A new federal funding grant received by High Point Treatment Center is supporting the organization in reaching those people who need help and support but who aren’t able to pay for it.
Through the grant, High Point is now a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic for New Bedford and surrounding communities, according to community outreach coordinator, Tara Pacheco.
Through email, Pacheco explained that the CCBHC model allows High Point to provide a wide range of mental health and substance use disorder services to vulnerable individuals with complex needs. These groups include the homeless community, undocumented people, and veterans, Pacheco said.
The clinic also offers 24/7 crisis management access for those in critical need.
Under the grant, the clinic must provide nine distinct services, seven of them in-house and two outsourced or through partnerships with other organizations.
The services include: targeted care management, peer support and family support counseling, psychiatric and rehabilitative management, screening assessment and diagnosis, intensive mental healthcare for veterans, patient-centered treatment plannings, and outpatient mental health and substance use services.
Primary care and emergency crisis services are also available through the clinic and its partners.
Those who are eligible for the services will have substance use or mental health issues or have a dual diagnosis, according to Pacheco.
The grant, which was submitted before the pandemic, was designed to fill the need for these services in New Bedford. However, people from surrounding communities may also seek treatment through the CCBHC clinic.
“With Covid and all of the layoffs, some people lost (health insurance) coverage,” said Pacheco. “If you’re an individual who has lost coverage or who doesn’t have adequate coverage, you will be able to utilize these services.”
“We are able to give you the help that you need and you won’t have to wonder if it is, or is not covered under your insurance.”