Crisis Center Shows Early Success in Addressing Community Mental Health Needs
The Grand Traverse Mental Health Crisis and Access Center (GTMHCAC) today presented to the Grand Traverse County Commission and released its first-ever scorecard highlighting the impact of the center’s first year of operation.
“Our first‑year results show what’s possible when community collaboration is guided by data, and we want people to know we are open and ready to serve you and your loved ones,” said Laura Glenn, Chief Operating Officer for Munson Healthcare. “The scorecard allows us to track outcomes, identify gaps, and work alongside our partners to continuously improve how and where people access mental health care—before a crisis becomes an emergency.”
The center officially opened its doors on January 5, 2025, launching Phase 1 services focused on rapid response and community-based support. These initial offerings included behavioral health assessments and referrals, crisis phone screenings, mobile crisis services, and peer support services.
Building on this foundation, Phase 2 of the Crisis and Access Center launched on July 7, 2025, expanding operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This phase introduced psychiatric urgent care, providing an intermediate level of care between community-based services and hospital emergency departments. Designed to intervene early, these services help prevent behavioral health crises from escalating into emergency or inpatient situations.
- In 2025, the Crisis and Access Center provided critical support to 755 individuals, including 648 adults and 107 youth, helping address urgent behavioral health needs across the region. Nearly 1,200 services were provided for these individuals at the Crisis Center.
- Additionally, the Year One Scorecard highlights strong outcomes for individuals served at the Crisis and Access Center. Crisis resolution was achieved for 82.8% of individuals, demonstrating the effectiveness of timely, community‑based intervention.
- The center also played a significant role in reducing reliance on inpatient hospitalization, with 93.2% of visits diverted from inpatient admission at the Crisis Center and 62% of visits diverted from inpatient hospitalization through the Munson Medical Center Emergency Department. These outcomes underscore the center’s impact on providing the right level of care while easing pressure on hospital emergency systems.
- Since the launch of Phase 2 in July of 2025, 265 individuals—228 adults and 37 youth—have received psychiatric urgent care services at the center.
- Munson Healthcare is committed to transparency in sharing this data, a core value that is both important to the community and unique to this project.
“The release of our Year One Scorecard demonstrates both the need for these services and the meaningful impact they are already having in our community,” Michael Corby, Director of the GT Mental Health Crisis and Access Center. “We are proud of the progress made in our first year and remain committed to expanding access to timely, compassionate mental health care.”
The Year One Scorecard reflects the center’s mission to improve access to mental health care, reduce strain on emergency systems, and ensure individuals in crisis receive the right care at the right time. In its first year of operation, the Crisis and Access Center provided more than 1,500 services, demonstrating both the growing demand for crisis support and the center’s critical role in strengthening the region’s behavioral health continuum.
As a non-profit, the Crisis and Access Center accepts all patients and all forms of insurance. It opened in January 2025 providing select services through the Welcome Center, Sunday-Thursday (8 am - 8 pm), and expanded to 24/7 coverage and the addition of Psychiatric Urgent Care in July. The next phase of the Center will include the opening of a nine-bed adult crisis residential unit and a six-bed pediatric crisis residential unit.
For more information and to view the scorecard, visit gtmentalhealth.org or call 231-213-1050.