The Franklin County Crisis Care Center and its long-term vision stand as a testament to what can happen when voters, public agencies, healthcare systems, first responders and community partners unite behind a shared purpose. After one year of operations, the center has begun to show the impact of meeting people in their self-defined crises with care, expertise and hope. The work ahead offers an opportunity to build on that foundation and continue strengthening behavioral health care for all people across Franklin County.
The center, which opened to the public on Sept. 2, 2025, provides 24/7 access to crisis care, including up to 23 hours of observation for adults experiencing mental health or substance use crises. No appointment or referral is required. For those individuals, the center offers a more appropriate destination for care than an emergency department or the justice system, while giving first responders and healthcare partners a new pathway for connecting people to specialized behavioral health services. However, changing long‑standing patterns doesn’t happen overnight. It will take time for agencies, providers and systems to fully integrate this new resource into their operations.
The first year reflects meaningful progress: through June 2026, the center has seen more than 6,000 presentations for service, arriving through a combination of walk-ins and transports from law enforcement, EMS, and mobile crisis teams. These patterns demonstrate that the center is accessible to the community while also serving as a critical component of the county’s crisis response system.
The first year has reinforced an important reality: shifting how a community responds to behavioral health crises requires ongoing learning. As partners adjust to new workflows and the center continues refining its operations in response, growth and adaptation remain part of the process. Each person served, each partnership strengthened and each operational lesson learned helps shape a more responsive, effective system. Continuous improvement is the hallmark of a community willing to challenge the status quo and build something better.
This work is grounded in our community’s long-term vision of a comprehensive crisis care continuum where people can access the right level of care based on their needs. The Franklin County Crisis Care Center is intentionally designed to grow in phases, bringing different levels of care together to create a more complete response to behavioral health crises. The next phase will include the addition of behavioral health urgent care, creating a new access point for individuals with lower-acuity crisis needs. Forthcoming inpatient services will support those requiring higher-acuity care and longer stays. As each phase comes online, more residents will be able to get the treatment they need while staying connected to recovery supports and community-based resources.
The Franklin County Crisis Care Center’s potential is significant, and the first year has shown encouraging signs of impact. As utilization grows, partnerships deepen, and additional services come online, the Franklin County Crisis Care Center will continue evolving into a more complete behavioral health resource for our community. Realizing its full potential will require sustained collaboration, ongoing refinement, and a shared commitment to ensuring every resident experiencing a behavioral health crisis has access to timely, compassionate care.
Erika Clark Jones
CEO, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County
