POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Schuylkill County's first crisis walk-in center is now open on Progress Avenue in downtown Pottsville.
It's called the Center for Community Resources or CCR.
‘It's just like if you would go to your doctor's office and he might refer you to a specialist of some kind for a physical ailment, we can assist people with those resources when it comes to their mental health,” explained Patty Gilgore, Director of Programs.
“It's no different than someone wearing glasses or somebody who has diabetes. It's something we need to take care of. And the resources are here to do that,” Elaine Gilbert, Schuylkill County MHDS Administrator.
According to a study done by a non-profit called Mental Health America, 1 out of 5 adult Americans lives with a mental illness.
The staff at the new walk-in center says they want to see more mental health resources in Schuylkill County.
“Before, people really didn't talk about it. Now we're talking about it. So it gives more awareness that it exists. So those numbers look like they're higher, and maybe we have some more data that shows that depression has increased in teens. But it probably already existed; we're just giving them a place to talk about it,” Gilgore added.
The Center for Community Resources Walk-in Center is also partnering with Pottsville Police and Lehigh Valley Hospital Schuylkill to give patients options for mental health treatment.
“Having a place like this, again, allows us to communicate with each other as what we're trying to do for the community member and get them on the road to recovery for both mental health and drug and alcohol,” Gilbert mentioned.
Anyone can come into the walk-in center and walk out without paying a thing.
“We're trying to make it okay for people to say 'I'm not okay' from a mental health standpoint and that it's alright to talk about here. So we'll be here when people in crisis are ready to take that step to call us, and we can do what we can to help them,” Gilgore said.
The Center for Community Resources in Pottsville is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are also phone numbers available to call any time at 1-877-993-4357 or text at 63288.
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