SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – The construction of a new mental health crisis center just received a boost in funding, thanks to a $3.5 million donation from the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation.

The new Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center is the first building on the Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s “Campus of Hope.” When it opens, the center will be able to treat 30 people who need short-term stabilization care and treatment. It will also have 24 inpatient beds for those who need longer-term care.

The Gardner Crisis Care Center will also include a medication-assisted treatment clinic for those with opiate-use disorders and “intensive” outpatient treatment for adults who need support for substance abuse. Mental health day treatments will also be offered for those who need more help than traditional outpatient care can provide.

Once completed, the center will provide a bridge to connect families and patients to professional and social services.

The goal of the center is to increase Utah’s mental health resources. According to the CDC, suicide is Utah’s ninth leading cause of death.

CEO of Huntsman Health Institute Dr. Mark Rapaport said the center will be “unlike any other crisis care center in the country.”

Dr. Rapaport said the funds provided by the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation will support the center’s second floor, which is planned to house critical auxiliary services such as a free law clinic, financial services, dental care, and primary care.

Gail Miller said she was grateful to partner with the Huntsman and Gardner families as they do important work in the mental health space.

“Huntsman Mental Health Institute is providing necessary and important mental health services for our community,” said Miller. “Everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. When the Huntsman family approached us about the new [Gardner Crisis Care Center], we immediately knew we wanted to be involved.”

So far, the crisis care center has received $28 million in philanthropic support. The support will help with construction and operations costs, including a team of researchers as the site will serve as a training center for future crisis care professionals.

Excavation has started near the Salt Lake County jail and the South Salt Lake Men’s Resource Center for the 78,000-square-foot crisis center. Earlier reporting by ABC4 says the center is planned to open in 2024.