Behavioral health navigator to come to Manchester weekly
Kathy Walz, will come to the CRC every Tuesday afternoon to meet with residents for free and help them determine how they can receive mental health support. Photo courtesy of the Saint Joseph Mercy Chelsea.
In 2015, the Manchester Wellness Coalition and 5 Heathy Towns Foundation paid for a multi-month long phone survey known as the Health Improvement Plan Survey or “HIP” Survey. Many surprising statistics came out of the results, but one of the most dire was the state of mental health in Manchester. Analyzing answers to multiple questions to assure accuracy, results showed that at least 40% of Manchester’s adults suffer from poor mental health, higher than surrounding communities and Washtenaw County as whole.
In December, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea announced that they would giving $40,000 to Manchester Community Resource Center as their partner organization in Manchester, as well as a total of $110,000 split among partner organizations in Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake and Stockbridge. This money is to be used to support “basic needs”, including “access to mental health services”. In addition to these cash donations, the hospital vowed to work with these organizations to ensure a baseline of services is available across the region.
One of the steps they’ve taken to improve access to mental health services across all communities, has been to hire Kathryn Walz, LMSW, in the newly-created position of behavioral health navigator, a specialist trained to help connect residents with the resources to meet their individual needs. She will travel to Manchester and the other communities once a week, meet with residents for no charge and help them create a plan of action.
Walz will be here in Manchester at the Community Resource Center ion Tuesday afternoons between 1 to 4pm to speak with area residents about behavioral health concerns. No appointment is necessary but in order to avoid long waiting times, call the Community Resource Center to schedule an appointment at 734-428-7722. You can also call her directly at 734-680-5312, Monday through Friday 8am-5pm. Leave a message if she is unavailable and your call will be returned as soon as possible.
Walz holds a master’s degree in social work from Dartmouth and is a certified prevention consultant, a certified HIV test counselor, has a certification in critical incident stress management and has completed three tiers of specialized behavioral health training in understanding and treating military service members and their families. She also has an extensive background in substance abuse prevention, community education and planning, and mental health interventions.
As a behavioral health navigator, Walz will be able to assist you in finding a therapist, psychiatrist, support group, and/or other resources to deal with any of the challenges you may be facing including: depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety and worry, medication concerns, grief and loss, lack of social support, relationship problems, alcohol and other drug use, chronic pain management, problems with work or school, and finding help for friends or family, including children. I addition, she will be able to help problem-solve issues that may be getting in the way of you getting the care you need, like transportation, childcare or expense.
“We are pleased to receive additional resources to address behavioral health illnesses which impact so many throughout our community,” said Nancy Siegrist, MPA, director of Behavioral Health Services at St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. “Looking forward, this position will improve our level of service to individuals and their families and ensure our behavioral health patients receive the best care possible.”
Last year, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), in which the HIP survey was just one of the multiple surveys and interviews correlated and Manchester was just one of the included communities surrounding Chelsea. Key findings from the needs assessment were that in our area, 1 out of 4 people report having experienced depression or other mental health problems in the past year, 1 out of 7 youths seriously considered suicide in the past year, 1 out of 6 adults and 1 out of 12 teens binge drink regularly, and 1 out of 5 high school juniors and seniors use marijuana regularly.
“When we conducted our CHNA, we received a great deal of input from representatives of the community and various community organizations,” said Reiley Curran, MPH, manager of Community Health at St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. “Access to mental health and substance abuse services was shown to be a huge gap. With this newly created Navigator position, we aim to make an impact in this area.”
For more information about Behavioral Health Services at St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, please call 734-593-5251.
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