A new $28 million behavioral health crisis center is set to open in September, housed in a three-story medical building on the old St. Vincent Charity Medical Center Campus in Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood. The facility, built by The Centers in partnership with Cuyahoga County and its ADAMHS Board, is expected to provide urgent mental health and addiction care for an estimated 12,000 adults a year. The opening follows the closure of MetroHealth’s Psychiatric Emergency Department in Cleveland Heights at the end of the year.
Facility Design and Services
The new crisis center will assess patients within five minutes of arrival, serving those who walk in, are dropped off by family or friends, or are brought by law enforcement or emergency responders. The facility will operate 24/7 with medical staff including psychiatric providers, psychiatrists, nurses, and social workers, with most staff being peer-support workers. The first floor will feature a 40-chair crisis recovery center and walk-in behavioral health urgent care with a pharmacy.
According to Eric Morse, president and CEO of The Centers, “Someone walking into our center will cost approximately half of what it would cost for them to go to an emergency room.” The facility is designed to reduce the need for emergency room visits, jail bookings, and psychiatric hospitalizations. The second floor will offer residential-level care, while the third floor will provide outpatient services with a clinic.
Funding and Community Need
Funding comes from a combination of sources including the ADAMHS Board, ARPA dollars, and the county’s opioid settlement fund. The new center follows Ohio’s broader effort to build out its crisis continuum using American Rescue Plan Act funds. The Lorain County Crisis Recovery Center, which opened in October, served 200 unduplicated clients in its first month, indicating strong community need.
However, behavioral health funding challenges exist. For 2026, Cuyahoga County tightened its budget, resulting in less money for the ADAMHS Board, which funds about 200 programs within more than 70 agencies providing behavioral health services across the county. Some agencies, including Frontline Services, have experienced significant cuts to crisis programs.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/new-behavioral-health-crisis-center-coming-in-2026-77764494