Abbe Center for Community Mental Health makes move to downtown Cedar Rapids

The center opens to the public in its new location on Monday and offers a mix of mental health and substance use intervention services.

Allied moving company employee Isaih Langford, of Cedar Rapids, moves shelving into Abbe Health Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette) — Allied moving company employee Isaih Langford, of Cedar Rapids, moves shelving into AbbeHealth Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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CEDAR RAPIDS — After 40 years of operation in northwest Cedar Rapids, the Abbe Center for Community Mental Health has moved to a new and improved downtown location.

The center this week relocated to the former Stamats building at 615 Fifth St. SE., adjacent to The Harmac event venue. On Monday, it will open to the public for mental health and substance use treatment services.

“We wanted it to be very calm and welcoming,” said Executive Director Megan Vranish. “People (typically) start these services when they’re going through a pretty tough time, so making that first step easier for people is something we really focused on.”

Unity Point Health IT employee David Neff, of Cedar Rapids, works on installing computer and phone lines at the front desk of Abbe Health Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette) — Unity Point Health IT employee David Neff, of Cedar Rapids, works on installing computer and phone lines at the front desk of AbbeHealth Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

The move represents a significant upgrade from the previous Abbe Center for Community Mental Health location at 520 11th St. NW., a rented space out of which the mental health center operated for more than four decades.

At 31,000 square feet, the new location is significantly larger than the previous one, and it has been newly renovated to meet the center’s needs. The facility is also more centrally located and easier to reach via public transportation.

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Hospital bought the building last year for $3.15 million using capital funds, foundation fundraising and a $1 million grant for Community Behavioral Health Care. AbbeHealth Services is an affiliate of UnityPoint.

Unity Point Health Services sign inside Abbe Health Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette) — Unity Point Health Services sign inside AbbeHealth Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

“Being in the heart of downtown Cedar Rapids makes our services more accessible and strengthens our connection to the community,” AbbeHealth Services president Kathy Johnson said in a written statement. “We are grateful for the generous support of our capital campaign through the St. Luke’s Foundation, which made this project possible.”

The Abbe center offers a broad range of on-site services, including in-person and telehealth therapy, psychiatric and primary care, same-day mental health and substance use evaluations, crisis intervention and more.

The new location also will house the 24/7 Iowa Warm Line, a confidential peer-support phone line offering emotional support for anyone in need.

Vranish said the move should allow the center to expand those services in a space specifically designed to meet the growing demand for mental health care and substance use intervention within the broader Linn County community.

“We’re excited to see people in the new space,” she said. “We’ve made it a lot more engaging and welcoming, so it’s more visually appealing to be in this space (with the added benefit) of being so close to downtown.”

Allied moving company employee Trey Leonard, of Cedar Rapids, waits for the moving truck at Abbe Health Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette) — Allied moving company employee Trey Leonard, of Cedar Rapids, waits for the moving truck at AbbeHealth Services’ new building in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com

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