Weems Community Mental Health Center will take over the operations of the Crisis Stabilization Unit in Newton on Saturday, and officials are hoping that community members don’t see much of a change when it comes to service.
Amy Mosely, director of crisis services with Weems, said their goal is to try and keep things going as they are under the leadership of Central Mississippi Residential Center.
“We’re still going to offer the same level of care with the CSU that CMRC has provided,” Mosely said. “We have been able to retain the majority of the staff going forward. We are wanting to make the transition as smooth as possible and that you won’t notice much of a difference.”
Mosely said many of the plans are still being finalized regarding staffing and how they will operate the facility. This is the first crisis stabilization unit that Weems has operated, but Mosely said they have worked closely with the CSU.
“We have maintained a close working relationship with the CSU and CMRC,” Mosely said. “We have referred numerous clients to the facility. So we are familiar with what they do.
“Now, when we make referrals to the CSU, clients and family members will have less paperwork to fill out because we will already have access to their files. So, it will help streamline that process.”
Elon Espey, who has been the nurse practitioner and director of the Newton crisis stabilization unit, was an instrumental part of the development of the CSU 17 years ago. She said she has worked closely with Weems during her tenure at CMRC.
She said the employees are appreciative of Weems decision to take on the CSU.
“We’re grateful that Weems is going to continue to the work of the crisis stabilization unit,” Espey said. “We’re having to say goodbye to some employees that we’ve worked with a long time. We are a very close knit group. It’s been a challenging time for us, but we understand that we would not be able to keep everyone, and some have chosen to pursue different career opportunities. However, we will continue to do our best to offer the highest level of care possible at the CSU.”
The CSU is a 16-bed, short-term psychiatric stabilization program for adult men and women with mental health needs. The purpose of this program is to provide early stabilization services in order to reduce the need for commitment or long-term hospitalization. The average length of stay is approximately three to five days for voluntary admissions and seven to 10 days for involuntary admission.
Under CMRC, the CSU had 47 full-time employees with five additional part-time positions. Mosely said they still haven’t determined just how large the staff will be.
“We will be examining the staffing that based on the need,” Mosely said. “However, we are currently trying to fill additional part-time positions at this time.”
Mosely said they will continue offering crisis intervention training in a partnership with CMRC and law enforcement.
“Weems has been a partner in CIT ever since the program started,” Mosely said. “We will continue to be heavily involved with that training. It’s extremely important for law enforcement and other emergency workers to know how to respond to an emergency involving person with mental illness.”
Espey said working with the CSU has been fulfilling.
“Some of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at the CSU was being able to help save someone’s life,” Espey said. “When you can see people who came in here and you’ve helped stabilize them, it’s very gratifying. I really enjoy my job.”
