Providence Alaska Medical Center has initiated the construction of an $11m mental health crisis stabilisation centre in Anchorage, Alaska.

Aiming to alleviate pressure on emergency rooms, the facility will accommodate up to 24 individuals in need of mental health or substance-use stabilisation.

It is expected to open its doors by early summer 2024.Top of Form

Funding for this project is said to come primarily from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, state, and federal grants.

The centre will feature group therapy, a wellness room with interactive art and lights, and peer support from individuals who have experienced mental illness or substance use.

In addition, it will include 12 spaces for those needing care for less than 24 hours and 12 beds for up to a week of care.

Currently, approximately another $4m is being sought to include a walk-in behavioural health outpatient clinic for adults and adolescents, reported Alaska Public Media.

This facility is part of Alaska's crisis now model, consisting of the 9-8-8 crisis line, mobile crisis teams, and crisis stabilisation centres.

The crisis now system aims to fill gaps in mental health care in Alaska and reduce the number of people with mental health crises ending up in emergency rooms or jail.

Providence Medical Center behavioral health director Lauren Anderson was quoted as saying by Alaska Public Media: “People define their own crisis.

“We don’t define the crisis for them.

“So when somebody comes in, if their feeling is that they are experiencing a crisis of behavioural health or a substance use crisis, we want them to come seek care.”