Ribbon-cutting ceremony for new mental health crisis center in Rochester

A large group gathered on the Olmsted County government campus on Monday, July 26, 2021, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the planned opening this week of the Southeast Regional Crisis Center (SERCC).

Olmsted County Board of Commissioners Chair Stephanie Podulke talked about the importance of focusing on mental health and well-being, especially after the collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is such a reassuring feeling to know that we have highly skilled crisis responders in our community to assist when anyone in southeast Minnesota is experiencing a mental health crisis and that those responders are available 24/7,” said Podulke.

Commissioner Podulke expressed gratitude to see mental health care receiving the attention it deserves through SERCC. She hopes the SERCC can serve as a model for similar mental health crisis facilities throughout the state and nation.

Senator Dave Senjem, instrumental in bringing the SERCC to fruition, says the facility had bi-partisan support in the state legislature. He said the SERCC brings a much-needed facility to Olmsted County.

“So often on our bonding tours we heard ‘I had to send so-and-so to North Dakota or this person to Kentucky, Indiana, or Iowa. There’s not a single bed in Minnesota,’” Senator Senjem said. “We can do a better job of that and this crisis center is the start.”

Other speakers at Monday’s event included SERCC executive director Nicole Mucheck, CREST Mental Health Regional Programs Coordinator Tim Hunter, Dr. Bruce Sutor from Mayo Clinic, and Olmsted Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Robert Cunningham.

The SERCC came to fruition through an unprecedented collaboration between 10 southeast Minnesota counties, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center, the Southeast Minnesota National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter, health plan partners, and other community partners. 

SERCC will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to people of all ages. The center will serve Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, and Winona counties. Residents may use the center regardless of the mental health crisis, financial situation, or insurance status.

The doors officially open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.