The Link helped more than 1,000 people in three months

Simplified: Sioux Falls' new downtown triage center helped more than 1,000 people in the first three months of operation, and leaders at The Link say the facility is already reducing the number of people both in jail and in hospital emergency rooms.

Why it matters

• The Link opened June 1 after years of work between the city, county and health providers. Within 17 minutes of opening, The Link had its first client.
• By the first week of September, The Link had helped 1,000 people, and as of Tuesday the number is closer to 1,300 according to Nurse Manager Madeline Miller.
• Miller said that's meant fewer incarcerations, decreased length of hospitalization for people in withdrawal and a decreased length in emergency room visits for intoxicated people.

"The Link isn't just for any one group of people," said Bill Early, The Link's new executive director. "It's for everybody, and we've actually seen that already."

What happens next?

The Link is working to continue to spread the word about the resources it has available for people in need of mental health or addiction support. It'll also keep connecting folks with existing resources in town.

"It's never going to be just The Link," Miller said. "It's a community partnership."