Mental health urgent care center planned for Brattleboro

HCRS is preparing to open a new mental health urgent care center in town, with 24/7 walk-in service expected to begin in January.

HCRS is preparing to open a new mental health urgent care center in town, with 24/7 walk-in service expected to begin in January. The organization said the project will be backed by $3.6 million in grant money from the Vermont Department of Mental Health and is intended to give adults and youth another place to turn during mental health, substance use and combined crises.

The center is being developed to fill what HCRS describes as a major service gap in southeastern Vermont, where people in crisis may need more help than a mobile response can provide but not the level of treatment available in an emergency room or inpatient unit. HCRS said it is finalizing leased space in Brattleboro and will spend the coming months readying the building, hiring and training staff, setting up procedures and coordinating with partners ahead of the launch.

About 34 jobs are expected to be created. HCRS has scheduled a job fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Brooks Memorial Library, and additional details are available on the career page at hcrs.org.

The new program will also add four short-term residential beds for children and youth who need a safe, therapeutic setting but do not require psychiatric hospitalization. HCRS said the center will work closely with 988, Mobile Crisis, hospitals, outpatient providers, schools, peer support groups, first responders, housing providers and other local organizations to make referrals and follow-up care smoother.

Services at the site will include peer support, crisis intervention, stabilization, medical support, assessment, care coordination and help connecting to ongoing treatment. The center is designed for psychiatric and substance use crises and is not meant to replace emergency medical treatment for physical health problems.

Local officials said the plan should ease pressure on emergency departments and other public systems. Town Manager John Potter said there was broad agreement at Friday morning’s One Brattleboro meeting that the project would help strengthen the community. Brattleboro Police Chief Jeremy Evans said another crisis-care option would be valuable for officers who regularly encounter mental health-related calls. State’s Attorney Steven Brown also voiced support and said he looks forward to possible collaboration around the overlap between mental health needs and the criminal justice system.

The announcement comes as regional data and HCRS’ Community Needs Assessment point to high emergency department use tied to mental health crises and a need for additional community-based alternatives. HCRS said the project was shaped by those findings and by the need for a place where people can receive immediate care without necessarily going to the hospital.

Emily Hawes, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health, said the state views expanded access to urgent care as essential. HCRS CEO Anne Bilodeau said the initiative will add a safe, therapeutic setting for people who need the right help in the right place at the right time.

Brattleboro Select Board Chairman Oscar Heller said the issue of mental health affects many other local challenges, while board member Isaac Evans-Frantz said the added support is an important investment for residents and could reduce the strain on the local emergency room.