‘No wrong door:’ SalusCare’s single-entry initiative can serve clients with dual needs
SalusCare is now the first and only program to offer a transformative “no wrong door” model in Lee County, providing care in one location for adults, and children, experiencing substance use and mental health care crises.
SalusCare President and CEO Stacey Cook said Tuesday was a big day for SalusCare and the behavioral health community.
SalusCare has been designated as a Centralized Receiving Facility, and Adult Addiction Receiving Facility, a national model and initiative in Florida.
This designation allows SalusCare’s Colonial Campus to serve as Lee County’s first-designated Marchman Act receiving facility, officials said.
Cook said the Baker Act is for individuals who are in a mental health crisis. Very specific laws and rules define the criteria behind a Baker Act commitment and a behavioral health and mental health crisis and the steps to stabilize the individual, where, and time frames involved.
A Marchman Act commitment is similar but for a different immediate crisis.
“The Marchman Act, on the other hand, is for substance use, or substance abuse crisis,” she said. “A family member can initiate a Marchman Act, a concerned clinician and community member.”
Cook said there are designated professionals who can initiate a Baker Act, while the Marchman Act is more flexible, giving some liberality to help individuals with substance abuse who are putting themselves at risk to get assistance.
Under this umbrella, patients will be housed and receive stabilization services in the same facility. This is crucial because many of the individuals that they serve either come to SalusCare as a Baker Act, but are experiencing symptoms of both issues, mental health and substance abuse, she said.
“We have our behavioral specialist in one location to care for our community who often experience a number of the diseases simultaneously — co-occurring diseases,” Cook said.
The dual track is a transformative way for patients who present both, or either — mental health and/or substance abuse crisis. Patients now will receive services for both within the “no wrong door model.” This allows a person to receive services no matter what – assessments, stabilization and linkage to services within the Centralized Receiving Facility.
Patients can “arrive at our front door. Law enforcement can stop at one location. The community can stop at one location, rather than figure out where to go. What we had been doing before moving the detoxification services over is we would have a couple different locations that were providing assessment services,” Cook said.
Now they have combined staff, resources, providing the ability to complete the assessments in one location. This effort reduces duplication and provides a smarter, more efficient and quicker system.
“It is a great way, and a smart way to coordinate services and resources,” she said. “We are working smarter with what we have, so we can respond quickly to the community needs and that is what we are able to do.”
Michelle Sutherland, SalusCare executive administrator and director of outsourced operations, said to be designated as a Centralized Receiving Facility they had to show evidence-based practices, strong sets of policies and procedures and a clear outline of how the program worked. She said they overstaff for the safety of patients and staff.
“The number of staff we added and transferred over may kind of equal out because we overstaff at our crisis unit,” Sutherland said.
In addition, they used the walk-through model where staff used several scenarios that could happen as opportunities to make small adjustments to make a patient’s experience better.
“What we were able to secure from our legislature are recurring dollars,” Cook said. “They will continue year after year to keep the system up and running.”
She recognized the effort of Lee County’s state legislative delegation, as they really understood the importance of having this type of coordinated care model in the community.
“It was approved last year. It was a tight, tight budget. We are one of three that were approved last year. There are a number of Centralized Receiving Facilities throughout the state of Florida. Everybody on the local legislature delegation had a hand in pushing it forward,” Cook said.
Sutherland said there are 24/7 assessment opportunities available for children as well.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com