"Stretched beyond capacity': Claratel CEO seeks funds for new mental health facility

Fabio Van Der Merwe, CEO of Claratel Behavioral Health, is the head of the largest crisis center in metro Atlanta.

He doesn’t hesitate to declare that resources are “stretched beyond capacity."

Claratel was created by state legislation to be the “behavioral health and substance use safety net providers for the state,” Merwe told Atlanta Business Chronicle. It primarily serves individuals with Medicaid or who are underinsured.

“About 70% of the clients that we serve have no insurance whatsoever," Merwe told Atlanta Business Chronicle. "Our ultimate goal is to ensure that these people can receive the treatment in the community and reduce the over utilization of the ERs, our jail system and our state psychiatric hospital.”

Claratel, which was the DeKalb Community Service Board, recently changed its name to reflect its growth in services and facilities, according to a news release. This includes a $15 million crisis center funded by the SPLOST (special purpose location option sales tax) approved in the November 2023 election.

It is estimated that construction on the new building will cost $25 million. Merwe is confident the remaining $10 million will come from the state to create transitional housing, as more figures in leadership realize the importance of mental health — a concern that the U.S. Surgeon General has labeled as the “defining health crisis of our time.”

This sales tax in DeKalb County, according to the DeKalb County website, provides funding for capital projects.

Claratel's existing crisis center opened in 1996. Merwe said that in the 27 years since it has operated 24/7 and provided the most beds for the uninsured in metro Atlanta. Of the 92 available beds for mental health or substance abuse crises in the metro area, Claratel has 36.

Merwe hopes to break ground on Claratel's new building by the end of this year or early 2025.