Grand Traverse County Commissioners approved $5 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Actfunds to expand mental health resources in the Traverse City area.
Munson Healthcare, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority, and other partners will use the money to develop the Grand Traverse Center for Mental Wellness. The Center for Wellness will bring existing mental health services under one roof.
Brian Martinus, interim CEO of Northern Lakes, said the facility will make it easier to connect folks with the services they need.
“There’s some services Northern Lakes can’t offer. There’s some services that Munson can’t offer. But we have community partners that offer those services," he said. "So once the assessment is done, if they don’t qualify for the services that we provide we can actually get them into the right services within the community.”
Northern Lakes noted that more than 950 people were treated at Munson Medical Center's Emergency Department in Traverse City for a suicidal-related diagnosis in 2021.
“[The Grand Traverse Center for Mental Wellness] addresses the need in the community by allowing people to get direct access when they come in for services," Martinus said. "And it will allow Munson to free up bed space in their emergency room which makes everything a lot easier within the hospital system.”
The facility will be located on the Munson Medical Center Campus. It’ll be open to adults and youth, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is expected to open in 2024.
It’s part of a three-phase project to expand services in northern Michigan.
Phase two of the project will add new services, like nursing and psychiatric assessments.
As part of the first phase of the project, Northern Lakes opened a 24-hour Crisis Welcoming Center on Hall Street in Traverse City last November.
