here is adding some levels of care to the crisis services that we provide.”
Coleman Health Services has offered crisis support by having a crisis stabilization unit at the building at 3920 Lovers Lane but will now consolidate its crisis stabilization services with the crisis center at 3922 Lovers Lane, offering a 23-hour involuntary hold which will allow them to keep patients at the facility and provide trauma-informed care.
According to Tracy, the Portage Crisis Center will have psychiatric services onsite around the clock, can start medication and outpatient services immediately and will provide a youth assessment space, including four youth assessment rooms for youth and family when they are in crisis.
“The idea is that people can be brought to this facility instead of going to the hospital emergency department. Instead of going with the police to jail, they can be brought here, and we can start treatment immediately,” she added.
Coleman Health Services will continue to utilize the property at 3920 Lovers Lane, transforming it into permanent supportive housing for adults who cannot live independently. The supportive housing will provide a staff on site 24/7 to ensure that they can take care of their daily living needs and monitor them for complying with their regimented medication schedule.
“It is just about making sure that supportive services are available for people who are transitioning out of our crisis stabilization unit and then into housing. Then maybe for people who are residing in the housing. If they are struggling, they will be able to transition to a higher level of care right here,” Tracy noted.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony several people offered remarks to commemorate the grand opening of the new facility.
Coleman Health Services Vice President of Development & Marketing Steve Bosart said that the ceremony marked the conclusion a two-year endeavor.
“All of these components together will incorporate the new Portage Crisis Center,” he noted.
Tracy highlighted how moments that promote mental health care in the community are significant because they represent progress and remind everyone of why the work matters.
She spoke of how every day across the State of Ohio individuals face mental health and substance abuse challenges that feel overwhelming, isolating, and urgent. More often than not they don’t know where to go for help. She added that Coleman Health Services’ mission statement provides that behavioral health care qualifies as health care; people who are experiencing those crises or approaching one deserve the same type of care,
“The Portage Crisis Center is more than a building, it is a commitment, a commitment to access, dignity, and meeting people where they are. It is a commitment to the residents of Portage County and the surrounding communities,” she said.
Tracy emphasized that Coleman Health Services received significant contributions and support from local community partners, leaders, and funders, including the Portage Mental Health & Recovery Board and former State of Ohio Representative Gail Pavliga, who worked to secure state operating funds for the project.
Portage Mental Health & Recovery Board Executive Director John Garrity then took the stage to offer his remarks.
He called the new Portage Crisis Center a real gamechanger for Portage County.
“For a long time, we have needed a center like this, that will now allow individuals and families to be treated more quickly and more specifically when they are encountering a mental health crisis,” he added.
Garrity noted how much the Portage Crisis Center will also help law enforcement, CIT officers, EMS, and Fire Departments, who all work on the front line of behavioral health care. They will now have a facility where they can bring people to receive immediate help.
“It provides a safe, appropriate setting for individuals to receive immediate support and allows all of our first responders to get back to their critical jobs and community quickly,” he said.
Garrity highlighted the support of the taxpayers for approving several levies that played a role in Coleman Health Services meeting their financial obligations for this project.
Ohio Department of Behavioral Health Chief Strategy and Financial Planning Officer Dex Stanger was the final speaker at the ceremony.
Stanger reinforced what Tracy and Garrity had previously said and commended all parties for their collaboration in what was an overall smooth process.
“It really means a lot to the state as we build a crisis system statewide that lets people access care in the most appropriate and effective way,” he said. “I appreciate the support of the community and hope the effect of getting people care when they need it the most and the effect of easing the burden on local law enforcement will make us able to expand this benefit to this community and statewide.”
