Good Samaritan Emphasizing the Importance of Mental Health

Every year nearly one in five American adults are diagnosed with a mental health condition and approximately 18% of Americans live with an anxiety disorder. May is Mental Health Awareness Month serving as a time to reflect on the behavioral health needs of our friends, family, and neighbors.

The Samaritan Center is the regional Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) that provides a comprehensive array of services needed to create

access to social service needs in all levels of behavioral health concerns in addition to necessary treatment for those with the most serious and complex mental health and substance use disorders.

In May 2020 Samaritan Center received a $4 million federal grant to increase access to and improve the quality of community mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. In the first year of the grant, more than $725,000 was allocated to the hiring of additional direct service delivery staff, including case managers, therapists, a primary nurse practitioner, and peer recovery specialists.

The four major areas of focus include a Mobile Integrated Wellness Center, Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse, Family Preservation Services, and Adult Chemical Dependency Services.

The Mobile Integrated Wellness Center visits rural communities in Knox, Daviess, Pike, and Martin counties that may face a lack of access to resources and/or services. The focus is to provide integrated mental and behavioral health, primary care, and resource information to clients that may have barriers to transportation, internet access, or stigma associated with receiving care.

The Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse is located at 401 South Seventh Street in Vincennes and currently has 26 active members. A Clubhouse is a place where people with serious mental illness (members) participate in their own recovery process by working and socializing together in a safe and welcoming environment. “Our clubhouse focuses on four main areas to help members get their lives back from the disruption of their illness. We focus on education, socialization engagement, employment, and community assistance,” said Dave Engstrom, Clubhouse Coordinator “Membership to the Clubhouse is open to anyone over the age of 18, who has a history of mental illness, and is not a threat to themselves or others.”

The Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is an intensive, 30-hour a week outpatient treatment program designed to treat individuals that require a higher level of care than the standard outpatient services but do not meet the criteria for hospitalization. Individuals in PHP receive comprehensive treatment services and medical monitoring during programming hours and return to their place of residence at the end of the day.

Family Preservation is a home-based service designed to help best meet the needs of families by preserving the family and avoiding the removal of children from their homes. They offer trauma-informed, evidence-based, and best practice services, such as the Teaching-Family Model and The Incredible Years. Family Preservation provides comprehensive and individualized services that offer a variety of programs to treat the unique needs of our children, adolescents, adults, and families in the community.

“Our Samaritan Center does an amazing job every day working to help individuals and their families who are affected by mental illness,” said Rob McLin, President, and CEO. “Our organization understands the importance of patient wellness, which includes both physical and mental health care. I could not be more proud of everyone’s hard work and dedication.”

Contact the Samaritan Center at 800-824-7907 for more information about their programs.