Carver County officials are seeking input on a proposal to convert Chaska's Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home into a mental health center serving adults in crisis.
Local mental health advocates say the county is in dire need of a residential facility where residents can temporarily stay to adjust medication, get therapy and stabilize. If approved, the center — owned by Ridgeview Medical Center — would expand from five rooms to 12. Patients could stay up to 10 days.
"We don't have any facility like this near us," said Gary Norman, director of the county's community mental health center, First Street Center. Presently, those in crisis must travel to clinics in Mankato or Coon Rapids, Norman said. When those facilities are booked, vulnerable adults may be shipped as far as Fargo or wind up in the psychiatric ward of an area hospital.
That's not ideal, said Sam DeWeese, a retired Ridgeview physician. "They're going to a level of care far beyond what they need," DeWeese said.
In 2016, the Carver County crisis team made 750 contacts with people suffering from a mental health emergency, said Rod Franks, health and human services director. Of those, about 300 were Chaska residents.
At a town hall meeting last week, Commissioner Randy Maluchnik and disability rights advocate Noah McCourt addressed concerns from residents who live near the proposed crisis center. Some wondered aloud about safety and the possibility of housing violent adults.
Norman assured neighbors that wasn't the case. This facility would specialize in treating patients suffering from issues like depression, who need temporary help and perhaps medical intervention. The center would be open to all Minnesota residents.
It's not yet clear when construction would begin if the proposal wins approval. The hospice facility near Lake Bavaria closed in June after years of declining revenue.
