Crisis center to confront addictions, mental stress cases in Muncie community

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a two-part series on a new crisis center planned in Muncie.

MUNCIE, Ind. − Deadly drug and alcohol abuse, mental stress and depression have grown pervasive in Delaware County. IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and the City of Muncie are developing a response through the creation of the Muncie Crisis Center in what was once a southside bar.

According to the Indiana Department of Health, in 2019 through 2020, Delaware County ranked fourth among all 92 counties in total drug overdose fatalities. It is third in the state for acute cases of Hepatitis C, which is often spread by sharing needles in intravenous drug use.

Dane Minnick, associate professor of social work at Ball State University and executive director of the Addictions Coalition of Delaware County, reported that in 2021, an estimated 16% of adults in the county experienced frequent mental distress.

The crisis center, which has been in development for nearly two years, would provide a place for people to go and discuss pathways for an opportunity to improve their lives. Instead of waiting at the emergency room or being taken to jail, individuals in crisis can be taken to the Crisis Center, where they will receive help from trained behavioral health professionals.

The center will offer a place where someone experiencing a crisis can go. It will be a place to "deescalate, to give resources, to educate and provide that person with a safe and welcoming place to be until until they are out of their behavioral health, substance use disorder crisis," said Paula Tyler, service line leader in behavioral health at IU Health's East Central Region, during a press conference in February.

Police often deal with people who haven't committed a crime and, physically, don't need to go to the hospital emergency room. But they do need someone to help them. Those people could be seen at the center.

"This is a place where people can go so they do not have to go to jail,” said Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour.

Under the plan, the former Workman's Bar at 809 W. Eighth St. will be remodeled and owned by the city. Ridenour said the deal has not yet been completed, but an agreed upon price of $125,000 has been reached. The current owner of the building is a company called ECIBG, LLC.

City funds being used for the project include $2 million from the American Rescue Plan, opioid settlements money and the Mayor’s Economic Development Income Tax Funds. IU Health has already secured a $900,000 grant to help support the center.

IU Health is supplying a staff of 14 social workers to keep the center staffed 24-hours a day, seven-days a week. The agreement between the city and IU Health, signed in February, should fund the Crisis Center through 2026.

“It took a lot of discussion to settle on the right location,” Ridenour said in a press relelase. “The initial plan was to host the crisis center at the HUB but in September of 2022, we came to the conclusion that we would need a dedicated location.”

The HUB is a facility operated by the Muncie Mission to provide services to homeless people.

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Workman's Bar was a longtime establishment on Eighth Street and Hoyt Avenue, not far from where Muncie's General Motors transmission plant was located. The bar closed in August of 2021.

The mayor said the project was personally important to him because a member of his family had died as a result of a drug overdose.

Those using the center will be offered options on how to deal with their crisis.

"It's entirely voluntary," said Mike Patrick. the director of the Center. It is the person's choice to go to the center and or to leave at any time.

Police will initially refer people, Tyler said, but eventually it,s expected to be open to others.

"We will try to fix a problem that is just ongoing," said Patrick, a licensed mental health counselor, during the press conference. "It's like this across the United States."

Patrick said he personally was invested in Muncie now that he is raising a son here.

"We kind of planted our roots here. I want him to grow up in a community that is prospering," Patrick said.

Tyler said eventually the center would open the doors to people who want to come on their own. Initially, the staff will be social workers. At some point in the future, the center might expand and provide medical personnel.

Ridenour said that surrounding counties might use the center at some point in the future.

Tyler said hopefully the center will be ready to open in September or October, but much will depend on the progress of construction and remodeling of the building. Initially, there will be no charge for the services at the crisis center.

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The center will be able to guide individuals to outpatient care, hospitalization, rehab centers, domestic violence shelters or other resources.

Minnick said the center will not be a place for people who are belligerent or for those whose immediate safety is in question. That assessment will be made by police. The Crisis Center is modeled after the Stride Center in Bloomington, which describes itself as "a caring place of transition for people suffering from substance use and mental health disorders."

Patrick said individuals will meet with staff right away, and they won't be sitting in a waiting room for someone to call them back to talk with them.

While it will be open all hours, there are no overnight stays at the center.

“This is a first step in what we are attempting to do to make our city better,” the mayor said.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Crisis center to confront addictions, mental stress cases in community