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Crisis services are available to any person of any age experiencing a crisis, regardless of insurance or ability to pay.
This video contains an overview of Northern Lakes services for people with mental health issues, including 24/7 crisis services.
In addition to being able to call the 24/7 Crisis Help Line, you can drop in during business hours at any NLCMHA office location. Mobile crisis services are also available, as well as the FAST program, which adds an extra layer of care for families with children aged 0-20 including 90 days of follow up care.
On January 5, 2025, Northern Lakes and Munson Healthcare will open the new Grand Travers Mental Health Crisis and Access Center on the Munson campus at 410 Brook St., Traverse City. The center will be a safe, healing environment to deliver care and will also help reduce strain on other resources like jails, emergency departments, and inpatient beds. Master’s and Bachelor’s level mental health professionals and certified peer support specialists will work under a shared staffing model between Northern Lakes CMH and Munson Healthcare.
Initially the Center will be open Sunday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and services will include a Northern Lakes-operated Welcome Center with behavioral health assessments and referrals, crisis phone screening, mobile crisis services, and peer support services. In July, hours will be expanded to 24/7/365 and a “Living Room” model of care will be added, facilitated by Northern Lakes, as well as a Psychiatric Urgent Care operated by Munson. Also in the summer of 2025, nine adult crisis residential beds will be added, operated by Northern Lakes.
We are excited to open this new Center, which will be an important step toward greater mental well-being for our community!
If you have a mental health crisis, you should seek help right away.
“Mobile” means the team comes to you where the crisis is occurring. Mobile mental health services are short-term, on the phone or face-to-face services intended to restore an individual’s or family’s functioning level to where it was before the crisis. Mobile mental health crisis response offers adults as well as children and families an opportunity to de-escalate a situation or problem in the least restrictive setting, while also developing strategies to address any future safety concerns.
NLCMHA provides crisis services in a variety of settings including office buildings, hospitals, schools, jails, and community settings. NLCMHA will meet the person where they are when providing crisis services, including the home and community environment(s).
Sometimes mental health crises place the safety of the person, the crisis responders, or others in jeopardy. An appropriate response will not only address the physical safety of those involved but also their psychological safety. NLCMHA staff will consider the risks and benefits of every interaction during the crisis service intervention contact.
A meaningful response will be conducted in the least restrictive environment, using the least restrictive interventions for the individual and situation, and will include access to timely supports and services
Not all crises involve harm to self or others.
Certainly when a person is at risk of harming him or herself or others, this indicates the need for a crisis response.
Beyond this, it is not uncommon for the crisis event to include feelings of intense personal distress, disruptions in daily living, and/or catastrophic life events.
FAST adds an extra level of support for families with children age 0 through 20 years in behavioral health crisis in NLCMHA’s six counties.
The FAST team is available to support you and your child through a mental health crisis while working to stabilize your situation. The team can be deployed to a home or school setting, and is available all hours Monday through Friday, evenings and weekends.
Follow up care can last up to 90 days or until services are in place.
NLCMHA and community partners Munson Medical Center, Child and Family Services of Northwest Michigan / Third Level Crisis Intervention Service, local Departments of Health and Human Services, and local law enforcement all work together to:
To access, call 1-833-295-0616 and ask for FAST.
The person/family will be actively involved and the strengths and capabilities of the person/family will be used in resolving the crisis. It is important to remember that the crisis events are temporary and do not define a person’s broader life journey.
NLCMHA staff will look at the person’s larger journey to recovery and resilience when considering interventions to preserve dignity, strengthen families, foster a sense of hope, and promote self-care.