Community leaders, care partners and residents recently gathered to celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Stephen M. Morris Behavioral Health Center. The new facility will expand local behavioral health services and create new pathways to care for people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges.
When the center opens this Fall, Monarch Healthcare will provide services designed to meet a range of needs, from immediate crisis support for youth and adults to longer-term treatment for children and adolescents.
The new center was created in response to a need that community leaders, health care providers and families have identified for years. The Stephen M. Morris Behavioral Health Center is intended to help address that need by providing services under one roof and connecting people to care sooner.
Speakers throughout the ribbon-cutting ceremony reflected on the partnerships, planning and shared commitment that brought the center to life. Remarks were delivered by community leaders, behavioral health advocates, state and local officials and project partners who helped champion the effort from vision to reality.
Monarch Healthcare CEO Peggy Terhune spoke about the experience she hopes individuals and families will have when they come to the center for care. She emphasized that while the facility will offer a range of behavioral health services, the way people are treated will be just as important as the services themselves.
“They’re going to be treated with compassion,” she said. “They’re going to be treated as though they are sick, not as though they are bad. They’re going to be treated as though they are people of worth and value.”
Services Designed to Meet People Where They Are
The Stephen M. Morris Behavioral Health Center will offer Youth and Adult Behavioral Health Urgent Care services, providing immediate, walk-in support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. The center will also offer Youth Facility-Based Crisis services for short-term stabilization and a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility for children and adolescents who need more intensive, around-the-clock care. Together, these services are designed to help individuals receive timely support while creating a smoother path to ongoing treatment and recovery.
Photo Courtesy of Cabarrus County
A Milestone in the Making
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests had an opportunity to tour the nearly 60,000-square-foot facility and learn more about the services that will soon be available. They got a firsthand look at spaces designed with comfort, safety and healing in mind. The facility includes private rooms with beds and bathrooms for individuals receiving residential care, open gathering areas where people can relax and connect with staff and sensory rooms that provide a quieter environment during moments of stress. Multiple outdoor courtyards offer access to fresh air, while colorful murals throughout the building help create a welcoming atmosphere.
Monarch Healthcare has worked closely with county leaders and community partners throughout the planning process to help shape the building and services around the needs of the community.
As the Stephen M. Morris Behavioral Health Center prepares to open its doors, the focus is already shifting from the building itself to the lives it may help change. For families searching for support, answers or a place to turn during a crisis, new resources will soon be available locally for them in Cabarrus County.