Revolutionizing crisis care
North Carolina is investing $1 billion to fight the state's mental health and substance use crisis. Of that funding, $200 million is earmarked to build systems to support people in crisis and with complex needs. human eXperience (hX) architects is designing the new Mecklenburg County Facility-Based Crisis Center in Charlotte, NC.
These centers provide short-term inpatient mental health stabilization and substance use detox for people who otherwise would need to go to a hospital. PRISM is supporting project marketing with exterior and interior renderings of this center’s unique operational model. Construction will be underway soon and the opening is expected in Q1 2026. JE Dunn is the general contractor.
hX has an extensive portfolio of behavioral healthcare facilities. The new Mecklenburg County Facility-Based Crisis Center is a “no wrong door” place for adults in crisis. In line with the state’s goals, the center’s operational target is to defer up to 70% of patients from inpatient admission to lower levels of care following stabilization. The 21,000 sf facility has separate entrances for walk-ins and first responder drop-offs, and each has private intake areas for dignified triage and patient processing. There is also a large multi-patient observation area, quiet rooms for patients who choose to de-escalate, a central Staff Island with adjacent secure treatment and medication rooms, and a 16-bed short-stay acute inpatient unit. The design is backed by the hX dedication to the belief that every human deserves a safe, healing, and empathetic space. According to Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services, "Sometimes, people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis just need two things: a quiet, safe place to go and a conversation with someone who gets it." (source – North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services press release)
