‘Without hope, recovery is impossible:’ Lubbock partners break ground on mental health diversion center
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Health care leaders say Thursday’s diversion center groundbreaking in East Lubbock was monumental in changing the landscape of mental health services on the South Plains.
Several partners broke ground on the Hope Center in a field near Sunrise Canyon Hospital on East 19th Street.
The mental health diversion center has been a decades-long dream for StarCare CEO Beth Lawson.
“I joke that 25 years later, we’re an overnight success,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed with the enormity of what this all means.”
She says the Hope Center, a diversion center for people experiencing mental health crises, is the result of years of work from state and local advocates.
“It really is the culmination of many conversations, much commitment by many community leaders and a lot of people who are really invested in having a very, very hopeful and helpful place for people to receive crisis mental healthcare,” Lawson said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lubbock leaders set to break ground on mental health diversion center next week
Those leaders include the City of Lubbock, Lubbock County, UMC, Covenant, Texas Tech University/Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and StarCare Specialty Health System. Both the City and County are spending $3.5 million of their COVID-19 economic stimulus dollars on the diversion center.
“Beth Lawson and their staff shared with me a place where people in our community who were going through a mental health crisis could come be assessed and be treated rather than be taken to our hospital’s emergency rooms or to our jail,” County Judge Curtis Parrish said.
Mayor Tray Payne spoke on behalf of current and previous council leadership, who he says support filling this void.
“Twenty-five years ago, when I started in law enforcement in Lubbock, Texas, there was a need for this type of facility and it wasn’t there,” Payne said. “The mental health crisis that’s taken over, it was even around 25 years ago. It’s never not been there. We just notice it more.”
State Senator Charles Perry says the state recognized the value of this model and quality mental health services in its last session.
“They can now have a new hope, I hope, that will alleviate some of their pain and get them back on the right track,” he said. “Today’s the new hope for those that are seeking hope in all the wrong places.”
Lawson says providing the right care in the right setting is what the community and these patients need. Without hope, she says recovery is impossible.
“Whether we’re recovering from divorce, a mental health crisis, substance use disorder or a fractured relationship, hope is necessary. And in an environment where hope is omnipresent, that is the first step to allowing people to feel comfortable enough to begin the healing process,” Lawson said.
Lawson closed out the groundbreaking by inviting everyone back on June 1, 2025, when the Hope Center is set to open its doors.
Copyright 2024 KCBD. All rights reserved.
