Provider looks to reduce barriers to mental health service access
Jul. 4—When someone is in need of mental health services, Cumberland Mountain Mental Health Center wants to make it easy to reach out and receive help.
"The sooner we can meet someone's need and get them into services, the better chance we have of helping them reach lasting recovery and a good quality of life," said Shane Ferris, director of the Cumberland Mountain Mental Health Center. "This model seeks to make the process of entering services, which is sometimes filled with anxiety, nervousness or uncertainty, as clear and kind as possible."
The agency, part of the Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System, has implemented a No Wrong Door intake system intended to help anyone reaching out connect with a service provider.
The process starts by calling the first-time appointment line at 1-877-567-6051.
A master's-level licensed therapist conducts the interview with the caller.
"During that same call, we will plug them into a medication manager if they need medication, a therapist, and a care manager," Farris said. "They can do all of that on that call."
The intakes are then referred to local offices who reach out within 24 hours with a goal of setting a therapy appointment within five days.
"Anybody can call that number," Farris said.
Farris explained many of the clients of the organization are uninsured or covered by TennCare, but that's not a requirement to use the service. Farris said there are numerous programs that care managers can use to assist anyone who calls, from safety net, income-based programs and grants that target specific individuals, like people in crisis or veterans. The care managers can also refer individuals with private insurance to providers who can help them.
"They're going to be treated with respect and kindness," Farris said.
Farris said the idea to streamline services had long been a goal of Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System's CEO Phyllis Persinger, who assumed her role in August 2021.
"It's something we have been looking at moving toward for quite some time," Farris said.
It required staff training and team-building across departments.
"I have never experienced a group of individuals more dedicated to a process and continually reaching for better outcomes than I have with this group," Farris said. "It amazes me on a daily basis."
Farris said he's received good feedback on the program from the community, with one person noting it was the easiest access for mental health services the individual had ever experienced.
"It's good to hear the process is working," Farris said.
Mental health services can include treatment of a wide array of mental health illnesses, including depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or other disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 21% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2020, or about 1 in 5 adults. However, only 46.2% of adults with mental illness received treatment.
Often, there can be a delay in the onset of mental illness symptoms and starting treatment, NAMI noted, with an average delay of 11 days.
The No Wrong Door policy is designed to shorten that waiting period and to connect individuals when they are ready reach out for treatment.
"Historically, there has been a long wait for people to get in for necessary services," Farris said, saying some waits would be 2-4 weeks. "If you can't engage people within those first couple of days ... a lot of times you lose them."
Crisis Services are available 24-hours a day to respond to adults experiencing a mental health crisis at 1-800-704-2651. The 24/7 Statewide Crisis Line for adults and children is 855-274-7471 (855-Crisis-1).
Visit www.vbhcs.org for more about Cumberland Mountain Mental Health and Volunteer Behavioral Health.
Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.
