Lawmakers Consider 3rd Crisis Center in Southern Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two communities in southern Idaho are vying for a proposed $1.7 million crisis center that Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter backed in his budget proposal earlier this year.

The center would serve as a 24-hour facility linking people in crisis with mental health resources. Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare estimates that an Idaho Falls crisis center that opened last year saved about $730,000 in hospitalization costs and reported 1,536 admissions in 2015. A second crisis center opened in Coeur d'Alene last month.

Republican Rep. Maxine Bell of Jerome calls the Idaho Falls center a success story that she wants to replicate in her district. Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Melissa Wintrow of Boise says Ada County needs a crisis center because of its high population density.