Sioux Falls Triage Center Could Cost $3M a Year to Operate

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A proposed triage center in Minnehaha County that would better serve people with mental health and substance abuse issues could cost up to $3 million annually to operate.

County Commission program development officer Erin Srstka shared the costs with the county commission and Sioux Falls City Council at a meeting last month, the Argus Leader reported.

Community leaders are using focused programming and data collection to determine the needs of the community and create the triage center pilot program.

A location for the facility and potential construction costs haven't yet been confirmed. Identifying funding sources is the most pressing step in the process, Srstka said.

"What we have decided is that the triage is to act as a pivot point for those with a mental health need. having that target population of mental health and substance abuse people," Srstka said.

City and county officials approved a grant application two years ago to begin planning for the triage center. The $50,000 MacArthur Foundation grant was used to study other triage centers across the country and learn the role they play in the community.

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