PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — An easily accessible facility for people facing a mental health crisis will soon open its doors in Pensacola. 

Lakeview Center is opening a new Central Receiving Facility at its main campus on West Lakeview Avenue.

“What it provides is one central place where every adult in Santa Rosa or Escambia County will be brought here to be screened to identify the behavioral health needs,” Lakeview Center President Shawn Salamida said.

Lakeview Center team members got to see the new facility on Wednesday. 

In the coming weeks, that team will work with adult Baker Act patients transferred to the facility by law enforcement. 

The Baker Act is an involuntary examination under the law, allowing for people in crisis to be retained at a facility for stabilization purposes for up to 72 hours.

From there, the staff will make a plan of action for the patient. 

“They may be admitted for a short period to be stabilized, or they may not need that type of stabilization,” Salamida said. “We have a whole host of programs here that they may benefit from to avoid them having to be hospitalized.”

The Pensacola Police Department said they often respond to Baker Act situations and take patients to local hospitals.  

“We would have to take Baker Acts to hospitals and sometimes depending on how busy they were that could take some time,” Pensacola Police Public Information Officer Mike Wood said. “That keeps an officer off the street. This new facility is much faster. It’s streamlined, and we can get the officer back on the street much quicker.”

If a patient does need to be admitted to a hospital, Lakeview will take them there. Lakeview Center will also operate a crisis stabilization unit for inpatient care. 

Lakeview Center said the $5.4 million project has created 90 new jobs, and they’re hoping to open on April 15.