CEO Kevin Burgess said Cross Creek Hospital aims to help patients with mental illnesses.[/caption]
As the Austin area continues growing so does the need for more access to mental health care. That is the purpose of a new psychiatric facility, Cross Creek Hospital, which held a ribbon cutting May 29 at its location in Northeast Austin.
Cross Creek offers adult psychiatric services to treat depression, anxiety and schizophrenia as well as detox services for substance abuse. This summer it will begin offering treatment for adolescents and children. The facility, which opened March 2, is located on Cross Park Drive just east of Cameron Road.
“This is a community effort,” CEO Kevin Burgess said. “It’s not just a hospital or therapists. It’s everyone working together to truly have the impact we want and decrease the stigma of mental illness.”
Cross Creek has 60 employees, but Burgess said that number will grow to 200 in 2016 with the expansion of services.
The 90-bed facility used to be a psychiatric hospital and was the former home of Austin Recovery, an addiction treatment center, Burgess said. The community has also been welcoming of the hospital, he said.
“What I continue to hear is there’s a nice, knit community of people who are really concerned and care about the mentally ill and [those dealing with] substance abuse,” he said. “That was exciting because in other areas [people say], ‘No, not in my backyard.’”
The facility is managed by Acadia Health Care, based in Franklin, Tennessee. Burgess said the company allowed him and his employees to build the facility based on the needs of the community. He said people with a mental illness or an addiction were having difficulty finding hospital space during a crisis.
“We’re usually the last resort,” he said. “It’s a crisis before someone comes in or needs to come in to a hospital. The police department, the legal system [and] the other hospitals were all very concerned there wasn’t adequate service.”
Cross Creek also offers free assessments to people needing treatment, Burgess said.
“A very small percentage of people who come here for help actually end up in a hospital,” he said. “… We’re happy to at least help them through that moment’s crisis and get them connected with some type of help [through our partnerships].”
Anyone interested in receiving a free assessment may contact the hospital.
Cross Creek Hospital, 8402 Cross Park Drive, 512-215-3900, www.crosscreekhospital.com
