Six Clinics Plan to Become Certified Behavioral Health Clinics

Six clinics across Minnesota are planning on becoming a ‘one-stop-shop’ care center for people with mental illness and substance use disorder. Among those clinics is the Northern Pines Mental Health Center serving Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties.

“Finding the care you need for a mental illness or substance use disorder can be difficult,” said Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper. “Typically, a person with a mental illness will need to contact several different agencies to obtain various services, and rarely can someone obtain both mental health and substance use disorder treatment through the same agency.”

More than $425,000 in grants announced by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, will support the development of the certified community behavioral clinics are planning are providing these services in one location. The plan to offer  a high level of coordination between primary care providers, chemical health providers, social services agencies, counties, tribes, veterans’ programs and other key partners, and help people before they face a crisis.

Minnesota is one of 24 states receiving funding for planning. Minnesota has until October 2016 to complete the planning process and certify at least two clinics (one urban and one rural) as eligible to become Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. In January 2017 the federal government will select approximately eight demonstration states to begin providing services in July 2017.