Metrocare, the largest community mental health provider in North Texas, is set to expand its services with a new campus in Southern Dallas. The organization unveiled its $96 million Mental Health and Disability Innovation Center on Thursday, located in the Hillside neighborhood, near I-30 and Westmoreland Road.
This new facility aims to increase Metrocare’s capacity to serve individuals by nearly 25%, providing vital behavioral health services to around 50,000 children and adults annually in Dallas County.
Dr. John Burruss, Metrocare’s CEO, emphasized the critical need for enhanced healthcare services in an area facing significant mental health challenges. He noted that this is the second new facility opened by Metrocare this year.
“One of the few areas of medicine that’s going backwards, that’s not making great success is mental health care,” said Burruss. “We have to be ready as a society to start to look at why. If you tell people, ‘Don’t be upset about it, go get help,’ you have to give them help. If you say, ‘Overcome the stigma to receive help,’ we have to have an open door for them to walk into.”
The new campus is expected to be open to the public within a month. Its design includes a significant 45,000-square-foot clinical space, complemented by a 98,000-square-foot client services area.
According to Burruss, this facility will revolutionize mental health care delivery, particularly for those with limited resources and background in mental health. “We’re also going to deliver services that are educationally based,” he added.
The client services section will enhance Metrocare’s ability to train providers and develop essential programs that address the complex mental health needs across the county.
The clinical space is structured to cater to clients of all ages through three specialized clinics. The Early Child Intervention Services and Behavioral Treatment Center will enable Metrocare to provide consolidated services for children facing intellectual disabilities and mental health issues, thereby increasing their client base substantially.
“They’ll be in the same building,” Burruss explained. “They’ll walk the same halls. The treatment providers will be in this same place.”
An exciting addition to the campus is a therapeutic playground that will benefit young clients. Burruss commented, “When you’re a kid, your job is to play and learn. We need … an environment where they can play and learn while we’re helping them progress.”
Furthermore, the facility will feature a children and adolescent clinic designed for those aged 3 to 18 years. Regina Walker, director of Child and Adolescent Services at Metrocare, highlighted that the organization will also offer specialty care, including treatment for complex trauma issues.
An adult services clinic for individuals aged 18 and over, an on-site pharmacy for medication accessibility, and community-based service clinicians who provide care in various community locations will also be available.
Walker described how these clinicians go out into the community to provide services in schools, churches, and homes, ensuring wider access to mental health care.
After spending 14 years with Metrocare, Walker expressed her emotions about the organization’s journey toward the Hillside campus. “It’s just an awesome thing to see our transformation as an agency and how we are striving to meet the community’s needs, fill service gaps, and provide services to those individuals.”
In light of current challenges, providers and experts believe the timing is crucial for addressing mental health needs. Dr. Burruss mentioned the uncertainty created by funding cuts to critical programs like Medicaid and recent changes in state and federal policies.
“That breeds the climate in which people struggle with depression, anxiety, drinking too much, using too many illicit drugs,” Burruss explained, identifying the vulnerable populations that Metrocare aims to assist. He reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to providing accessible services amidst these uncertainties.
“In that uncertainty, we’ll provide the open door for them even in the face of that,” Burruss affirmed.
The overarching goal of the new campus is to enhance Metrocare’s effectiveness in providing timely interventions, either remotely or by welcoming individuals into the facility.
“We have effective services, but the biggest limits have been people being able to get them,” Burruss stated. “Metrocare fills a niche that very few do because we’ll see people today. We see people on the same day. If you’ve realized that you really are at the point where you need our help, all you have to do is show up.”
Walker highlighted that the Mental Health and Disability Innovation Center symbolizes a space where every family member can receive care.
“Mental health services are for everyone,” Walker said. “Everyone could benefit from mental health services. There is no age, gender, or specific person that meets the criteria for the service.”
The opening of this new campus represents a significant step forward in Metrocare’s mission to provide comprehensive mental health care in Southern Dallas, fulfilling a critical need in the community.
image source from：keranews
