In photo, left to right, Community Reach Center CEO Rick Doucet, State Rep. Jenise May of House District 30, and George DelGrosso, Executive Director of the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC), stand outside Noah’s in Westminster after attending Community Reach Center’s annual legislative breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 22, where Rep. May was presented with CBHC’s 2014 Community Behavioral Health Champion award.
By Jennifer Forker
Community Reach Center focused on the thousands of uninsured and underinsured Coloradoans – the new face of indigent care – at its 2014 Legislative Breakfast held Wednesday, October 22, at Noah’s of Westminster. More than 100 guests learned about the new programs, including its Weekend Walk-in Clinic.
The 7:00 a.m. breakfast was attended by Colorado legislators and local elected officials, including state Rep. Jenise May of District 30, Steve Lebsock of District 34, Cherylin Peniston, of District 35, and Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison.
Community Reach Center CEO Rick Doucet presented Rep. May with the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council’s 2014 Community Behavioral Health Champion award, heralding her steadfast advocacy and leadership in the state legislature on behalf of individuals with mental illness.
Clinical Director Amelia Fan, MS, LPC, spoke about a new Community Reach Center program, In-home Resiliency and Support Services (IRSS), which combines two of its community-based programs to include services for home-bound older adults.
“Many of the aging baby boomers have a desire to ‘age in place’ – and who can blame them? – and there are more and more families that are caring for both children and aging parents within the same household,” she said. “IRSS will facilitate expanding services into the community rather than limiting them to nursing homes.”
Fan noted the rate of suicide is higher among older adults than any other age group and that up to 20 percent of older adults have one or more mental disorders. She pointed out that 20 percent of Colorado’s adults 65 and older are underinsured.
“All programs (including IRSS) at Community Reach Center have a goal of keeping clients at the least restrictive and intensive level of care possible and avoiding hospitalizations,” Fan said.
She mentioned other programs tailored to older adults – some working with community partners — also are in the works at Community Reach Center.
Elaine Cooper, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, spoke about the new Weekend Walk-in Clinic at Community Reach Center’s Thornton outpatient location, 8931 Huron St., noting that the service is available to everyone, including the uninsured and underinsured.
“Crises don’t only occur between 8:00 and 5:00 during the week, and they don’t wait for Mondays,” Cooper explained. “We wanted to make sure that anyone in need of support could access appropriate treatment, even on the weekend.”
And Clinical Director Abigail Tucker, Psy.D., unveiled Community Reach Center’s role in new statewide crisis stabilization services that will expand and enhance access to mental health care for persons in crisis.
“Crisis response services will be available 24 hours every day, 365 days a year,” Tucker said, noting the statewide program is expected to launch December 1. “Our goal is to reduce hospital emergency department visits by increasing access to care and tailoring services to meet people where they are in terms of crisis.”
As it partners in new and innovative ways to provide top-level mental-health services, Doucet also noted Community Reach Center’s long history of providing charity care — $3.6 million last fiscal year – and other unreimbursed services, including prevention and early-intervention services. He mentioned the free Mental Health First Aid trainings that Community Reach Center provides the Adams County community because “public education is key to increased early intervention and treatment,” he said.
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ABOUT COMMUNITY REACH CENTER
Community Reach Center is a top-tier mental healthcare with five outpatient facilities located throughout Adams County, Colorado. Community Reach Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serves all ages. Services include individual and group therapy, early childhood and school-based services, substance abuse treatment, emergency services, therapeutic support groups, and more. The Center is committed to integrating mental healthcare with primary healthcare in order to support the overall health of its clients – therapists are embedded in several primary care offices throughout the community. Additionally, Mountainland Pediatrics Inc., an affiliate of Community Reach Center, provides primary pediatric care for children from birth through age 21, and is co-located with Community Reach Center’s Child Development Center. For more information or to sign up for a free Mental Health First Aid class, visit www.CommunityReachCenter.org.
2014 STATS
# of employees: 400
# of clients served: 13,000+ unduplicated clients