Good Samaritan is proud to announce that the Samaritan Center recently
received a $4 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant will be awarded over two years
and will be used to expand services that they can offer as a Certified
Community Behavioral Health Center.
Kristi Scherer, Executive Director of the Samaritan Center, explained that
the Samaritan Center currently offers all of the components of a Certified
Community Behavioral Health Center, but certification requires more formal
programming than was previously offered. “Because we agreed to these
certification requirements, we were able to apply and receive this grant
to further expand services within our communities.”
A new service that will be available to the community is a Mobile Integrated
Care Unit. This mobile “office” will provide access to services
for those living in remote, underserved communities who struggle to seek
care due to financial and/or transportation issues. The mobile unit will
be staffed at all times by a registered nurse, mobile unit coordinator,
and a community resource specialist. A family nurse practitioner, psychiatric
nurse practitioner and licensed social worker will alternate weekly on
the mobile unit.
Another portion of the grant dollars will be used for the Samaritan Center’s
new Clubhouse Program that will support reintegration in the community
for those with mental illness and improve access to supportive services.
“The clubhouse will focus on helping our patients join society through
education, employment and other forms of assistance,” said Scherer.
“The location of the Clubhouse is still being assessed.” Another
part of the Clubhouse will be the purchase of a ten-passenger van that
will be used for transportation of clients to and from the clubhouse.
With the help of the grant funding, the Samaritan Center also plans to
expand System of Care to encompass all ages throughout the service area
and introduce a partial hospitalization program for substance abuse. The
program will be a comprehensive and highly structured form of substance
abuse treatment conducted on an outpatient basis. The program will consist
of 20 or more hours per week of clinically intensive programming that
will bridge inpatient substance abuse treatment with traditional outpatient
treatment.
“We are very excited about the additional services, expansion of
services, and the integration of behavioral and physical health this grant
will allow,” said Scherer.
“Our Samaritan Center does a terrific job providing services and
support to our communities,” added Rob McLin, President and CEO.
“I am so proud that we received the SAMHSA grant and am excited
to see what the future holds for our organization and patients.”