Final Plans Approved for MAPS 4 Robert Ravitz Crisis Center in Oklahoma City
Final Plans Approved for MAPS 4 Robert Ravitz Crisis Center in Oklahoma City
The MAPS 4 Robert Ravitz Crisis Center took a major step forward this week after the Oklahoma City Council approved the project’s final plans.
The new facility is part of the MAPS 4 initiative and includes a $12.27 million investment aimed at improving access to mental health and substance abuse crisis services for Oklahoma City residents. An additional $3 million contribution from the Arnall Family Foundation will help support the development of the center.
According to MAPS Program Manager David Todd, the Robert Ravitz Crisis Center is designed to become a key part of the city’s behavioral health system by providing a calming, supportive environment for individuals facing mental health emergencies.
The facility will offer emergency evaluations, stabilization services and pathways to ongoing care for people in crisis. Operations will be managed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Lauren Stover, Statewide Crisis Services Director, said the center is intended to reduce the number of individuals in crisis who end up in hospital emergency rooms or the criminal justice system. She described the project as an important investment in providing safer and more appropriate treatment options for people experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies.
Plans for the center include a 25-station urgent recovery area, social living spaces, group therapy rooms, calming rooms and two crisis stabilization wings with as many as 16 beds each. The facility will also feature an outdoor courtyard, kitchen, cafeteria and administrative offices.
The Robert Ravitz Crisis Center will be built at 1200 NE 13th St. on the east side of the OU Health Sciences Center campus. Demolition work on the former Lottie House property is already underway, with construction expected to begin later this summer. Officials anticipate the center will open sometime next year.
The project was designed by S.A. Studio.
About MAPS 4
MAPS 4 is a debt-free public improvement program funded through a temporary one-cent sales tax approved by Oklahoma City voters in December 2019. The initiative is expected to generate approximately $1.07 billion over an eight-year period to support community projects throughout the city.
More than 70 percent of MAPS 4 funding is directed toward neighborhood improvements and human-needs projects, while the remaining funds support quality-of-life enhancements and economic development efforts. Oversight for the program is provided by the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board and its subcommittees, with final approval authority resting with the City Council.
About ODMHSAS
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services provides prevention, treatment and recovery services for mental health and substance use disorders across Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Through community behavioral health centers, crisis response programs and treatment partnerships, the agency works to connect residents and families with care and recovery resources.
