New facility to allow for more beds, safety features

Cloud Peak Counseling Center hosted its groundbreaking ceremony for their new Lighthouse facility on North 10th last week on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Cloud Peak Counseling Center CEO Mary Johnson opened the ceremony saying, "We're so proud of the work that's been done up to this point."

The groundbreaking ceremony had various community members present, including staff from Cloud Peak Counseling, Dick Anderson Construction, Plan One/Architects, and others. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon attended as well.

Nancy Frederick, Cloud Peak Counseling Center board member, said at the ceremony, "As the stresses in life continue to grow for more people, the need for more services grows. We have been devastated by suicide in our community, and Wyoming is third in the country in suicide rates. In addition, there is an increase in drug overdose deaths in the United States. Something needed to be done to address these increased needs."

In a previous Northern Wyoming News article by Sean Mortimer, Johnson said the Lighthouse is "a crisis stabilization center for adults. We provide mental health care for people that are suffering from an acute mental health crisis, meaning that they are suffering from suicidal ideation, they may have made a suicide attempt, or they need stabilization from medications; something that is not manageable on their own."

Lighthouse Program Coordinator Andrea Dannar said during the ceremony, "Our Lighthouse symbolizes safety, individuality, strength and resilience, which are all qualities that enable human beings to overcome life's most formidable challenges and obstacles. This is more than just a building, but a place for those with mental health and addiction can come be seen and heard. It is a place of education, healing and most important, a place of safety with nonjudgement.

"We are a beacon of hope for those in crisis who have lost all hope, and who need support and treatment."

Before the official breaking ground, Governor Gordon said, "It is an amazing tribute to Wyoming that we come together to take care of our own. It's something that we have always done. And this center is something that this community, this state, can look to as an example of when Wyoming does her best." Gordon added, "As we wrestled through the various funding opportunities, we had the commitment of this community, the desire to make sure they took care of people who are dealing with suicide ideation, who were worried about their neighbors and wanting to make sure that folks who had dealt with addiction and other circumstances had a place close to home that they could go."

Cloud Peak Counseling Center CFO Jackie Robertson thanked everyone for attending and said, "We're super excited for what's to come."

Johnson said, "The most important [thank you] today is to our staff that is here. You guys are doing the work every single day on the ground, and I've seen it. I've seen the hope that is shared with the clients that are here, and I've seen that pass onto communities and through the entire state."

WHAT'S NEW

The current Lighthouse adult crisis stabilization center on South 15th Street in Worland has space for nine state-funded beds.

The new building will have space for 12 residential single-occupancy rooms. Johnson said in a previous interview, "That will be really nice for those persons served by us. They will have that privacy, and if they are in a mental health crisis their frustration tolerance can be lower. Their need for space, serenity and somewhere that they feel comfortable is really important so I'm excited to be able to offer that with our new building." The new building will be fit completely with anti-ligature fixtures, meaning that clients can't use them to hurt themselves or others. The building is also being designed to have two long main hallways so that line-of-sight can be easily maintained to ensure patient safety.

The facility is slated for completion in the summer of 2024.

Funding for the facility is provide in part by a $3.5 million grant from the State Loan and Investment Board.