WCBH Receives Federal Grant

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT- West Central Behavioral Health (WCBH) has recently been awarded a $4 million Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration federal grant.

The four-year Planning, Development, and Implementation Project Grant will be used toward a WCBH proposal to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center. The funding from the grant will offer WCBH the opportunity to expand upon services being offered in the area, as well as creating a more stable funding stream.

WCBH is one of ten state designated community behavioral health centers and covers the lower portion of Grafton County as well as the entirety of Sullivan County. Their clinics are located in Claremont, Newport, and Lebanon, New Hampshire, and since 1977, have provided mental and behavioral health services to all facets of the communities in which they work.

“Our services run the spectrum from working in schools to jails. We have case managers that help with anything from getting kids coats to showing people how to shop and exercise. Through funding we are able to prioritize people in low- or middle-income categories, and that ranges from newborns to the elderly,” Dave Celone, Director of Development & Community Relations told the Eagle Times.

One of the many services in which WCBH wants to improve upon with their newfound funding is their crisis response team. Currently, the organization operates a 24/7 response team in Claremont, but are looking to expand to their facility in Lebanon as well. According to Celone, this would greatly improve response times and increase the aid that they are able to provide. At this time, their crisis response teams work closely with local law enforcement, fire departments, and local government to provide in-person care in situations that have historically been placed on police departments. Celone stated that between the months of January and June, WCBH responded to 113 crisis calls, of those calls 92% did not require emergency room visits and nearly 90% of those calls did not require police intervention. After a crisis response member makes contact with an individual, they are then able to create a treatment plan best suited for each caller.

“Generally speaking, if the call is something that doesn’t need a criminal response police, traditionally, will suggest they go to the emergency room. Through the effectiveness of 988NH those numbers are growing,” Celone stated.

The SAMHSA grant, while not easy to obtain, is very much in line with the work that WCBH is already providing. According to representatives with WCBH, the organization already offers all services required to meet certification, with the exception of veteran services, which they plan to focus on with the additional funding. It is also important to note that while WCBH does not currently provide specific veteran services, the VA medical center does currently offer those services in the area. To receive the funding, employees with WCBH described an “organization wide effort” and a “full bore application process” in which they were required to not only give current data on the organization, but to also create a proposal of how the funding would be spent in the coming years.

If you or someone you know is suffering from a mental or behavioral health disorder, you are urged to contact either WCBH through their office line or the around the clock crisis line. The number for that line is 1-833-710-6477, you are also able to contact a skilled crisis clinician through the 988NH.com website. WCBH urges anyone to “call early, call often” to help mitigate any potential crisis.