Will-Grundy Medical Clinic announces countywide mental and behavioral health assessment

Will County — The Will-Grundy Medical Clinic and the Will County Community Mental Health Board have announced a partnership to conduct a community needs assessment focused on mental and behavioral health, substance use and developmental disabilities.

The WGMC’s Equity Institute will be conducting the study through April to assess gaps in care, local policies and the effect of these health needs on Will County.

The organizations then will issue a report in May that can be used to “inform future behavioral health policies and initiatives in Will County,” according to a news release.

The report will be shared with safety net organizations through Will County to help them better serve their communities, according to the release.

The study will take place in four areas of the county: Joliet, Plainfield/Bolingbrook, University Park/Beecher and the joined group of Wilmington/Braidwood and Essex.

Teams from the organizations, with assistance from University of Illinois-Chicago and the Will County MAPP Collaborative, will evaluate community-driven data including assessments of behavioral health organizations; stakeholder prioritization; and local, state and federal health status data, according to the release.

According to the announcement from the WGMC, the final report hopes to address four specific issues within the county, including access and use of services among the affected population, barriers to use, system frameworks for delivering essential services, and “overarching population health outcomes associated with DSM-V diagnostics and treatments.”

“There is a need for more robust support for behavioral health programs in Will County,” WGMC Executive Director Shawn Marconi said in the statement. “According to the 2023 county health rankings, the county needs to almost double its number of behavior health providers.”

According to the WGMC announcement, the ratio of patients to mental health providers in Will County stands at 1,010 to one, as opposed to the state county average of 370 to one or the national county average of 560 to one, something that could put a financial and medical strain on the area.

“Not addressing public health equity in America is costing the United States roughly a trillion dollars per year, according to a study conducted and released in JAMA Network,” WGMC Director of Data and Quality Nicole T. Garrett said.

The WGMC and WCCMHB believe this assessment will allow for a more thorough and nuanced discussion to take place within Will County to help focus efforts needed to address residents’ needs.