The Georgia Pines Behavioral Health Crisis Center was scheduled to begin receiving patients at 12:01 a.m. Friday, but some requirements for opening had not been met early Thursday afternoon.

Instead, the facility will open at 9 a.m. after passing final muster late Thursday afternoon.

“We’re still working on some of the certifications,” Robert H. “Bob” Jones, Georgia Pines Community Service Board executive director, said earlier Thursday afternoon.

The 525 Cassidy Road Crisis Center open house was Thursday afternoon.

A representative of the state fire marshal’s office said locks on some interior doors must be changed before the facility could open.

“We’re still waiting on one piece of paper,” Jones said, in reference to a document needed from a state mental health agency. “We should get that tomorrow.”

He said Crisis Center fire alarms did not work because of a telephone company error involving lines.

“It was tested today, and it worked,” Jones said Thursday afternoon during the open house.

On Thursday, the Crisis Center had not received final approval for dispensing drugs at the facility.

Jones said a drug company that operates pharmacies within mental health facilities will fill prescriptions during the day for Crisis Center patients.

An emergency drug kit is available at night, “and a doctor will monitor that,” he said.

The drug contingency plan was to use the Southwestern State Hospital (SWSH) pharmacy.

“We technically will have until Jan. 1 to get all the bugs worked out,” he explained.

At 5 p.m. Thursday, Jones told the Times-Enterprise the facility had received fire marshal approval to open today and that all other requirements for opening had been met.

“Everybody’s given us the go-ahead,” he said.

SWSH, a state mental hospital that employs more than 600, is scheduled to close Dec. 31.

Patients who go to the Crisis Center previously would have gone to Southwestern.

Crisis Center employees were hired exclusively from SWSH, Jones said, adding that some Southwestern employees the Crisis Center tried to hire chose not to work at the facility.

The Crisis Center, which will be open around the clock, will employ 60 for three shifts.

The facility will have 24 beds for patients who will stay for seven days — eight or nine days in some cases, but no more than nine days.

A room with six recliners is for patents who might need to stay up to 24 hours.

“Sometimes there are issues at home. … They just need some time away,” Jones explained. Short stays also are for people whose medication is not working.

Patients needing long-term care will be transported by the Crisis Center to one of Georgia’s remaining state hospitals.

SWSH served 26 counties.

The Thomasville facility will serve the counties of Thomas, Grady, Mitchell, Decatur, Seminole, Mitchell and Colquitt.

A similar facility at Valdosta will serve nine counties. One in Albany will serve the remainder of the counties previously served by Southwestern.

Jones said each of the Crisis Centers will have an annual budget of $5 million, while SWSH’s was $36 million.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.