Starting next month, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center will add about 18 operating hours per week.
In addition, “The need for services is so great that the Center will also be expanding its clinical staff to keep pace with the demand,” according to a news release Thursday.
Effective June 1, the center will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays.
BNCMHC leaders are hopeful that the change will help increase the number of people who can receive mental health services, according to the release.
“We recognize that in our ever-evolving world, schedules are complicated, and we have to be available at more and different times,” Stephen O’Neill, chief operation officer, said in the release. “That’s what expanding to 8 is all about, is making sure that our community, which so strongly supports the Bert Nash Center, has access to us when they need us.”
The center’s current hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays. It’s located inside the Community Health Facility, 200 Maine St.
If you need mental health help in Lawrence, Bert Nash’s 24-hour hotline is 785-843-9192.
KSPHQ (formerly Headquarters Counseling Center) is also available 24/7 at 785-841-2345, and the national suicide prevention lifeline is 800-273-8255.
