Governor DeWine breaks ground on new behavioral health urgent care center in St. Clairsville

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined state and local mental health leaders from Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties this week, breaking ground to mark the beginning of construction on a new behavioral health urgent care and crisis stabilization center in St. Clairsville.

The $7.3 million center will be the first facility of its kind in the region. It will serve as a “one-stop” location for people of all ages experiencing a mental health emergency, offering 24/7 walk-in crisis assessments. The 8,500 square-foot facility will have eight crisis stabilization beds where clients can receive voluntary, short-term inpatient treatment as they recover from a crisis.

“When someone is experiencing a mental health emergency, every moment matters,” said Governor DeWine. “People in every part of our state deserve to feel confident that they have resources nearby where they can access appropriate healthcare, including for mental health. This new behavioral health urgent care facility we’re celebrating today will be that safety net for adults and children alike, offering around-the-clock access to professional mental health supports right in their own community.”

At the direction of Governor DeWine, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) awarded $6.3 million through the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Belmont, Harrison, and Monroe Counties for construction of the facility.

The project is part of the state’s $90 million investment, announced last year by Governor DeWine to strengthen mental health crisis response services in dozens of communities across Ohio.

“The need for the crisis services that will be offered at this new facility has never been greater, especially amid an ongoing national mental health crisis and especially in communities in Appalachian Ohio where, historically, there have been a lack of these types of resources,” said OhioMHAS Director LeeAnne Cornyn. “In the past, individuals and families experiencing mental health emergencies have had to travel out of the county, sometimes several hours, to find help. With the construction of this new facility, that will no longer be the case.”

The facility will also include space for a mobile response services team. These are trained behavioral health professionals, standing ready to respond directly into the community to someone experiencing a mental health crisis, conduct safety assessments, de-escalate situations, and offer peer support.

During his 2024 State of the State Address, Governor DeWine called for an expansion of Ohio's Mobile Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) program to offer these urgent response services for youth under the age of 21 in all 88 counties across the state.

The new behavioral health urgent care center in St. Clairsville will offer mobile response services for individuals of all ages in Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties.

The behavioral health urgent care center will be operated by Coleman Health Services.

The need for this type of facility was identified after a comprehensive assessment of the region’s mental and behavioral health crisis continuum identified the lack of available crisis services in Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties.

“When completed, this building will mean that a resident of this area who previously may have had to go to the emergency department as a point of entry may now come here for immediate assessment and care,” said Hattie Tracy, President and CEO of Coleman Health Services. “Another resident may no longer have to begin their care journey in a jail cell. Our mobile response teams will have a place from which to work, and the journey to wellness will have less barriers for the citizens of these counties, all while alleviating some of the strain on our first responders and other systems of care that have, in the past, been overwhelmed by the demand for behavioral health services.”

Coleman Health Services is also working with local sheriffs’ offices to educate law enforcement on how to identify someone in the middle of a mental health crisis and to encourage officers to make the urgent care center a preferred point of transportation for these individuals, rather than a local jail.

Voluntary inpatient treatment services for individuals experiencing a crisis will generally be offered for up to two weeks. However, facility staff will also provide 90-day follow-up services to ensure these individuals are receiving the ongoing support they need.

The behavioral health urgent care center is scheduled to be completed in spring 2026. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to serve up to 1,500 individuals each year, both through in-person and telehealth services.

Learn more about OhioMHAS’s ongoing crisis work at https://mha.ohio.gov/get-help/crisis-systems.

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