MetroHealth closure and county cuts complicate plans for new crisis center

CLEVELAND, Ohio — When Cuyahoga County leaders announced plans for a new behavioral health crisis center, they described it as a long-overdue fix for an overwhelmed system – a place where residents in crisis could get immediate care instead of ending up in jail or hospital emergency rooms.

But as the project moves forward, the funding picture has only grown more complicated. County budget cuts, shifting funding priorities and MetroHealth’s decision to close its psychiatric emergency department to avoid duplicating services all raise new questions about how local behavioral health care will be supported going forward.

Here are five takeaways from recent developments that could shape the project’s future:

1. The county has pledged $12 million for a crisis center – but only for the first t