Sean de Four, President and CEO of Southwest Solutions, speaks at a press conference at our Adult Services Counseling clinic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Rick Kaufman (Wayne County Deputy Executive), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI 13th District) look on.
Sen. Stabenow visits our mental health program and announces major healthcare initiative
Senator Debbie Stabenow toured our Adult Counseling Services clinic on April 1 and then held a press conference there to discuss a major healthcare initiative that she is championing and spearheading.
The Senator has led the efforts to fund and implement a new community mental health model that provides comprehensive, integrated and more effective treatment. The model is called a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic or CCBHC. Southwest Solutions is very excited for those we serve and our entire community to become a CCBHC. We thank Sen. Stabenow for her extraordinary leadership to make this possible, not only at our facility but across Michigan and around the country.
The CCBHC provides a full range of mental health and substance-use disorder services and expands access to vulnerable individuals. It combines and better coordinates behavioral and medical care. Any individual in need who comes to the CCBHC will be served, regardless of the ability to pay. It offers crisis services 24/7 every day of the year, and provides immediate screening and risk assessment for mental health, addictions and basic primary care needs. The CCBHC also provides care for veterans that’s customized to their particular needs.
CCBHC pilots have been operating for two years and are already showing promising results.
“These models have decreased emergency room visits by 63%, jail use by 60%, and homelessness by 41%,” said Senator Stabenow at a press conference at our clinic.
Also speaking at the press conference were Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI 13th District); Rick Kaufman, Wayne County Deputy Executive; Kevin Fischer, Executive Director of NAMI Michigan; and Sean de Four, President and CEO of Southwest Solutions.
“Southwest Solutions is always striving to expand and enhance our services to more effectively address the needs in our community,” Sean said. “Becoming a CCBHC enables us to do both. It’s no exaggeration to say this is a historic and defining moment for our agency and all community mental agencies across the country that are implementing the CCBHC model.”
Fox 2 News did a story on Sen. Stabenow’s visit to our clinic.