PURVIS, Miss. (WDAM) – Leaders across the Pine Belt have worked to prioritize mental health this fiscal year, and those efforts will continue into next year with support from local agencies and state lawmakers.
Pine Belt officials said groundbreaking day for a crisis stabilization unit in Purvis is imminent.
The county has been working to convert the National Guard Armory into a unit since 2021.
“We were able to put together a coalition between Forrest County, Lamar County, the city of Hattiesburg and the (Mississippi) Department of Mental Health and our state legislature,” said Jodie Waits, Lamar County Executive. “Lamar County is contributing $1 million, Forrest County is contributing $1 million.”
The two districts have also worked closely with the state and federal governments to ensure full funding for the facility.
Forrest County officials said the contribution was made possible by federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“The state legislature helped us with half a million dollars in the previous session. In the last session, $700,000 was allocated,” Waits said.
“And then we were able to get $2.25 million in congressionally mandated spending through the federal government, which will cover the lion’s share of the building’s renovation costs.”
Codaray Construction was awarded the contract to carry out the renovation of the armory.
Now only a few administrative matters remain to be taken care of, say those responsible, before construction of this unique facility can begin.
“There will be a 23-hour living room model that will be the first of its kind in this state. We have all worked very hard to develop a program that will be unique in this state and will hopefully serve as a model for other counties,” said Lance Reid, Forrest County Clerk.
Forrest and Lamar county clerks and supervisors say a local crisis stabilization unit will help patients recover a little closer to home while still being within reasonable distance of a state hospital.
“We can divert them and hopefully treat them locally so they don’t have to go to the state hospital, but the South Mississippi State Hospital is in Purvis.
The unit is not a long-term inpatient facility. Medical professionals will determine if someone needs to be transferred to a state hospital or if their condition can be stabilized with medication.
At this point in time, those responsible cannot say exactly when the facility can be opened, but they are confident that work will be completed or almost completed before the end of 2025.
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