Healthcare nonprofit Sheppard Pratt has broken ground on its Residential Crisis Program, marking a development in mental healthcare services for Howard County in Maryland, US, and surrounding areas.

The new 16-bed facility on Sheppard Pratt’s Baltimore/Washington Campus aims to enhance access to mental healthcare for individuals experiencing behavioural health crises.

Sheppard Pratt president and CEO Harsh Trivedi said: “This initiative is the result of a strong collaborative approach between Sheppard Pratt, state leaders, and Howard County to address an urgent need for community-based mental health services that reduce unnecessary hospitalisations and emergency department visits.

“This programme will support Howard County residents through their mental health crises and aims to empower individuals to seek help closer to home, ultimately fostering a stronger support network and a smoother transition back into their communities.”

The programme, staffed around the clock, is set to complete construction in mid-2026.

It is engineered to offer an alternative to emergency departments or inpatient units, allowing individuals to avoid or transition from higher levels of care more promptly.

The facility will also provide specialised services for those with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, leveraging its proximity to Sheppard Pratt's main campus for seamless care coordination and shared staffing.

The project has received $2.8m from the State of Maryland, with $1.6m coming from a legislative bond initiative and $1.2m from a Maryland Department of Health Community Bond Grant. Howard County has also contributed $2.25m in capital support.

The new programme will adopt the Dual-Diagnosis Capability in Mental Health Treatment model, a federally endorsed, evidence-based approach.

It will be one of the few residential crisis programmes in Maryland to implement this model.

To ensure the quality of care, all clinical staff will undergo intensive and ongoing training provided by Case Western Reserve University.

The expanded facility will incorporate a harm-reduction treatment model.

This encompasses the provision of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners who are trained to prescribe medication-assisted treatments for substance use disorders, such as suboxone for opioid use disorder.