$1M Funneled To Crisis Stabilization Center Cost From Howard County Leaders

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — County leaders have announced they intend to invest $1 million in Sheppard Pratt’s Baltimore/Washington campus to help construct a new 16-bed crisis stabilization center at 7220 Discovery Dr. in Elkridge.

The center will work with residents in crisis to avoid needing higher levels of care, such as emergency departments or inpatient units, and it help other county residents transition from higher levels of care sooner than they otherwise could.

"With depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and substance use disorders among the leading causes of disability worldwide, it is deeply concerning that access to behavioral health care across our country is too limited for too many. That is why I have allocated an additional $1 million in funding to support Sheppard Pratt’s construction of a new crisis stabilization center. It is imperative we continue to invest in our behavioral health infrastructure to ensure that every resident has the resources and care they need to live a healthy and supported life," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said at a news conference.

Ball included the $1 million for the crisis stabilization center in his fiscal year 2024 budget. This $1 million, plus the approximately $3.6 million in state support, will allow Sheppard Pratt to start construction of the new facility in late 2024 with a tentative opening of late 2025.

"It will help Howard County residents in crisis avoid higher levels of care such as emergency departments or inpatient units, and it will help other county residents transition from those higher levels of care sooner than they otherwise could," said Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt.

The center also will compliment Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center’s new behavioral health unit by providing the hospital with the option to transfer patients, which frees up beds in the BHU. Together, the center and the BHU will help ensure that residents in crisis are receiving the right level of care they need at the right time and in the least restrictive and least costly setting, county officials stated.

“Improving access to mental health services and simplifying the process to navigate these services remains a public health priority. The increase of treatment opportunities provided by this new Sheppard Pratt facility is an important step in supporting this mission,” said Maura J. Rossman, health officer, Howard County Health Department.