New mental health crisis center has served hundreds since March opening
May 29, 2025, 3:42 PM | Updated: 6:54 pm
SOUTH SALT LAKE — Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s new Crisis Care Center has been in operation for nearly two months, and the Center’s director says it’s meeting a critical need.
“There is an access problem in Utah. It’s great to see that when you create expanded access, that people see it and they use it,” said Director of the Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center Kevin Curtis.
Curtis gave KSL TV a tour of the facility before its official opening on March 31.
Since then, around 1,300 people have come through the doors to get help — an average of 22 to 25 per day.
“It’s incredible to see how many people we’ve served in the last two months,” Curtis said.
Of those metrics, the vast majority (84%) were voluntary walk-ins, while 16% came as referrals from law enforcement or emergency medical services.
“We think it’s been going quite well,” Curtis said of their partnership with first responders. “In terms of the people that they’re bringing to us, they’re all people that I think are better served by being brought here than they were by being sent to an emergency room or jail.”
In addition to crisis stabilization, the Center has a 24-bed inpatient care unit and provides medication-assisted treatment and access to legal and dental services.
Curtis noted they’re learning to adapt, as some days, an influx of patients can cause longer wait times. “We’re continuing to work on that,” Curtis said.
But he wants to keep getting the word out about this new resource.
“We’re sitting at about 85% of our capacity. We want to continue growing that to 100% and beyond,” Curtis said. “I think it’s stigma that leads us to say, ‘It’s not bad enough to go in and get help.’ We’re not here to judge, ‘Is it bad enough?’ We’re just here to receive and say, ‘What’s going on?’ and ‘How can we help?'”
The Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center is located at 955 W. 3300 S. in South Salt Lake. Adults ages 18 and up dealing with a mental health or substance use crisis can walk into the facility 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
