Located on the public safety campus and operated by behavioral health professionals, the Deschutes County Stabilization Center (DCSC) is intended to curtail jail recidivism and frequent emergency room visits by those with serious mental health conditions. The DCSC serves children and adults who need short-term, mental health crisis assessment and stabilization, but do not require the medical capabilities of an acute care hospital or longer-term residential care. The DCSC welcomes individuals to walk in when they are experiencing a mental health crisis, or they can be referred by local law enforcement and other community partners. The DCSC provides a wide array of crisis services to community including crisis walk-in, adult respite services, Forensic Diversion Programs, peer support, case management, psychiatric medication assessment and more.
Provider perspective: “It’s a really awesome resource that we have here that helps connect folks to the appropriate resources. We have case managers here to help with housing resources, connecting to treatment providers if there’s any type of drug and alcohol treatment needed.”
Client perspective: “It is nice to have a place to de-escalate and a safe place to be for the night.”
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- The Deschutes County Stabilization Center’s purpose is to provide a safe space for those suffering from mental health crises to walk into at any time during the week. The Deschutes County Stabilization Center (DCSC) opened June 1, 2020, and funding from the Central Oregon Health Council (COHC) expanded the hours of the DCSC from five days a week 7am to 9pm to seven days a week in September of 2020. Shortly after receiving the award from COHC, the DCSC was awarded 2.4 million dollars from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission allowing 24/7 365 days a year of operation. Since October 19, 2020, the DCSC has been fully operational and serving individuals experiencing a mental health crisis from Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes Counties. Services are open to anyone in need and the stabilization center does not turn individuals away based on insurance or coverage.
- This project was implemented by Deschutes County Health Services.
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The project attempted to:- Reduce number of emergency department visits brought in by law enforcement.
- Divert individuals with a serious mental illness experiencing a crisis from the ED.
- Provide an alternative place than the ED for people in crisis to receive mental health care.
- Reduce the amount of time law enforcement spends with those experiencing a mental health crisis.
34% of law enforcement drop offs would have previously been taken to the ED.
The Deschutes County Stabilization Center (DCSC) served 429 people who would have previously been served in the ED, and 186 children and families in mental health crisis.
The DCSC managed 99.996% of law enforcement mental health referrals in 20 minutes or less. The average time spent by LE at the DCSC is 4.6 minutes.
An emergency department cost savings analysis report was completed, and it is estimated that cost savings to the ED range from $431,280-$815,040 annually. Estimates from the National Institute on Health on the cost of an ED visit versus a psychiatric visit range from $1198-$2264 per visit. The DCSC diverts approximately 30 people/month (conservatively).
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- The Deschutes County Stabilization Center (DCSC) has been a tremendous resource to our community, particularly during the pandemic when many other resources were unavailable to vulnerable populations. All the goals of the DCSC were achieved including diverting individuals from the criminal justice system and emergency department (ED), as well as saving valuable law enforcement (LE) time. Data indicates that a minimum of 20% of individuals seen at the DCSC were diverted from the emergency department. That number is likely much higher as that information is via self-report from the individual or law enforcement at intake asking them where they would have gone if not for the DCSC. Approximately another 30% of people report they do not know where they would have gone if not for the DCSC, with a portion of those individuals likely ending up in the ED or having contact with LE. Additionally, 46 people have reported they would have ended their life had the DCSC not been available to them, only reinforcing the importance of this critical service being available 24/7. Twenty- percent of individuals seen at the DCSC were brought in voluntarily by LE in lieu of the ED or jail. Average time spent by LE at the DCSC per LE drop off is 4.6 minutes, which increases public safety, reduces the likelihood of a negative encounter with LE or use of force, and saves countless hours of time spent by LE at the ED.
- The biggest challenge was COVID. We opened June 2020, right at the early stages of the pandemic. Staff placed themselves at great risk every day, especially prior to the vaccines being available. Thankfully we were able to rise to the extreme challenge and navigate those very challenging days safely and without an outbreak. There was a period where the DCSC was the only County building open to the public providing face-to-face services. In addition, during that same period, winter had come and there was no warming shelter for a while. Access to the State Hospital was shut off and there was little to no ability to access secure residential treatment facilities as they were all full or at reduced capacity. Shelters limited access as well and Brooks Respite reduced to half capacity. The acuity of the individuals we were seeing during that time rose dramatically placing additional stress on staff.
- Our current challenges, likely related to everything stated above, is staffing. We've lost 30% of the Crisis Program over the last year and recruitment for these challenging positions has been very difficult. We've implemented some innovative and effective strategies and are starting to see some positive results, including shift differentials, adjusted schedules, signing and retention bonuses and stipend pay for shift coverage.
All targets for each objective were met or exceeded.
Many individuals were diverted from the ED and instead given care at the DCSC.
The service is available 24/7.
Reduced likelihood of negative encounters/time spent with law enforcement in ED.