Officially opening the Birch Tree Center on January 22 were (L-R) Linda Curran, Chair of Region 3 Adult Mental Health Initiative, Glenn Wallin, a Birch Tree Center staffer and Lucinda Jesson, Commissioner, Department of Health and Human Services.
A long-awaited facility to help people stabilize during mental health crises opened at the end of January in Duluth. A grand opening celebration for the Birch Tree Center was held Thursday, January 22 with over 150 people in attendance, including special speakers Duluth Mayor Don Ness and Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson.
Cook County Social Services Supervisor Grace Bushard, Grand Portage Human Services Director Roger Linehan, Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council Member Rob Hull and Grand Portage Mental Health Worker Jacki Kozlowski attended the open house and participated in a tour of the facility.
Bushard and Linehan represent Cook County and Grand Portage Band on the Region 3 Mental Health Initiative Board, which has been the driving force for Birch Tree Center for more than two years.
Birch Tree Center provides a safe and supportive environment for people aged 18 and above to stay while they are working through mental health crises. With stays of three to 10 days, Birch Tree Center will help divert people away from hospital stays or possibly prevent the need for incarcerating a person suffering from a mental health crisis and give them the care they need. Up to 12 people at a time will be able to reside in the building’s comfortable surroundings.
Guests of the program will have private rooms, all 12 of which include private handicap accessible bathrooms. The building also has a living and dining room, kitchen, activity area, sitting areas, a sun porch and circular outdoor patio surrounding a fire ring. The natural setting of the building at the end of Burning Tree Road near the Miller Hill Mall also is on a bus line. The building also houses a resource center, program offices and a meeting room. Birch Tree Center has been designed to welcome people from the many cultures of the Minnesota Arrowhead region. A Spiritual Room was created to allow people of all beliefs to have a place to hold spiritual healing ceremonies or meet with people who guide them in their personal beliefs. Art from North Shore and American Indian artists from the area already is on the walls with more art being chosen. The art that has been selected helps to create a peaceful environment for people as they deal with their crises. In addition to the residential program, Birch Tree Center is the home of a 24/7 Mobile Crisis Outreach Team that will serve both adults and children. For people within 30 miles, Birch Tree Center staff will come out if needed to assess situations and get people to the help they need.
In Cook and Lake counties, the Mobile Crisis service involves the 24/7 telephone or ITV consultations for therapists, clinic or emergency room staff, law enforcement personnel or members of the public who are seeking help for someone in crisis. ITV services have been set up in Grand Marais and soon will be available in Grand Portage.
Also, two on-call mental health practitioners will be available to go out in Cook County and Grand Portage from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.
On February 5, WTIP Community Radio’s First Thursday program featured a discussion hosted by Jay Andersen with several of the people who have been very involved in the creation and opening of Birch Tree Center. Find the discussion under the news tab at www.wtip.org.
Leave a Reply