North Central Behavioral Health Systems receives grant to elevate mental health care in La Salle County

North Central Behavioral Health Systems announced it has been awarded the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center grant, which allows the organization to enhance its behavioral health service offerings and extend its continuum of care for the community.

The grant will play a crucial role in establishing new services, including:

Behavioral Health Outpatient Urgent Care Clinic for individuals experiencing mild or moderate psychiatric distress or crisis. The goal of the urgent clinic will be to reduce the reliance on hospitals and emergency rooms for behavioral health-related concerns while helping clients obtain linkage to services and resources.

Medication-Assisted Treatment and Recovery for individuals experiencing opioid or alcohol use disorders in need of medication to abstain from use and engage in treatment.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation for adults with serious mental illness, individual and group interventions to help support recovery, gain skills, overcome symptoms and obtain vocational goals.

As a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, NCBHS will also expand its comprehensive range of services, including:

Evidence-based therapy - including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, moral recognition therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy.

Psychiatry services

Care coordination services involving nurses and other professionals

Screening, assessments, and linkage to primary care

Peer support services

Over the course of the four-year grant, NCBHS anticipates it will provide additional behavioral health care to 2,500 children, youth and adults dealing with serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders and/or co-occurring disorders. Additionally, the grant will provide 13 additional employment opportunities.