Integrated Services of Kalamazoo (ISK) plans to build a 24-hour Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Access Center after the City of Kalamazoo recently approved the plans.
The Center will be built on the site of the old Acme Bedding Company on Kalamazoo Avenue. ISK says it will provide immediate mental health care around the clock.
Dianne Shaffer of ISK called the new facility a "game changer."
“What's different is that we are constructing a building that someone could walk into 24 hours a day, seven days a week and receive support for their mental health or substance abuse issue," she said.
Shaffer said ISK picked the location for two reasons: it already owns the property, and its central location means it will be accessible to lots of people.
“It's downtown. It's on the bus line. It's walking distance from some of our homeless shelters. It's walking distance from the bus transportation center,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer also said the facility will also help reduce mental health stigma in Kalamazoo.
“Knowing that there’s a place that you can just walk into any time of day or night and talk to somebody, I think is huge,” said Shaffer.
Construction will start in September. The new facility is expected to be open by June 2023.