I have written about this in the past but, especially during the holiday
season, the subject bears repeating.
There are many ways to gain access to mental health help in our community.
There are:
For the sake of this article I am going to concentrate on the services
provided at
CCMH in Gillette, Wyoming.
There are many programs for people at Behavioral Health Services. Campbell
County Health Administration, providers and the staff have developed programs
that best fit the community. Mental health has been a large part of CCH
for a very long time—going back at least into the early 90s—and
probably much earlier than that. Yes, things have changed over these decades
but I have not changed access in the three years that I have been here.
Access does happen in various ways. Let me outline a few of those for
you, the reader.
- A person who is experiencing an especially hard time can come to the fifth
floor of CCMH without an appointment. We have therapists on call 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. Therapists can help those who need help navigate
the system and get them to a point where they feel as if they are not
alone. This may mean you schedule an appointment with a provider/therapist
or it may mean that you feel just getting to someone was enough to help
you through whatever is ailing you. You would work through these questions
with that therapist.
- Even if you are not in a particularly hard place but need to address some
things that you have struggled with, you too can come up and schedule
an appointment. We try to match people with therapists that are the best
fit for their situation. One can call us as well and get an appointment.
Sometimes appointment times are longer, sometimes shorter. Remember what
I wrote in the first point: you can always come up if things get more
difficult and you feel some attention to the issue would help you right now.
- We hold regular office hours, but as mentioned above we have therapists
on call 24/7. If it is after hours, you can still get it touch with someone.
-
If your situation is dire, we urge people to go to the
Emergency Department. Some situations can be very serious. It is better to get to the ED than
to get involved in a tragedy. The ED is well versed in getting in touch
with a provider for mental health services. Depending on the situation,
the mental health provider and the Emergency Department doctor can put
their heads together, and get you the appropriate care for your circumstance.
There are several ways this can happen, but for the sake of space and
time I will not outline that here. Just know that these professionals
are here to help you.
- If, by chance, your situation is brought up while you are at CCMH for another
procedure, there are consultations that can occur. However, you must ask
for a mental health professional to come to you to help assess your situation.
-
And, finally, don’t forget about the
Kid Clinic, where help is available for children. We have four therapists there,
and they are ready and willing to help. The Kid Clinic is open Monday-Friday
from 8 am-5 pm, and you can call 307-688-8700 for more info.
This outlines several of the ways that mental health help can be accessed
at CCH. I hope this is helpful. As always we offer a sliding scale for
those that are on a limited income and as always we try to help as soon
as is possible.
Have a great holiday, and Merry Christmas to everyone.
Jeff Rice is the director of Campbell County Health
Behavioral Health Services at Campbell County Memorial Hospital. Behavioral Health Services provides
the Northeastern Wyoming community with compassionate, confidential and
comprehensive treatment of behavioral disorders, mental illness and substance
abuse treatment following detox. Appointments are available Monday–Friday
from 8 am–5 pm. Call 307.688.5000 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/BHS.