Burrell Behavioral Health has broken ground on a new Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Columbia, according to a news release.
Residents in mid-Missouri will soon have more access to 24/7, 365-day crisis care.
Burrell has an existing crisis center located at 1805 E. Walnut St. in Columbia. The new crisis center on Texas Avenue will be three times as large as the other center.
The Burrell BHCC at 1805 E. Walnut will continue to operate with normal hours without interruption to services during the new site construction.
BHCCs provide services from a team specializing in mental health and substance use-related crises. BHCC is for adults 18 and older and is completely voluntary for clients. Any adult can receive care no matter if they have insurance or the ability to pay.
In September 2024, the city of Columbia allocated Burrell $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to construct a new BHCC on the same campus as Burrell's Phoenix Clinic.
"This project highlights the significant impact ARPA funding, and the hard work of community partners are making in Columbia," Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said according to the news release. "Having these types of services will make for a healthier, safer community."
Through the addition of an Adult Crisis Stabilization Unit, clients will be able to receive up to 72 hours of care compared to the 23-hour care maximum at the existing building.
“We continue to see a need for crisis services within Boone County and Missouri. Behavioral Health Crisis Centers meet that need while providing an alternative to emergency rooms or jails and alleviating strain on community resources,” Burrell CEO Mat Gass said.
The existing crisis center is estimated to have saved the Columbia community upward of $14 million in the last year, based on a Missouri-specific model of hospitalization costs, jail costs, law enforcement salary and crisis center operations costs, according to the news release.
