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Grand Mental Health (GMH) is Kay County’s hub for mental health support. Led by Clinical Director JacqueLynn Blackwell and Operations Director Samantha Goodno, Grand Mental Health is using a multi-pronged approach to help improve the mental health of citizens all over Kay County. Currently the facility serves over 1,500 clients in Kay County and every client is seen each month. Jacque and Samantha both point out that anyone can walk into GMH Monday through Friday, 8:00 – 5:00. There is no waiting list. If a client doesn’t have insurance, a GMH staff member will walk them through the process of applying for Medicaid or SoonerCare. Samantha stresses that payment “should never be something that holds you back from services. You can walk in today and we'll help you with that.” Jacque underlines the importance of the issue by adding, “Mental health doesn't wait.”
Grand Mental Health is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). As defined by the State of Oklahoma’s website, “CCBHCs are designed to provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorder services to vulnerable individuals. CCBHCs represent an opportunity for states to improve the behavioral health of their citizens by: providing community-based mental and substance use disorder services; advancing integration of behavioral health with physical health care; assimilating and utilizing evidence-based practices on a more consistent basis; and promoting improved access to high-quality care. Care coordination is the linchpin holding these aspects of CCBHC care together and ensuring high quality care and improved outcomes.”
Jacque breaks down what they do for us even further. “We focus on mental health, but mental health is more than going to therapy. We focus on case management, which involves providing resources regarding housing, employment, food, electricity, wellness and more. If we're not taking care of our bodies physically or if we're financially unstable, all of that can bleed over to our mental health. So CCBHC means we offer a wider range of services.” GMH has Care Coordinators for their clients. These Coordinators make sure clients’ basic needs like food and shelter are met so the clients can focus on improving their mental health. Jacque explains that this approach of treating the whole person is vital. Diving into trauma and trying to heal is difficult in the best circumstances. That difficulty spikes to an unmanageable level if clients are worried about having enough food for dinner or not being able to pay their bills.
GMH has a staff of over 170 people, with almost 40 therapists. They employ individuals trained with a range of specialties and offer an equally wide range of services. One area that has grown in the last few years is the number of Behavioral Health Coaches in our local schools. A few years ago, GMH had only a few coaches in area schools. Now they have thirteen coaches working in schools in Ponca City, Tonkawa, Blackwell and Newkirk. These coaches are there to help students work through big emotions and difficult times. Having specialty-trained staff on-site offering these services allows teachers to teach and the principals to be principals. Behavioral Coaches can offer kids positive reinforcement, a quick reset, and give them the tools to cope. The ultimate goal is that through coaching, students can learn the skills needed to help them eventually tackle difficulties on their own and stay in class.
Another program GMH offers is called PACT, or Program for Assertive Community Treatment. This program focuses on helping individuals with a diagnosis that includes a psychosis feature. Individuals are met at least 3 times per week and 75% of the meetings have to be in the community. This means PACT team members are meeting them in their home, going with them to the grocery store or doing other things to help these individuals break out of isolation and lead normal lives. PACT clients have a 4-person team wrapping them in care including a Therapist, Care Coordinator, Peer Recovery Support Specialist and a Nurse. Jacque says the PACT team members are “the most welcoming, understanding, and open-minded people you're ever going to meet.”
GMH also has a variety of social support groups anyone can join. They have a group that walks together, groups that focus on wellness, a cooking group, a crochet group, a parent support group, a healthy relationships group for teens, and more. There are also a lot of kid’s groups that come together in the summer when school is out of session. Groups help clients socialize and break them out of isolating habits. Being in community reminds them that everyone struggles and they are not alone.
In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, GMH is partnering with other local agencies, groups and non-profits to host a Mental Health Awareness Event on Thursday, May 16th, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at War Memorial Park. The event is free and open to the public. There will be booths set up with information and free health screenings will be offered. They will have Yoga and Tai Chi in the Park, jump tents, free hotdogs, drinks, snacks, and other fun activities including a coloring contest for kids.
Another partnership Jacque and Samantha feel passionate about are the groups they work with through monthly Community Coalition meetings. These meetings take place at 10:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at Pioneer Tech. In attendance are local non-profits and other service agencies that work to meet the needs of citizens in Kay County. Directors come together to share resources and solve the problems of our community. A recent initiative that came out of that group was the Winter Less Cold Warming Shelter. Jacque says anyone is welcome at these meetings and they would love to hear from community members who see needs in our community. Directly after the Community Coalition, the Infant and Early Childhood Coalition meets addressing the needs of those 0-5 in our community. Jacque shares that trauma can begin in the womb and she’s passionate about preventing a lifetime of stress for youth in Kay County.
Grand Mental Health has such a wide range of services. They offer adult and children’s therapy, individually, as a family or in a group setting. They offer youth services including strengthening families and infant mental health. They offer substance use & addiction services for opioid dependency and intensive outpatient programs. They also offer medication management, 24/7 crisis services and residential rehabilitation. These are just a handful of the services offered at Grand Mental Health.
The main thing Jacque and Samantha want our community to know about GMH is that they are there to help. Jacque adds, “It's okay to ask for help. It's okay if you're struggling because that's normal. We're all human.”
For more information you can call Grand Mental Health at 844-458-2100 or visit their offices at 407 W. South Avenue in Ponca City. Remember, walk-ins are more than welcome and GMH is committed to helping everyone who walks through their doors.
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