We partnered with Dakota County to develop a welcoming place for assessment, support, and residential mental health treatment and stabilization. This much-needed service will help those who need mental health care get help close to home.
The Crisis and Recovery Center will be built in West Saint Paul on the same grounds as the Dakota County Service Center and will include a 16-bed Intensive Residential Treatment Service (IRTS) and Crisis Residential Service (CRS) run by Guild.
What are Residential Services?
CRS is for individuals needing help during a mental health crisis. Individuals stay with us between five and ten days while working with mental health professionals on stabilizing symptoms and developing a plan for life beyond the crisis. Anyone, including the individual who needs support, can make a referral. If there is a bed available, individuals can be admitted anytime – day or night.
IRTS is for people living with a persistent mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, or another psychiatric illness who need help learning how to cope with their symptoms. Their stay at our residential services helps them learn to manage their mental illness and lasts between 30 and 90 days. Individuals can be referred to the IRTS program by a Guild staff member or another care provider. Individuals can also refer themselves.
How do Residential Services Help?
Our IRTS and CRS programs are the next step in recovery after a mental health emergency or as an alternative to hospitalization when a mental health crisis starts spiraling. Individuals focus on getting rest, regaining stability, and solving problems alongside a team of certified mental health professionals and registered nurses who can discuss concerns such as psychiatric treatment and substance use disorders. Our support programs are designed to stabilize symptoms by coordinating medications, providing mental health awareness education, and building healthy living skills. Guild’s IRTS and CRS programs are accredited by CARF.
Larry posing with a pan of fresh-baked cornbread at a Guild facility.
Larry was already working with a team at Guild when he was encouraged by our staff to try our IRTS program. He made huge strides in caring for his mental and physical health after struggling for years. But he found himself struggling again after his mom passed away from brain and lung cancer. “While she was sick, I got consumed with caring for her and lost track of caring for my mental health. And I was still drinking.”
While at our IRTS program for 90-days, Larry says the structure and attending support groups regularly helped him regain balance once again in managing his sobriety and mental health. “I can look back now and understand. I know my illness isn’t my fault.”
Expanding Access to Crisis Care
We estimate that the IRTS and CRS programs housed within the proposed Crisis and Recovery Center in Dakota County will serve more than 150 annually. The facility will have 16 beds in individual rooms with adjoining bathrooms, office spaces, laundry facilities, two kitchens, a shared living room, therapeutic and meditation rooms, and more.
Anyone experiencing diagnosed with a mental health disorder can be admitted to our CRS facilities when they are experiencing a crisis. To learn more about Guild’s current IRTS and CRS facilities in South Saint Paul and Savage, click here.
Guild CEO Julie Bluhm on KSTP-TV
Read the latest coverage by KSTP-TV.
Learn More
See frequently asked questions about the crisis center or provide feedback.
Read the Star Tribune’s coverage.