“C-Cubed”: An innovative approach to caring for high-risk community members

As the Treatment & Recovery Center of Douglas County (TRC) marks its third anniversary on April 10, we reflect on the impact it has had and the vital role it continues to play in helping individuals in crisis. Operated by the Bert Nash Center (BNC), the TRC provides urgent care and 24- and 72-hour mental health crisis stabilization services.

"The TRC has made meaningful strides in strengthening our community's response and accessibility to behavioral health crises. What began as a vision - to offer a safe, stabilizing, and trauma-informed alternative to emergency rooms and law enforcement involvement - has grown into a vital, trusted resource for individuals in their most vulnerable moments." said Ryan Sztorch, Senior Director of Crisis Services. 

Since its opening, the TRC team has intervened in over 9,100 crisis episodes with over 5,100 admissions, serving more than 1,400 unique individuals per year. The goal is for clients to transition from the TRC to ongoing services at BNC or with community partners to support continued stabilization and wellness.

While 97% of people who visit the TRC are discharged back into the community, the team realized that a more innovative approach was needed to ensure all clients could successfully break free from the cycle of crisis.

[pictured above, left to right: Brittany Burgess, TRC Clinical Coordinating Manager, Stephanie Anderson, TRC Program Manager, and Tabitha Foster, Lead Crisis Care Manager]

In late 2025 the Complex Client Care Consultation group, known as "C-Cubed" was established. This group meets weekly and includes leaders from across BNC, including those who oversee the TRC, intensive outpatient program, acute care team, and a range of community-based and medical services.

Each C-Cubed meeting is an opportunity to focus on one individual client who is struggling. 

Tabitha Foster, Lead Crisis Care Manager at the TRC, emphasized how different this new approach is. “C-Cubed is a way to bring in minds from Bert Nash and the TRC to identify high-risk visitors and find new solutions that haven’t been considered. To bounce around ideas and brainstorm ways to help clients who are consistently in crisis. How can we get them past that crisis? Each individual is different,” shared Foster.

The TRC team recognizes that barriers like lack of housing, insurance, or identification often prevent individuals from accessing care. Teams work regularly with community partners to help clients overcome these obstacles and move out of crisis.

Sztorch reflects, “We have learned, evolved, adapted, pivoted, and repeated this process many times over. Our data shows progress in multiple domains, but what truly defines our impact are the individual stories: people who found hope, families who found support, partners who found a reliable place to turn, connectivity to the next optimal resources, and, as paramount, the lives that have been saved. Our multidisciplinary teammates have worked tirelessly to provide rapid access, de‑escalation, and connection to ongoing services, helping to reduce strain on hospitals and first responders while improving outcomes for those experiencing crisis.”