KSL TV
SALT LAKE CITY From sirens and handcuffs, to compassionate, efficient care, Utah has taken a giant leap forward in how we treat mental health disorders.
Officials with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute broke ground on a new treatment center Wednesday that could become a model for the nation.
With the dog days of summer coming, Charlie Ellis, with his emotional support animal, Izzie, is looking forward to a sea of change in mental health treatment. You used to just be really hush-hush, said Ellis, who lives in Sandy. You kept it under the table.
Ellis has depression and bipolar disorder and he isn t alone.
When JayBee played basketball for the University of New Mexico, he was not a fan of Utah or, more precisely, the Utes. After he left the sport as a career, he wanted to find something else he was passionate about. When he spoke at a treatment center, he found that passion: mental health and helping those in need.
In 2017, he went to work for University Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI), now known as Huntsman Mental Health Institute, as a psychiatric technician providing care to those with mental health and substance abuse needs. After working with youth at UNI, he then joined the receiving center, which opened in 2012. It is an integral part of Salt Lake Valley s response to mental health crises. We are serving the homeless and individuals in crisis, JayBee says.