Crisis unit project to break ground in Ravenna

Months after receiving funding for a crisis stabilization unit in Portage County, Coleman Health Services is ready to break ground.

Coleman plans a groundbreaking at 11 a.m. March 1 outside the Sue Hetrick Building, 3922 Lovers Lane in Ravenna. In the event of poor weather, the event will take place indoors. Coleman received $2.5 million last year from the state of Ohio for the project.

The facility, when complete, will include a 23-hour observation unit with a secure drop-off, and a renovated crisis stabilization unit. Coleman said the facility will safely divert adults and children from overcrowded hospitals and jails and save community resources.

Portage County Children Services has long lamented the placement crisis which impacts many young people facing mental health and developmental disabilities.

The $5.1 million project would include an extensive renovation and addition to the existing Crisis Stabilization Unit at 3920 Lovers Lane, which is owned by the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County and opened in 1987. The building now houses an 11-bed crisis stabilization unit and behavioral health treatment offices operated by Coleman.

The renovation will involve the older part of the building, which houses the crisis stabilization unit.

Coleman’s crisis services are now voluntary and not designed for those needing higher safety and security.

In addition to the observation area, the unit will include a secure area with private rooms for children and parents who will stay with them. This is a new model of service for families, Coleman has said. To access the unit, patients would not need to be medically cleared by an emergency department or an adult or juvenile detention facility, cutting down on wait times.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Crisis unit project set for groundbreaking in Ravenna