Vote Yes for Mental Health Crisis Unit
Joanna Bowen
Dear Orange County Commissioners,
I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of allocating the funds necessary to build the planned mental health crisis unit in Orange County.
As the parent of three adult sons who live with serious mental illness, I have witnessed firsthand the gaps in our current crisis response system. Over the years, when my sons have experienced psychiatric crises, they have often been forced to wait for days—and sometimes even weeks—in the UNC Emergency Department while awaiting placement in an appropriate mental health facility.
An emergency department is not designed to provide therapeutic psychiatric care. It is frequently crowded, noisy, and chaotic. For someone experiencing psychosis, severe depression, mania, or another acute mental health crisis, that environment can intensify symptoms and increase suffering. During these prolonged waits, I have watched my sons' conditions deteriorate rather than improve.
A dedicated mental health walk-in crisis unit would offer a fundamentally different experience. Instead of sitting in an emergency department hallway or room for days, individuals in crisis could enter a space specifically designed to reduce stress, stabilize symptoms, and provide timely treatment. Trained mental health professionals could assess and intervene quickly, often preventing crises from escalating to the point of hospitalization, incarceration, homelessness, or tragedy.
Mental illness affects thousands of Orange County residents and their families. A crisis unit is not simply a building; it is a lifeline. It represents a commitment to treating mental health emergencies with the same urgency, dignity, and specialized care that we provide for other medical emergencies.
My family knows all too well what is at stake. No person in psychiatric crisis should have to spend days or weeks waiting in an emergency department for help. No family should have to watch a loved one's condition worsen because appropriate care is unavailable.
I respectfully ask you to support the funding needed to build this mental health crisis unit. Your vote has the potential to improve outcomes, save lives, and provide hope to countless families in our community.
Thank you for your service to Orange County and for your consideration of this important investment in mental health care.
Sincerely,
Joanna Bowen
302 W Barbee Chapel Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27517Dear Orange County Commissioners,
I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of allocating the funds necessary to build the planned mental health crisis unit in Orange County.
As the parent of three adult sons who live with serious mental illness, I have witnessed firsthand the gaps in our current crisis response system. Over the years, when my sons have experienced psychiatric crises, they have often been forced to wait for days—and sometimes even weeks—in the UNC Emergency Department while awaiting placement in an appropriate mental health facility.
An emergency department is not designed to provide therapeutic psychiatric care. It is frequently crowded, noisy, and chaotic. For someone experiencing psychosis, severe depression, mania, or another acute mental health crisis, that environment can intensify symptoms and increase suffering. During these prolonged waits, I have watched my sons' conditions deteriorate rather than improve.
A dedicated mental health walk-in crisis unit would offer a fundamentally different experience. Instead of sitting in an emergency department hallway or room for days, individuals in crisis could enter a space specifically designed to reduce stress, stabilize symptoms, and provide timely treatment. Trained mental health professionals could assess and intervene quickly, often preventing crises from escalating to the point of hospitalization, incarceration, homelessness, or tragedy.
Mental illness affects thousands of Orange County residents and their families. A crisis unit is not simply a building; it is a lifeline. It represents a commitment to treating mental health emergencies with the same urgency, dignity, and specialized care that we provide for other medical emergencies.
My family knows all too well what is at stake. No person in psychiatric crisis should have to spend days or weeks waiting in an emergency department for help. No family should have to watch a loved one's condition worsen because appropriate care is unavailable.
I respectfully ask you to support the funding needed to build this mental health crisis unit. Your vote has the potential to improve outcomes, save lives, and provide hope to countless families in our community.
Thank you for your service to Orange County and for your consideration of this important investment in mental health care.
Sincerely,
Joanna Bowen
302 W Barbee Chapel Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27517