People cannot be defined by their mental health symptoms and should be treated as complex people, according to Familylinks Senior Director of Behavioral Health Paul Tedesco.
That idea is at the crux of an Allegheny County Department of Human Services plan to spend $933,000 in federal grant money on mental health treatment. The grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will help youths from age 5 to 18 who have serious emotional disturbance and their families.
County officials plan to use the money to better link 28 service providers who are already committed to working on the whole child, not just individual symptoms.
“So that together they are working toward the family’s goals and needs,” said Department of Human Services Deputy Director for the Office of Behavioral Health Denise Macerelli. “And that all of that care is coordinated and integrated in the best way possible.”
In recent years, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services has tried to meet the needs of its clients through more holistic care and officials said they hope a better system with new infrastructure will facilitate that effort.
Macerelli said this could be useful in instances where all of a child’s support providers are not present, such as at a court hearing. Often a lack of funding means the absence of a mental health professional.
“We want to build an infrastructure and a capacity so those providers can loop in via technology and be part of the conversation with the family at the table,” Marcerelli said.
Familylinks, a nonprofit that provides a range of services, is one of the providers the will work with the county. CEO Frederick Massey said his organization’s multi-service approach is perfect for the new program.
“Unfortunately in the past we always tried to break things down, ‘OK, they have a mental health issue or they have a drug addiction issue or they need some type of services,’” he said. “(Family Links is) able to provide multiple of those services.”
Depending on congressional funding, the grant could be renewed in each of the next three years.
