A behavioral health center dedicated to serving the needs of families and communities in the Omaha area will open by the end of 2007 as part of plans that will be announced today by members of a unique public-private partnership that includes UNMC’s hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center.
A news conference will be held today at the Scott Conference Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus regarding the center, which will be called the Lasting Hope Recovery Center and provide a continuum of care ranging from crisis assessment and inpatient treatment to sub-acute services. UNMC College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., will be among those speaking at the news conference.
Development of the center is the result of a collaborative process involving local community leaders, hospitals and community-based providers, state and local government officials, as well as educators who recognized the need to offer comprehensive and compassionate care for patients facing a broad range of behavioral health issues.
“Today’s announcement represents a significant step forward in providing the services behavioral health consumers and their families deserve, and I want to express my thanks to all those whose vision and expertise helped make this project a reality,” Gov. Dave Heineman said. “Lasting Hope Recovery Center will provide a vital service to residents in this part of our state. By providing a broad range of services in an environment designed to meet the needs of consumers, this center has the potential to serve as a model for other communities as we continue expanding community-based behavioral health services across Nebraska.”
The $17.5 million capital commitment for this initiative is being made possible through generous gifts from local philanthropists to a new not-for-profit foundation set up to support the Lasting Hope Recovery Center. The Behavioral Health Support Foundation was co-founded by local community leaders Ken Stinson and Rhonda and Howard Hawks. Of the total commitment, $13.5 million will be used to acquire the property, complete the necessary facility upgrades, and begin operations. The remaining $4 million will be given to community-based behavioral health programs to add service capacity and strengthen the continuum of services in the community.
Local health care providers including Alegent Health and The Nebraska Medical Center will provide financial support for Lasting Hope Recovery Center. Alegent Health has agreed to operate the facility.
Stinson praised those involved in the project and said the public-private partnership model will allow Lasting Hope Recovery Center to integrate advanced treatments being pioneered by the state’s leading health care providers with the existing network of community-based health offerings.
“By working together, we are creating a tremendous gateway to care that will address a variety of unmet needs here in Nebraska,” Stinson said. “But even more important than the building itself, we’ve drawn on the best practices and real world experiences from both the public and private sectors to establish a philosophy and model for care that will change the way our communities interact with behavioral health needs.”
Behavioral health care is meant to address both mental illness and substance abuse, which commonly occurs in patients with mental health issues. Lasting Hope Recovery Center will create new points of access to care and bridge existing gaps in service to better support a community-based care model.
Wayne Sensor, chief executive officer of Alegent Health, said the need for the center has become clear to health care providers in the region.
“Emergency rooms across our city are finding it difficult to provide the specialized care necessary for those experiencing a mental-health crisis. This state-of-the art facility will ensure that our most vulnerable citizens get the care they need in a setting designed for their special needs,” Sensor said.
Lasting Hope Recovery Center will be on the site of the former Richard Young Center at 515 S. 26th St. The facility was recently purchased by the Behavioral Health Support Foundation. The 91,000 square foot facility will feature architectural designs that evoke feelings of comfort, security and well-being among patients and family members.
Key elements of Lasting Hope Recovery Center will include:
- A crisis center with 24-hour call-in support. The center will offer assessments, triage and referral services to ensure that the immediate needs of patients are met efficiently.
- Sixty-four beds dedicated to acute and sub-acute care. These settings will be designed based on the philosophy of the center, to help patients transition through the continuum of care and successfully re-enter the community.
- Services such as urgent outpatient care, emergency community support and peer-driven services.
Rhonda Hawks said Lasting Hope Recovery Center will be adaptable to meet changing community expectations for the treatment and management of behavioral health issues. She credited all who have been involved with planning the project for efforts to improve public awareness of the needs of the mentally ill and the battle to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness.
“In recent years, we’ve done much to ease the stigma of mental illness, but in some cases, the sheer difficulty of accessing a historically under-funded system of care has prevented people from obtaining the help they need,” Hawks said. “Lasting Hope Recovery Center will provide an access point to the system of care that will be just a phone call away.”