Doña Ana County Crisis Triage Center ready to open and serve

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (CBS4) — More than a decade in the making, the Doña Ana County Crisis Triage Center, which will help with the mental health crisis in the community, will open its doors.

Doña Ana County and city of Las Cruces leaders unveiled the Crisis Triage Center on Wednesday during a ribbon cutting ceremony.

It’s located at 1850 B Copper Loop on the westside of the city.

Opening this facility was made possible due to the hard work of the county’s commissioners, Doña Ana County manager, Fernando Macias said.

“It is our County Commission who made this happen and so I do want to recognize not only our current chair, Commissioner Manuel Sanchez, Commissioner Isabella Solis, Commissioner Ray Gonzalez, because really without them we wouldn’t be here. I want to give special recognition to Commissioner Lynn Ellis, who was chair at the time the vote was occurring, who basically had the bravery and the strength of character to say we’re going to pursue a second path and to stay with that path. I want you to join me in giving Commissioner Ellis the recognition that maybe the public doesn’t appreciate, but if there’s someone who took us beyond the finish line, it’s not only the commissioners who voted, it’s Commissioner Ellis who kept the faith and really is the reason from my perspective, along with the other commissioners, as to why we are here today,” Macias said.

CBS4 was given an inside look of the building.

Anyone in the area going through a mental health crisis can receive treatment.

“When you walk in this center, you'll see the team has paid meticulous attention to the environment in which our guests are going to be received. The intent is to make it a tranquil space in which anxiety can be reduced and the staff can help each guest find the right path for them,” Macias said.

There’s two different ways to gain access to the building. There is a law enforcement entrance, where law enforcement can bring in a patient. For example, if they respond to a 911 call and the person is suicidal, all they have to do is bring the patient through that specific entrance and within minutes someone will be ready to help.

On the other side of the building is where the community entrance sits, that area is where anyone in the community can come in for services 24 hours a day.

“The longest stay will be 23 hours, it’s a 24/7, 365 days a year facility.

Our purpose is to stabilize the crisis and connect them to what’s needed next. That could be just being monitored at home by friends and family, outpatient services or even a hospital stay,” Karina Diaz, the Crisis Triage Centers on site director said.

Anytime someone comes in, there will always be:

• A registered nurse
• A nurse manager
• An on site director
• Behavioral health clinicians
• Peer support workers

“Throughout the patients stay, they’ll be engaging with peers who have been through similar experiences that the guests have been through,” Diaz said.

Diaz said her staff will focus on the patients immediate needs, such as food, rest, a hot shower and allowing them to clear their mind in a safe environment, all while receiving therapy and the services they need.

This is a huge step in combating the mental health crisis in the community, Doña Ana County commissioner, Manuel Sanchez said.

“Back in 2019, this buildings doors were first open to provide refuge to asylum seekers brought into our community as their first stop in the United States, today we have the honor to open the facility to provide much needed refuge for those in our community experiencing a mental health crisis,” Sanchez said.

All the center needs to open is have its pharmacy license.

Once approved, they will start providing services immediately.

Leaders told CBS4 that could happen in a matter of days.

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