How to Access Mental Health and Crisis Services in Beltrami County
Call 1-800-422-0045 for 24/7 mobile crisis response; Sanford Bemidji’s EmPATH at 3220 Hannah Ave. NW offers weekday in-person stabilization for children, adults and families.
If someone is in immediate danger or experiencing a mental-health emergency in Beltrami County, call 1-800-422-0045 now. That number is the local Mobile Crisis/Mental Health Crisis Line available 24/7 for adults and children, and it can dispatch help to your home, meet you in the community, assist in an emergency room, or handle a crisis over the phone.
Sanford Bemidji EmPATH crisis center
Sanford Health operates an EmPATH unit on the Bemidji campus at 3220 Hannah Ave. NW, Bemidji, Minnesota 56601. The facility, which Sanford describes as a “12,000-square-foot facility,” was built in collaboration with Beltrami County and local donors to provide on-site crisis stabilization. “The EmPATH unit provides specialized care for individuals experiencing mental health crises. It consists of three separate units catering to children, adults, and families,” Sanford writes, and adds that “they are the only ones in the state that can accommodate children, adults and families.”
EmPATH access is primarily during weekday hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Weekend hours are variable and depend on the patient caseload. Sanford states that “patients can stay as long as needed during operating hours.” For departments, clinicians, or family members seeking to confirm hours or walk-in availability, Sanford provides a verification line at (218) 209-3610. For general counseling contacts listed on Sanford’s Bemidji page, the number shown is (218) 333-5000.
April Bohlman, LPCC, is listed on Sanford’s Bemidji crisis page as one of the counseling providers associated with the center. The EmPATH model is intended to keep people out of emergency departments when possible by providing site-based crisis stabilization and assessments.
“The Mobile Crisis Response Services team offers emergency and crisis services. Our team is available 24/7 to help adults and children during a mental health crisis,” Sanford states of its mobile team. Use 1-800-422-0045 to reach that team at any hour.
24/7 national and text-based options
If you prefer texting, you can reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MN to 741741. Sanford notes the text line is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; counselors will help defuse the crisis and connect you with local resources. For anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or acute emotional distress, dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7 as a toll-free hotline.
How the Mobile Crisis team and EmPATH work together
The Mobile Crisis Response Services team can be dispatched to homes, meet people in the community or emergency rooms, and can arrange site-based crisis stabilization at EmPATH when appropriate. Walk-in crisis assessments at EmPATH “may also be available” after calling the verification line, or you can use the Mobile Crisis number to ask staff to arrange an in-person assessment.
Outpatient counseling and local mental-health providers
Beyond immediate crisis services, Beltrami County has a wide network of outpatient providers and community programs listed in local resource guides. These include community mental-health centers, private practices, and nonprofit counseling agencies. Prominent entries in the local BICAP community resource list include:
- Blackduck Resource Center — 835-5768
- Evergreen Community Services — 751-8223
- Hope House — 444-6748
- Lake Country Associates — 366-9229
- Northern Psychological Serv. — 759-2825
- North Homes Children & Family Services — 751-0282
- Students First — 333-8484 or 333-8042
- Stellher Human Services — 444-2845
- Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center — 751-3280 or 1-800-422-7843
These agencies provide ongoing counseling, substance-use support, youth and family services, and specialty programs. If you are arranging follow-up care after a crisis visit, ask clinic staff which of these local partners best fits the patient’s needs and insurance coverage.
Insurance, payment and administrative numbers
If you need help with insurance, enrollment or benefits that affect access to services, the following numbers are listed in local resources: Health Insurance / MN Sure — 1-855-366-7873; MN Care Health Insurance — 1-800-657-3672; Medical Assistance — 333-8300. Sanford Health also lists physician lines and department numbers: Sanford physicians — 759-5000 or 1-800-942-4923; Blackduck Sanford Health — 835-4222. For counseling-specific routing on the Sanford Bemidji page, (218) 333-5000 appears as a contact.
Shelter, domestic-violence and related community supports
Crisis care often intersects with housing and safety needs. Local contacts include Village of Hope, a shelter for women and children, at 751-0722; the Battered Women’s Shelter crisis line at 1-800-588-6229; Bemidji-Northwoods Coalition at 751-0211 or 444-1395; and housing assistance such as Bemidji Section 8/HRA at 444-4522. If an emergency includes a threat to personal safety, mention that when you call the Mobile Crisis number so responders can coordinate with shelters and law enforcement as needed.
How to prepare for a crisis call or an EmPATH visit
1. If a person is in immediate danger, call 911 first.
2. For mental-health crises that do not require police or ambulance transport, call 1-800-422-0045; specify whether you need a clinician to come to your home, meet in the community, or arrange an EmPATH assessment.
3. If you plan to go to EmPATH or want to check walk-in availability, call (218) 209-3610 to confirm current hours and whether pediatric or family walk-ins are being accepted that day.
4. Bring any insurance cards, a list of medications, and the patient’s emergency contacts; Sanford notes that patients may “stay as long as needed during operating hours” once admitted.
Those steps reflect how local crisis teams and Sanford recommend coordinating care: use the mobile line for immediate dispatch and the EmPATH verification number for in-person hours and capacity.
Complete local contact list (quick reference)
Below are the primary crisis and community contacts preserved from local resource lists for quick reference:
- Mobile Crisis / Mental Health Crisis Line: 1-800-422-0045
- EmPATH hours verification and walk-in inquiry: (218) 209-3610
- Sanford Counseling (page shows): (218) 333-5000
- Sanford Health (physicians as per BICAP): 759-5000 or 1-800-942-4923
- Blackduck Sanford Health: 835-4222
- Crisis Text Line: text MN to 741741
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988
- Health Insurance / MN Sure: 1-855-366-7873
- Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center: 751-3280 or 1-800-422-7843
- Blackduck Resource Center: 835-5768
- Evergreen Community Services: 751-8223
- Hope House: 444-6748
- Lake Country Associates: 366-9229
- Northern Psychological Serv.: 759-2825
- North Homes Children & Family Services: 751-0282
- Students First: 333-8484 or 333-8042
- Stellher Human Services: 444-2845
- Northwest Technical College: 333-6600
- Northwoods Pregnancy Care Center: 444-3035
- OIC (NW Indian OIC): 759-2022
- Calvary Lutheran (pre-school): 751-1893
- Heartland Christian Academy (pre-school): 751-1751
- St. Philips (pre-school): 444-4262
- MedExpress: 751-2648
- Bemidji—Section 8/HRA: 444-4522
- Cass Lake Public Housing: 335-2674
- Leech Lake Housing Authority: 335-8280
- Red Lake Housing Authority: 679-3368
- Rural Development (USDA): 751-1942
- Village of Hope (Shelter for Women & Children): 751-0722
- Job Service/CEP Workforce Center: 333-8200
- Kids & Co. (After School Care) (Press 2): 333-3284
- Leech Lake Public Health Clinic: 444-7186
- Beltrami County Nursing Service (Family Health): 333-8140 or 1-888-881-7801
- Legal Services NW Minnesota: 751-9201 or 1-800-450-9201
- Anishinabe: 335-2223 or 1-800-422-1335
- Volunteer Attorney Program: 1-888-529-2431
- Library Bemidji: 751-3963
- Library Blackduck: 835-6600
- Library Northhome: 897-5952
- Medical Assistance: 333-8300
- MN Care Health Insurance: 1-800-657-3672
- MN Children w/Special Health Needs: 1-800-728-5420
- MN Chippewa Tribe: 335-8581
- Bemidji NW Tech adult education: 333-3299 or 333-6600
- Basic Education Bemidji: 333-6670
- Blackduck NW Service Coop: 1-800-562-4053 ext.117
- Cass Lake, Bena, Walker: 335-4284
- Alcoholics Anonymous / Al-Anon Club Bemidji: 444-2525
- Battered Women’s Shelter (Crisis Line): 1-800-588-6229
- Bemidji-Northwoods Coalition: 751-0211 or 444-1395
- Red Lake: 679-3443 or 679-3444
- Birthright: 751-9237 or 1-800-848-5683
- Bemidji State University: 755-2001 or 1-800-475-2001
Beltrami County now has a clearly defined set of crisis access points: a 24/7 Mobile Crisis line (1-800-422-0045), national text and hotline options (text MN to 741741 and 988), and an on-site EmPATH stabilization center at Sanford Bemidji for weekday in-person care. Keep the numbers above where you can reach them quickly; when minutes matter, knowing the right contact can change an outcome.
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