Columbia County Mental Health Center

SHERIFF’S OFFICE LAUNCHES REFERRAL SERVICE ON 01/27/21 The Columbia County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), Columbia County Mental Health Department, and Greener Pat...hways (an outreach program of Twin County Recovery Services) have created a new referral program to help Columbia County residents access mental health and addiction services and support. Sheriff David Bartlett worked with Captain Louis Bray of the CCSO, Dan Almasi, acting director of community services of the Columbia County Mental Health Department, Carl Quinn, program director of Greener Pathways and Supervisor Tistrya Houghtling, New Lebanon Supervisor and minority leader of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, to develop a referral program in which Deputy Sheriffs can make a referral to Mental Health and Greener Pathways when they interact with someone who appears to be in need of these services. Through an online form, the Deputies can submit a referral request to the agencies. Caseworkers and peer advocates from the agencies will then reach out to the person and offer services. Sheriff Bartlett stated "We are excited to launch this program to bring help and support to those in need in our community. The possibilities are endless with this simple referral program and we are already thinking of ways we can share it with other law enforcement agencies in Columbia County as well as refer to more county departments and organizations such as DSS. Our goal is to get assistance to as many people as possible." Captain Bray worked with Columbia County Management Information Service on developing the online form which sends a referral to either or both departments. He stated "This is a great tool to assist the Sheriff's office in ensuring that there is follow up care and support for those we encounter who we believe could benefit from mental health and/or addiction services. We are excited to roll it out to help the people in our community!" Dan Almasi, from the County Department of Mental Health, stated "This is a great first step in ensuring all of our residents have access to mental health care. Right now people need support more than ever with the social isolation and other struggles that have come along with the coronavirus pandemic. My office is excited to collaborate with Sheriff Bartlett and the CCSO to ensure that people who are struggling and in need of support receive the care they need in a timely fashion." The group started meeting as an offshoot of the Police Reform Panel created by Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell in response to Governor Cuomo's executive order for a police reform collaborative to reinvent and modernize policing. Supervisor Houghtling suggested the County look at the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon as a model where 20% of 911 calls get diverted to mental health professionals and paramedics instead of law enforcement. CAHOOTS provides a service where mental health service providers and other specialists are directly responding to people's specific needs. While Eugene had to invest money upfront, the program reduced overall costs. Supervisor Houghtling stated "this is a great first step in moving towards that goal. It is something we can do right away within our current budget and staffing restraints to get help to the people who need it immediately. I am excited to work on the next steps to expand this program further towards the CAHOOTS model that has proven extremely successful and is being used across the country as other counties, towns, and cities implement these programs." With Columbia County's new referral program, emergency calls still go to the Sheriff's office for immediate response. The new program makes it possible for officers to connect people to needed services. People needing mental health and addiction services can continue to seek services by directly contacting the service agencies. The referral program expands access to those services. Overdose numbers have continued to increase due to the pandemic. Carl Quinn of Greener Pathways stated "This is an incredible opportunity to potentially reach people before they overdose and provide intervention services. If the CCSO encounters someone who is struggling with addiction this program will allow us to provide support services to that individual before they are in crisis mode. This is another step in supporting multiple pathways to recovery for those County residents that are battling Substance Use Disorder (SUD)".

Hello everyone. Here is the most current information on the Covid Vaccine. We thought it may be better to put a face to the information as well as hopefully make it easier to understand. Thank you Rob

This is a great event go to our Website for more details .https://www.columbiacountymhc.com/

Take a moment to click & view the positive messages from our staff at the Columbia County Mental Health Center in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month!

This is what social distancing means. The more everyone does this, the sooner we can see each other in person again.

We have A LOT of food to give away tomorrow! Come on by!

** NEW 4/20/2020 ** NEW SPIKE ALERT ISSUED ** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - PLEASE SHARE We have seen a spike in the number of overdoses in Columbia County in the l...ast 24 hours. If you or a loved one is in active addiction, you are encouraged to take the following precautions: If you do use, use safely or seek help for your addiction Have access to Narcan Let a friend or loved one know where you are ** Text Narcan to 518-822-7437 and Narcan will be brought to you during business hours ** If you need a supply of narcan please call Greener Pathways to arrange @ 518-291-4500 If someone you know experiences an overdose call 911 immediately. You can be protected by the Good Samaritan Law. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption to the normal operating procedures of health and human services agencies. Unfortunately, the necessity for overdose prevention and response has not abated during the pandemic. Please be aware that the substance use community faces increased risk as support services shutter or slow down operations, hospitals face severely increased caseloads, and people who use drugs are asked to socially distance from their support or safety groups. Help is available by calling Greener Pathways at 518-822-7437 or Columbia County Pathways To Recovery at 877-467-3365. In an emergency, call 911. Minutes matter in an overdose and you can save a life. *** Our Mobile Response Narcan Distribution RV will be launched into the targeted areas Tuesday morning 4/21. Please check back here for locations and times. ***