RACINE, Wis. — Racine County is celebrating the opening of a new behavioral health services building aimed at expanding mental health and substance abuse services for area residents.
Located in the heart of Racine at 1720 Taylor Ave., the 50,000-square-foot facility is designed to make mental health and substance abuse support more accessible to the community.
Watch this video to see inside the new facility:
"It's one place where you can direct people to, where they can get an immediate assessment," said Pat Bohon of the National Alliance on Mental Health Racine County.
Community leaders gathered Wednesday to see inside the building, which is estimated to be about a $35 million investment. Federal funding, the American Rescue Plan Act, opioid settlement money, and county bonding have contributed to the facility's construction. It was designed with features like natural light and a feeling of home, intended to support recovery.
"This gives us a great foundation to move forward as a community, and also is indicative of a community that cares, that's willing to make these substantial investments in a state-of-the-art, magnificent facility and all the services that are offered there, which are really the key glue that holds it all together," Bohon said.
The building houses a 15-bed residential substance abuse site. Right now, residents have to leave the county for those kinds of services, which mental health advocates say is a barrier to treatment and recovery.
"The earlier the intervention, the better. The more supportive services that people receive in the community, the better. Keeping people close to home and their family and support is critical," Bohon said.
The county said since 2020, more than 335 Racine County residents have died from opioid use.
"I don't know what we need to fix this issue we have, and it's not just here in Racine, Wisconsin. It's all over our United States," said Racine resident Catrina Sanchez.
She said she's aware of the toll substance abuse can take and how cyclical the path to recovery can be.
"You got your own loved ones, and every day you wake up and you're fighting for them. You know their issues, you know their situation, and either they don't want the help, or they want the help," Sanchez said.
Sanchez said she's cautiously optimistic about what a facility like this could do for the community.
"I guess that's a step towards hope," Sanchez said.
For the county, the true impact will be known once the space officially welcomes residents later this year.
The public is invited to an open house at the Behavioral Health Building on Thursday, Oct. 29, 3-6 p.m.
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