Millstone Supports Behavioral Health Urgent Care with a 3-Year Grant

We are grateful to Millstone Fund for their support of our Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) in Hamilton County,” says GCBHS President & CEO Jeff O’Neil. “This grant will allow us to expand immediate care for those in crisis and connect more rapidly with those who have severe behavioral health needs; connecting with them before the need for hospitalization or the involvement of law enforcement is needed.”

The $800,000 grant assists in funding part of a three-year plan for growth to address the growing community need for crisis services. By connecting to individuals more efficiently, we are better able to stabilize, treat and link them to ongoing services.

To achieve this, the BHUC will develop “pathways to care” to allow for intervention earlier than traditional crisis models. Currently, people often enter the system after a crisis has escalated to an emergency room visit, incarceration, or hospitalization. By collaborating with the criminal justice system and organizations working with people experiencing homelessness, we will be better able to identify predictable moments of vulnerability such as a jail release or shelter discharge, and guide individuals with mental illness directly to the BHUC for early intervention. These individuals will then have access to a team who can “wrap around them” to assess and secure medications, address basic needs such as housing support, which then reduces the likelihood of relapse, re-arrest, and/or hospitalization.

According to Nikki Bisig (left), GCBHS Chief Clinical Officer and Senior VP of Hamilton County

Nikki Bisig, GCBHS Chief Clinical Officer and Senior VP of Hamilton County Behavioral Health Services

of Hamilton County Behavioral Health Services

Behavioral Health Services, “Many of the patients we see don’t always recognize when they need help early on, so by the time they come to us, things have often already escalated. We’re working with community partners to create a direct line to care so people can connect to support sooner, in ways that feel natural and accessible.”

Millstone Fund’s gift will assist the Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) in becoming a centralized, community-wide stabilization hub, ensuring providers are clear on where someone should go when experiencing a behavioral health crisis. By increasing this level of coordinated care, that currently does not exist in the Greater Cincinnati area, we can improve the patient experience thereby increasing positive outcomes.

Millstone Fund prioritizes local work that strengthens mental and behavioral health across the life course, supporting strong and innovative approaches that address the persistent challenge of mental health conditions in our community. The expansion of the GCBHS behavioral health urgent care is a critical step toward better support for people experiencing acute behavioral health needs—and importantly, it establishes a care continuum with embedded pathways that connect patients to a behavioral health home, ensuring treatment continues beyond stabilization. We are excited to see this work develop and strengthen our local crisis response system."

Ted Folger, PHD, Executive Director, Millstone Fund