July 21, 2021 – ROCHESTER, MINN – Southeast Minnesota residents experiencing a mental health crisis will soon have another place to go for care.

Through an unprecedented collaboration between 10 southeast Minnesota counties, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center, the southeast Minnesota NAMI chapter, health plan partners, and law enforcement, the Southeast Regional Crisis Center (SERCC) is slated to open its doors at 8 a.m. on July 28 in Rochester.

SERCC, located on the Olmsted County government campus at 2121 Campus Drive SE in Rochester, is a much-needed, 24-hour mental health facility in the region, expertly staffed by mental health professionals ready to address the immediate needs of individuals in crisis. SERCC will serve people of all ages, regardless of the type of mental health crisis they’re experiencing or their financial situation or insurance status. Offering a safe, calm environment, the crisis center will provide both a 24/7 walk-in clinic for mental health crises, and separate short-term residential areas for youth (ages 10+) and adults who need longer stabilization. Programming is operated by Nexus Family Healing – an organization with a 50-year history serving individuals and families struggling with behavioral and mental health.

The center's opening is the culmination of years of hard work by lawmakers and local and regional partners to expand options for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis beyond local emergency rooms. In 2018, the Minnesota Legislature approved $28 million in funding to build crisis centers across the state. The Southeast Minnesota center received $5 million from the state and is the first such center to be completed. Minnesota State Sen. Dave Senjem, who championed funding for the center, will be leading the crisis center's ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 26. Journalists interested in covering the ribbon-cutting ceremony should RSVP to tgirardin@nexusfamilyhealing.org.

The center is a natural expansion of the already existing Crisis Response services in southeastern Minnesota that include the crisis hotline (844-274-7472) and mobile response providers. This important community resource will help citizens receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.