Northeast News

October 31, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Health care proponents received a special Halloween treat today as the new Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center (KC-ATC) located at the intersection of 12th and Prospect formally opened. The center is expected to provide vital services for individuals suffering from mental health or substance abuse-related issues.

The new facility will provide rapid access to triage, stabilization and follow-up services for individuals in crisis. Referrals will come from the Kansas City, Missouri Police department, as well from area hospitals. The center is expected to serve as an alternative for emergency room visits and police department resources, providing a safe place for those with repeated substance abuse issues and/or severe mental health concerns.

A press release issued by the City of Kansas City, Missouri indicated that emergency rooms throughout Kansas City take up to 17,000 visits on an annual basis, with some individuals logging as many as 100 visits.

“At the KC-ATC, we are committed to not becoming just another revolving door,” said Lauren Moyer, vice president with ReDiscover, in the press release. “We will provide a warm hand off to community resources in order to decrease the over usage of more costly interventions like the hospital and jail.”

The 24-hour facility can host up to 16 individuals at any given time: eight spots are reserved for those suffering from substance abuse issues in what’s called the Sobering Unit, while the other eight spots are for those experiencing mental health issues, in what’s called the Stabilization Unit. The center’s goal will be to get patients stabilized, get them in a room with a licensed social worker and case manager, and get them out of the facility with a discharge plan within a period of 23 hours, maximum.

According to the press release, The facility is a public and private partnership between Kansas City stakeholders and the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the Missouri Hospital Association, Ascension, the City through involvement of the Municipal Court and Police and Fire Departments and area hospitals — HCA Midwest Health, Truman Medical Center, Saint Luke’s Health System, North Kansas City Hospital, Prime Healthcare and Liberty Hospital.