Watch highlights from our official opening in Maryland

NEW HEALTH CENTER WILL BRING 100 JOBS AND IMMEDIATE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO THE STATE

WASHINGTON (November 9, 2023) – Compass Health Center, a crisis mental health care center that provides immediate, comprehensive, and specialized services to adolescents, young adults and adults today announced the launch of its new location in Silver Spring, Maryland, and a virtual program across the state to provide critical services to Maryland residents. Compass Health Center provides expert care in areas of concern to families in Maryland, like trauma, OCD, school refusal, depression, and substance use while addressing the major gaps in access Marylanders are currently facing.

Maryland is in crisis, with roughly 838,000 Marylanders aged 12 and up struggling with a mental health condition. Maryland values youth mental health, and recently announced a $120 million grant fund to support school mental health services to help students suffering from mental health disorders. Recognizing Maryland’s need to have increased access to mental health care, Compass Health Center will provide immediate and comprehensive services to both those in need as well as those that could not gain access previously.

While Maryland contends with some of the nation's longest emergency room wait times, averaging four hours for medical needs, and even days for mental health challenges, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Far more critical is the extended waiting period for psychiatric services, with children, adolescents, and adults in crisis often left in limbo for weeks, escalating the risk of suicide. The absence of immediate behavioral health care can be life-threatening. Compass Health Center is set to change this alarming narrative by providing prompt support to those 12 and older, addressing the urgent need for timely mental health intervention.

Founder of Compass Health Center and Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist, Dr. David Schreiber said, “All of us at Compass Health Center are eager to open our new location in Silver Spring to support the mental health of residents across Maryland. We believe in our innovative program – one that hinges on providing immediate access to comprehensive and specialized care. Nothing positive happens to families that are left sitting for hours or days for mental health needs in an emergency room or sent home to be left on a wait list for weeks to months to obtain care. With Compass’s unique model, those in need of our help will talk live to someone on our team within 24 hours and be scheduled for an intake same day or next day.”

Compass Health Center is also bringing 100 new jobs to Maryland, boosting the local economy. “We’ve seen the impact Compass has made on Illinois, and we are excited to replicate that impact in Maryland,” Schreiber added.”

State Senator Will Smith (D- District 20) applauded the opening of Compass Health and the impact it will have on Maryland youth, saying “Our youth and adults need increased mental health support, which will help to address some of the issues plaguing our communities. Nearly 838,000 Marylanders suffering from mental health issues did not receive the care they needed last year, I’m grateful this center will help to increase the ability for Maryland students that receive help when they’re struggling.”

Compass Health Center Medical Director, Dr. Marissa Leslie shared her excitement about supporting this community, saying “I’ve worked in mental health in Maryland for a long time and I have never been more excited to bring services to our state. We have a highly qualified team that is specialized to meet the needs of a diverse community. And we stand ready to partner with school leaders, hospital systems and community partners to serve the residents of our state.”

The chair of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maryland board, Denise Evans, said the opening is a huge step forward to improving the quality of life for Maryland residents struggling from mental illness and will support Maryland overall, adding that “Compass Health Center will support the broader state, and will help to provide care to individuals that have been affected by mental illness, which will also benefit their loved ones and communities.”

State Senator Malcolm Augustine (D-District 47) lauded Compass Health for prioritizing and destigmatizing mental health care. Senator Augustine noted that “mental health issues need to be treated with the same care and urgency as physical disorders,” adding “the opening of Compass Health Center brings us closer to that goal, helping to ease burdens on an already complicated health system.”

Norvell V. Coots, M.D., President and CEO, Holy Cross Health, a national leader in quality and innovative health care serving Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland called the opening of Compass Health Center a “promising program that will expand the systems of care in Maryland and ease burdens on emergency rooms.” He also added that the Center will “be an emergency resource that supports the wellbeing of students and adults.”

The opening of Compass Health Center will serve a variety of important purposes in the community, including:

Helping to decrease Maryland ER wait times
Supporting Maryland teens, improving student mental health
Supporting young, adults and adults in need of urgent support
Providing 100 jobs to the state, bolstering the local economy
Supporting the mental health of residents across Maryland through its virtual program

For more information, please visit https://compasshealthcenter.net/locations/silver-spring/.

About Compass Health Center:

Compass Health Center provides comprehensive mental health services to adolescents, young adults, and adults within 24 hours of the first phone call. Their approach is tailored for adolescents, young adults, and adults and hinges on three key principles: immediate access, comprehensive care, and specialization. Compass Health Center ensures immediate access with assessments available same/next-day and psychiatric evaluations within 24-48 hours of program initiation, providing treatment for a broad range of ages starting with children through adulthood and offering expert care in areas like Trauma, OCD, School Refusal, Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health and Substance Use.

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