вЂњWe were looking at the community and the current facility that we have so we can meet the needs of the community and surrounding areas,вЂќ Richardson says. Construction is expected to begin between September and December on the new facility which replaces the healthcare provider's current in-patient behavioral health location in the Fieldstone Center at 165 Washington Ave. It will occupy 10 acres of a 40-acre green space owned by Bronson at Glenn Cross Road and M-66. The new 69,000-square-foot, single-story building will address the increased need for inpatient services. Crisis intervention services such as SAMHSAвЂ™s Disaster Distress Helpline (1-80)В and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741)В reported substantial increases in volume early in the pandemic, reflecting anxiety and distress brought on by COVID-19вЂ™s many uncertainties.В And although data indicate the volume of mental health and suicide risk visits to emergency departments initially dropped when states issued stay-at-home orders, these visits increased again after stay-at-home restrictions were lifted.вЂќ Indeed, the pandemic has raised awareness of mental health symptoms and service needs.

These data remind us that we need to work hard to address long-standing disparities and ensure access to life-saving medical and psychiatric care is available for all Americans.вЂќ Finally, deaths due to opioid overdose rose substantially in the context of the pandemic. Individuals with schizophrenia, for instance, are nearly 10 times more likely to contract COVID-19 and are nearly three times more likely to die from it if they do fall ill, compared with individuals who do not have a mental illness. The NIMH article goes on to say that, вЂњEmerging data also indicate that people with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses have also been hard hit by the pandemic. And while overall suicide rates may have remained steady, data from states such as MarylandВ and ConnecticutВ suggest that, early in the pandemic, the number of African Americans dying by suicide increased.вЂќ Job loss, housing instability, food insecurity, and other risk factors for poor outcomes have disproportionately hit minority communities. As is often the case, unfortunately, the most vulnerable among us are also feeling the mental health effects most intensely. вЂњThere is clear evidence that the pandemic has not affected all Americans equally. вЂњYet, there is also cause for concern in the emerging data,вЂќ the article says. So far, data from the CDCВ suggest that overall suicide death rates have remained steady or have even fallen during the pandemic, according to an article on the National Institute of mental Health website. Kirk Richardson, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Bronson Battle Creek.Early in the pandemic, there were concerns that suicide rates would increase. вЂњThey want people to able to get treatment much faster and not sit for days waiting.вЂќ

вЂњI would say we knew we had this sense of urgency when we started planning two years ago because of the need for mental health services and in-patient treatment issues, which is what hospitals and emergency rooms have been dealing with for a number of years,вЂќ Richardson says. Together, they will develop, construct and operate the new state-of-the-art, single-story facility.В Acadia will cover the total construction cost for the new building. That recognition happened well over two years ago and has resulted in a new $35 million in-patient behavioral health facility to be located in Battle Creek, says Kirk Richardson, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Bronson Battle Creek.Д«ronson Healthcare, which includes several member organizations including Bronson Battle Creek Hospital, andВ Acadia Healthcare Company, based in Franklin, Tenn., have formed a joint venture to build a 96-bed inpatient behavioral health facility in Battle Creek. Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Battle Creek series.Д®ven before mental health experts began highlighting increases in the number of people struggling with mental health issues because of the pandemic, leadership with Bronson Healthcare was seeing the need to expand these services.

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