GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Eight Green Bay police cars parked in front of Willow Creek Behavioral Health Hospital Thursday morning.
Inside, police officers were easy to spot and it was clear the department supported the new facility.
Police Chief Andrew Smith tells WLUK
“Last year, officers responded and took into custody 595 different times individuals that were going through some type of emergency medical psychological difficulties.”
And, that’s where officer Barb Gerarden comes in. She works as a temporary mental health officer and many times, the people she encounters need treatment.
“We encounter people everyday that are in crisis and it’s really important to have the resources to be able to help them at the time they’re in need”
The police department plans to hire two full-time mental health officers and she’s in the running for one of those positions.
During its celebration and ribbon cutting, Willow Creek’s Doug Ginn talked about the building.
“We have the flexibility with our building design to move populations around. We also have distinct population units where we’re not mixing people with different diagnoses”
With 72 beds, Willow Creek will also cater to children, adults and seniors in need.
Erik Pritzl, executive director of Brown County Human Services Department , says he’s seen an increase in people who need treatment when existing providers don’t have the room.
“If we don’t have capacity locally, then we have to look outside the community… if we can have more resources more locally, that helps keep people local which helps their treatment”
With a staff of 80, Willow Creek says in all 250 jobs could be available in the future.
The facility is expected to open Tuesday.
