Kay Ivey announces new mental health crisis center in Birmingham

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Governor Kay Ivey speaks at a coronavirus update briefing in the state capitol building in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday April 14, 2020. (Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Governor Kay Ivey and Commissioner Kimberly Boswell of the Alabama Department of Mental Health announced Alabama’s fourth crisis center will be the Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair (JBS) Mental Health Authority in Birmingham.

The center joins AltaPointe Health in Mobile, WellStone in Huntsville, and the Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority in Montgomery and will serve individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders. The state’s first three Crisis Centers were awarded funding in October 2020 and have been operational since May 2021.

Gov. Ivey stated, “The Ivey administration is fully committed to addressing the very real challenges in the area of mental health care. This is critical, and should not be overlooked, which is why it remains of high importance in my agenda. I am proud to award the JBS Mental Health Authority this fourth crisis center in Birmingham. These centers will go a long way in improving mental health care in Alabama.”

Ivey posted on Twitter, “I’m proud to announce the awardee of a fourth mental health crisis center for our state. Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair (JBS) Mental Health Authority in Birmingham will be a vital addition to the Alabama Crisis System of Care.”

@ALMentalHealth #alpolitics

Originally tweeted by Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) on October 4, 2021.

Commissioner Boswell said, “Crisis Centers are a crucial element of an integrated system of care. This award demonstrates the commitment of the local community to form and strengthen partnerships. The addition of the fourth Crisis Center, in one of the most populated metropolitan areas in the state, brings vital and necessary crisis services in an expanded and more accessible form.”

Crisis Centers are a designated place for community members, law enforcement, and first responders to take an individual who is in a mental health crisis. They offer both walk-in access and the capacity for first responders and law enforcement to transfer individuals to the center for crisis care for a warm hand-off to Crisis Center staff, short-term admission, medication management, and case management.

Governor Ivey and House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter prioritized establishing a mental health crisis continuum of care during the 2020 and 2021 legislative sessions. The initial three Crisis Centers were funded with an $18 million appropriation in the FY2021 General Fund budget, with continuation funding secured in the FY2022 General Fund. The fourth Crisis Center is funded through a new budget appropriation of $6 million approved by the Alabama Legislature.