TidalHealth Crisis Center offers mental health care beyond traditional ‘crisis’

Vanessa Junkin

Editor

May. 28, 2026

3 min read

Vanessa Junkin came to Salisbury from northern Maryland to attend Salisbury University and decided to make Delmarva home upon graduation. She worked as a newspaper copy editor and reporter before ente...

From a bad day to a mental health emergency, the team at the TidalHealth Crisis Center in Salisbury is equipped to deal with a wide range of concerns.

Most patients are experiencing life struggles, said Christine Miller, LCSW-C, the clinical manager who oversees the TidalHealth Crisis Center and TidalHealth Outpatient Behavioral Health. They may be struggling at work, in their relationship or with parenting, or dealing with an illness like depression or anxiety, she said. Children can be seen as well.

“We’re here to help you wherever you are in your stage of life,” she said.

Duaa Khan, LMSW, a therapist at the TidalHealth Crisis Center, mirrored that sentiment, adding that the center is a safe space with clinicians who truly care about the patients they treat. People are free to come in and vent.

“We’re all very non-judgmental,” she said.

Therapists often have a waiting list for new clients, but the TidalHealth Crisis Center accepts walk-in patients, as well as appointments. It’s grant-funded through the end of December 2026, so patients can be seen at no charge.

When people are going through a difficult time, they want to talk to someone now, not in a few months, Khan said.

“We’re that ‘right now’ for people,” she said.

Mental illness

A mental illness isn’t visible, like a broken bone or runny nose, but that doesn’t mean it’s not common. In the United States, more than one in five adults experience mental illness and more than one in seven children ages 6-17 have a mental health disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

And mental illnesses don’t exist in a vacuum. NAMI says the unemployment rate and risk of cardiometabolic disease is higher for those with a mental illness. Cardiometabolic disease includes heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and others. The organization also says that in the United States, about 18 percent of people experiencing homelessness have a serious mental illness.

What to expect

When patients come to the TidalHealth Crisis Center, a team member asks what they need help with and whether they want to see a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioner or mental health therapist, Miller said. A team member provides a brief intervention.

The length of the appointment can vary based on what the person needs, but is typically about an hour, Miller said. The team member provides resources and can help connect them with a long-time psychiatrist or therapist. The TidalHealth Crisis Center is meant for short-term assistance, but if the patient can’t find a practitioner right away, they can return to the TidalHealth Crisis Center until they become established somewhere else, she said.

At the TidalHealth Crisis Center, patients can also receive:

Resources for issues like financial and housing concerns
Substance abuse treatment, including buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder
Connections to resources, including and beyond therapy and psychiatry
Vital signs and blood sugar checks by registered nurses

“We look at the patient as a whole person in their environment,” Miller said.

Assistance varies based on each patient’s needs. For example, Khan said, if someone is dyslexic, a team member can help them with reading and understanding paperwork.

People can also come in to take a shower, with basic toiletries and towels available on-site, Miller said. The Wicomico County Health Department offers a harm-reduction vending machine with items like toiletries, contraceptives, testing strips and Narcan right outside.