Child Crisis Center Plans Back on Track

Alliance Health CEO Rob Robinson announced recently a resumption in the renovation and start-up of our Child Crisis Center, a new child facility-based crisis and urgent care center in Fuquay-Varina to serve youth and families across the four-county Alliance region. The Child Crisis Center has long been a priority component of our multi-year comprehensive reinvestment plan. Lack of this option in our service continuum has resulted in children sitting unnecessarily in emergency departments when many could be diverted and assessed in the more clinically-appropriate environment this facility will provide.

Work on the facility had to be suspended last year due to continued cuts to state single-stream funding. The cumulative impact of these ongoing funding reductions significantly reduced our ability to complete planned reinvestment projects because we had to use savings initially designated for reinvestment to meet service obligations. Thanks to no new single-stream funding cuts this year as well as additional funding for behavioral health and crisis services, Alliance is now in a position to resume the renovation project with a targeted completion date of the second half of 2021 in support of North Carolina’s Medicaid transformation “go-live.”

The 16-bed crisis facility for children and teens ages 6-17 includes behavioral health urgent care services to address emergency department overcrowding, walk-in access to same-day clinical assessments, psychiatric evaluations, necessary medications, and 24/7 access to assessment, stabilization, and treatment planning. No young person will be turned away while in crisis, regardless of insurer or ability to pay.

“The Child Crisis Center will significantly improve access to behavioral healthcare in North Carolina’s fastest growing region by providing children and teens experiencing crisis with a supportive, caring place designed and equipped to respond to their unique needs in a safe environment,” Robinson said.