Mike Wolanin | The Republic Scott Lewellen, director of marketing and public relations at Centerstone, positions officials for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of the Stride Center in Columbus on April 13.
For far, far too long, local jails and hospital emergency rooms have been destinations of last resort for a person experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. You don’t have to be in law enforcement or in medicine to understand that this situation isn’t best for the person, the jail or the ER.
Fortunately, as mental health has lately been receiving overdue attention from community leaders, this situation is changing for the better.
As The Republic’s Mark Webber reported recently, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of The Stride Center at 1075 Second St. in Columbus. Its mission is to serve those “experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Webber wrote. A staff of nine will be available to help those in need and provide clients with future options, officials said.
This sounded good to Columbus Police Chief Mike Richardson and Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane, who were among some 40 local officials on hand for the ceremonial opening.
Richardson knows that CPD and other first responders are often the first contact someone has when they are experiencing a substance abuse or mental health crisis, especially when that person may pose a danger to themselves or others.
“We get a lot of calls from people who don’t know where else to go when a loved one is in a mental health crisis,” Columbus Police Chief Mike Richardson said. “We’ve needed the Stride Center for some years now, and I’m glad it is finally here.”
Lane said he believes the new facility evolved in part from crisis intervention training initiated three years ago by Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Sgt. Andrew Whipker and Columbus Police Lt. Alyson Eichel. Lane said an intervention by Stride professionals might keep a mental health issue from escalating to where an individual is hospitalized or commits a crime that ends up putting them in jail.
“This is really going to be able to bridge the gap with individuals we come in contact with that maybe aren’t to the point where they need to be taken to the hospital or placed in immediate detention,” he said.
The Stride Center will be able to provide the following supportive services:
- Triage and crisis intervention such as inpatient detoxification and rehabilitation.
- Mental health and substance use disorder treatment services.
- Peer support or recovery coaching.
- Connections to shelters, food and clothing.
- Naloxone (NARCAN) training.
“The staff of the Columbus Stride Center is professionally trained in harm reduction, trauma-informed care and crisis intervention” and will be able to serve anyone 18 or over from Bartholomew and surrounding counties, Webber explained. “Individuals can stay at the center for up to 23 hours per visit, and can come back if further treatment is needed.”
There are also plans to deploy a mobile crisis team to assist first responders when a person can’t make it to a safe location to get care.
We commend local officials, including from Centerstone, who have made responding to urgent mental health needs a top community priority. The Stride Center stands to be a huge step forward in improving lives — and the life of our community — one person at a time.
The Stride Center can be contacted at 1-877-463-6512.
