FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A new behavioral health crisis center will be coming to Fulton County that could help "save lives," county officials said in a news release.
"Fulton County's new Behavioral Health Crisis Center will undoubtedly save lives," said Chairman Robb Pitts. "Working closely with the state of Georgia, we will knock down barriers so our residents will be able to get the help they need."
Construction for the center started early Monday morning. It will be located at the Oak Hill Child, Family & Adolescent Center on Metropolitan Parkway, a facility that helps with community needs.
"It's a game changer. Our crisis centers around this region are overcrowded and don't have beds," said Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Kevin Tanner.
The center will provide 24 beds and 16 observation chairs 24/7. County officials said they are expecting the facility to serve 5,000 people each year. It will additionally include a "living room style" model to give residents with the greatest need access to the crisis beds. Security will also be provided at the facility.
"No stigma. Just a very calming environment. So when someone comes in here, if they just need a place to see and they need a place to relax and a place to just be a professional for a short period of time," said Tanner.
Since the creation of the 988 crisis hotline the center reported that Fulton County had the highest number of calls coming from residents, according to officials. The data from the crisis hotline led to county commissioners' decision to create the facility.
"We need three, but we only have one. This took work on both sides of the aisle. Mental health is a crisis in Fulton County. It affects our jails, it affects our hospitals. It affects our ability to have individuals to have safe housing, jobs. It is all correlated," said District 6 Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman.
Officials also added that its first crisis center will help reduce growing suicide and overdose deaths in the county.
According to County government officials, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office identified 154 opioid-related deaths in 2016. That was a 154% increase since 2010.
Funding for the facility first began in 2021 when the county's Board of Commissioners allocated $15 million to the project. The Georgia General Assembly also awarded funds for the project in its 2024 budget.
Completed construction on the facility is slated for early 2024. It will be overseen by an operator with experience in crisis mental health service.
Resident who want more information on the center can call Fulton County's Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities at (404) 613-7013.