A new crisis center in Papillion is giving adults across five counties somewhere to turn for mental health support that doesn't involve a 911 call or an emergency room wait. Heartland Family Service opened the Crisis Stabilization and Resource Center at 302 American Parkway, and staff there say the goal is simple: meet people in crisis before things escalate further.
Filling a Gap Emergency Rooms Couldn't
The center was developed alongside Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare to address gaps in local crisis services, according to KETV. Before it existed, emergency rooms were often the fallback for people needing crisis care, including police, per Region 6, as reported by WOWT. Miles Glasgow, senior manager of system coordination at Region 6, said people previously faced long waits to enter treatment, and that police had very limited places to bring someone seeking help. Region 6 primarily funds the center, and the network logged nearly 2,000 emergency and crisis encounters in fiscal year 2024, WOWT reports.
Jenny Stewart, director of the Crisis Stabilization and Resource Center, said the center sees people experiencing grief, depression and anxiety, not only those in acute suicidal crisis. “People do not need to be suicidal to seek help,” Stewart told WOWT. Heartland Family Service starts each person's care with triage, and the residential portion of the facility has 12 beds, according to 3 News Now.
Voluntary Care With Multiple Paths In
Care at the center is voluntary, and people seeking help may refer themselves directly. The Region 6 partnership also allows referrals from police, fire, EMS, doctors and family members, per the same account from WOWT — a structure that mirrors what KETV describes as referrals coming from law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies, healthcare providers, behavioral health organizations and family members. The center's crisis services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a therapist is available at any time, WOWT notes.
Beyond the immediate triage unit, the center offers free downtime and coping-skills learning, and most people stay for three to five days, according to the station's report. Clients may also sign up for up to 90 days of free case management, which can address needs including housing, a job or insurance. Glasgow said the center gives people voice and choice in their treatment, and Region 6 said people needing mental health treatment now have a place to go right away.
Who Can Walk Through the Door
The center serves adults aged 19 and older who live in Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Dodge and Washington counties, matching the five-county service area that KETV also reports. Heartland Family Service has described the crisis center as the first of its kind in the area. According to the same 3 News Now report, the program began at the Sarpy County location in 2024.
Those looking to connect with the center can call (402) 990-1659, per KETV's reporting. Brenna Kiefner wrote the original WOWT report on the center's launch.
