The Outlook

Carastar Health held its Crisis Center Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on April 5. The state-of-the-art facility is a first for the River Region and replaces the temporary location on the same grounds. The expanded facility, now with 10 temporary observation chairs and 16 extended observation rooms, is open 24/7, 365 days a year. The facility is designed with a “no wrong door” approach, meaning all individuals have access to care. Read More

Over 200 guests attended the opening of WellStone’s new Crisis Center on September 19th, adding to the burgeoning Alabama Crisis System of Care! Governor Kay Ivey, Commissioner Kimberly Boswell and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Blair hosted the energetic audience which included crucial stakeholders from the north Alabama area. The center, WellStone Emergency Services (WES), a 24/7/365 facility for assessment, referral and treatment for individuals with mental health and substance use disorder crises, adds generously to the wide continuum of care that WellStone offers the community at large. Read More

Governor Kay Ivey, Commissioner Kimberly Boswell and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Blair will cut the ribbon on WellStone’s new Crisis Center on September 19th, adding to the burgeoning Alabama Crisis System of Care. The center, WellStone Emergency Services (WES), a 24/7/365 facility for assessment, referral and treatment for individuals with mental health and substance use disorder crises, will add generously to the wide continuum of care that WellStone offers the community at large. Read more

With the launch of the much-anticipated three-digit dialing code, 988 now becomes part of Alabama’s ever-expanding crisis system of care. This easy-to-remember number will be the first step in access to behavioral health care for thousands of Alabamians. 988 calls will be routed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline centers in each state, transitioning from the current Lifeline number, 1-800-273-8255, beginning July 16. Read more

The Carastar Health Crisis Center is the first of its kind in the River Region and an enormous asset to mental health care. ADMH Commissioner Kim Boswell said, “We want to reach people before they are at a Stage Four. Just like if you had a cancer diagnosis, you do not want to wait until you are a Stage Four. You want access to care early. That is what the Crisis Center represents in our system. It is access to care, 24/7.” Read more

March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Moving Towards Change,” which seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, and awareness of the work that remains to remove barriers to community living. Developmental disabilities affect millions of individuals as well as their concerned families and friends. Individuals with disabilities continue to experience discrimination based on preconceived notions and misinformation. Read more

Mental health legend, pioneer, teacher, scholar, presidential adviser, and international consultant are just a few names that describe Dr. Mary Starke Harper. The Alabama Department of Mental Health honored Dr. Harper in the naming of the geriatric psychiatry center, located in Tuscaloosa and in the work we do in her name, every day. Read more

Governor Kay Ivey and Commissioner Kimberly Boswell of the Alabama Department of Mental Health announced the awardee of a fourth crisis center in October and welcomed a vital addition to the Alabama Crisis System of Care. The center will serve individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, expanding access to care more broadly than ever before. The provider and location of the fiscal year 2022 Crisis Center is Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair (JBS) Mental Health Authority in Birmingham. Read more

Alabama’s three pilot Crisis Centers, AltaPointe Health, the Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority, and WellStone, have launched services in their communities to individuals with mental illness and substance use disorder. The centers were funded by Governor Kay Ivey and the state legislature in fiscal year 2021.This summer, the Alabama Department of Mental Health was proud to help host events with the centers, showcasing their services and new (or under construction) facilities. Read more

The Alabama Department of Mental Health, community mental health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment partners and the Montgomery Biscuits are hosting Strike Out Stigma Night to offer valuable information and resources on mental illness and substance use disorders. Join us Wednesday, August 18th for the 6:35 p.m. game! Read more

In the year since COVID-19 upended daily life, mental health struggles have skyrocketed, accelerating an already dire health crisis that some are calling a second pandemic. But help-seeking and action-taking for mental health has not kept pace. Often, the hardest action we can take on our mental health journey is the very first one— reaching out for the first time to a friend, walking into the first support group meeting, finding a therapist or calling a support line. Read more

March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Moving Towards Change,” which seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, and awareness of the work that remains to remove barriers to community living. Developmental disabilities affect millions of individuals as well as their concerned families and friends. Those with disabilities continue to be marked by stigma and discrimination based on preconceived notions and misinformation. Read more