Green-Douglass and Sullivanpointed out that GuideLink has admitted an older population than expected to the sobering program, a large numberbeing 35-44 years old,and people who may be intoxicated with more than just alcohol. You do not have to be a resident of Johnson County. We practice DEI and continue to practice DEI to make sure this is a safe space for everyone.. Every time were not doing that, its a duplication of cost, and were not as effective or efficient as we can be, and that impacts the number of people that we can serve, Reynolds said. These units are located in a Community Access Center called the GuideLink Center. Once fully operational, the facility will have a capacity of 38 people including 10 in the sobering units, 16 in overnight rooms for detoxification or stabilization and 12 in short-term crisis observation. During its first year, the GuideLink Center, a facility that provides care for mental health and substance use disorders, has helped over 1,000 people, said Executive Director Abbey Ferenzi. Im hoping in this next year we could increase that by 50 percent.. The City of Iowa City is an equal opportunity employer. 'To have additional resources to avoid incarceration, to avoid trips to the ER is a good thing.. Were certainly not going to be able to help everyone, but we do hope that when people come here, even if theres not something that can help them with, they at least have a positive experience, and feel like they were heard, and would be all more likely to come back again if they did need these services, she said. The $8.75 million facility is a milestone. By the time it reached the six-month mark, it opened a new extension to the center -- the sobering unit. For more information or to reach GuideLink Center, please contact us at our main number or by emailinginfo@guidelinkcenter.org. Previous. . Mannix said that while there is a high burnout rate for healthcare workers, the center hasnt had much turnover. For more information on the City's hiring process, see our brochure or watch our video. When youre working, sometimes on a year-to-year budget, not sure you know what the funding is going to be or how much youre going to get, its really hard sometimes to make some of those decisions about hiring, or the services we have, or the needs we have, Ferenzi said. The report found that patients in the first 12 months came mostly from Johnson County, but people from 40 other counties in the state came to GuideLink for care. Copyright 2022 KCRG. GuideLink Centers mission is to provide immediate care for adults facing emotional, mental health, or substance use challenges. She said that is typically crisis counseling ortriage, whichcan last 20 minutes to an hour and a half, and the person can go home with a safety plan and maybe a follow-up appointment.