MOSES LAKE — People undergoing a mental health crisis will have an option for inpatient treatment in Grant County. Commissioner Cindy Carter cut the ribbon on the new Crisis Solutions Center on Monday.

The new center is administered by Grant Integrated Services. It’s located next to GIS at 836 E. Plum St., Moses Lake.

Carter was joined by fellow commissioners Richard Stevens and Tom Taylor and Moses Lake Mayor David Curnel, as well as other local officials.

Grant Integrated Services director Dell Anderson said the facility has room for 10 patients and will provide treatment for up to 14 days. It’s still in the process of obtaining its state licenses, but Anderson said he hopes it will be open within a few weeks.

“This is something this county hasn’t had before,” Anderson said. Previously patients in crisis had to leave the county for short-term treatment, and sometimes patients had to wait for a place to become available, he said.

One of the goals at GIS is to help people get treatment they need without leaving home, and if possible, to provide short-term treatment that eliminates the need for hospitalization. The new facility will make that easier, he said.

Anderson said there were more than 200 crisis cases in Grant County from July 2019 to August 2020.

In her sometimes emotional speech, Carter said people didn’t always understand how hard the struggle can be for people with mental health issues. People have lost that battle and committed suicide as a result, she said.

“It’s a good day here in Grant County,” Carter said after cutting the ribbon for the center.

Anderson said county officials will be working with Samaritan Healthcare to provide services at the center. Inpatients will be housed at the Plum Street center.

The inpatients will receive mental health assessments and treatment designed to address the immediate crisis, as well as working options for longer-term care after they’re released. Inpatients also receive physical health evaluations.

In addition to the inpatient care, the facility will house the GIS mobile crisis team, Anderson said, and related services.

Remodeling costs were not immediately available. Previously the facility had housed an adult residential home, Anderson said, which closed about three years ago.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].