BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)-- There's a brand-new university hospital opening in the Fruit Belt community in Buffalo for anybody who might be struggling. It will be a one-stop shop to treat a range of mental disorders.

The Kirsten Vincent Respite and Recovery Center opens in about a half and a week. It's located on Maple Street to serve a neighborhood who otherwise doesn't have simple access to this crucial care. It is a safe haven for individuals experiencing a psychological health crisis where they can plan and begin their healing.

This center is a collaboration between Recovery Options Made Easy, WNY Independent Living and Mental Health Peer Connections who run the Renewal Center, and Spectrum Health and Human Services.

" People have the opportunity to have access to services where they live from individuals who appear like them," Shannon Higbee, CEO of Recovery Option Made Easy, told News 4.

It is named in honor of Dr. Kirsten Vincent, who died suddenly in 2021. She had a vision for an all-inclusive mental health facility that supplied numerous levels of care.

This is a first-of-its kind center providing assistance across the psychological healthcare spectrum, providing an alternative choice to a hospital. There are four main programs with extra external resources available.

" There isn't anything in the country that is quite like this in regards to having so many levels of service in one area particularly focused on mental health crisis," Higbee stated.

The short-term crisis break will be open 24/7 and is a self-refer healing option for individuals who determine that they are experiencing a crisis. This is a peer-staffed center that supplies recovery choices in a home-like setting.

The intensive crisis respite is also a 24/7 option that supplies mental health assistance and medication management for people experiencing other illness. Clinical staff will also be on hand to assist individuals transition back to home or another setting.

Spectrum Health Clinical Engagement Program supplies education, counseling and motivation services to grownups. This consists of crisis counseling, crisis and intervention assessment. This will be staffed Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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The Renewal Center will move from it's Elm Street area to this new center, using the peer-to-peer help. This is based on a living space model where people experiencing a psychological health crisis can walk in and feel at house, speaking with peers who have experienced a similar problem in the past.

" With all the obstacles with racism and all those various things, they want to pertain to a place where they can feel comfy. They want to pertain to a location where they understand the people that are staff here have actually gone through some of the same difficulties and they comprehend," Renne Law-King, program manager for the Renewal Center, continued.

The mass shooting at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue in May 2022 underscored the value for this center, which has actually remained in the works for many years.

" In the wake of the 5/14 shooting, it's become even more important that we integrate into the community," Higbee said.

" With all the obstacles with racism and all those different things, they wish to come to a place where they can feel comfortable. They want to pertain to a location where they know the people that are personnel here have gone through a few of the exact same challenges and they understand," Law-King continued.

One goal of the center is to staff it with next-door neighbors from the Fruit Belt neighborhood to make it a welcoming environment for people in their time of need. People in this program will go through New York State Office of Mental Health Peer Certification training, which is free, and it can create task opportunities, even a career.

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The center is having a grand opening ribbon cutting on Tuesday, April 11 at 1 p.m. It will open it's doors for the short-term recovery respite on April 17. As other sections of the facility are finished, the center will phase in the other programs.

For additional information on service alternatives or if you are experiencing a psychological health crisis, you can call The Kirsten Vincent Respite and Recovery Center at (716) 532-5508 or go to the center at 111 Maple Street.

Tara Lynch is a Buffalo native who signed up with the News 4 group as a press reporter in 2022. She previously worked at WETM in Elmira, N.Y., a sister station of News 4. You can follow Tara on Facebook and Twitter and discover more of her work here.