In 2018, dozens of Washtenaw County substance use treatment providers and stakeholders convened to discuss ways to improve the region’s treatment system.
Their main recommendations? 24/7 access to a neutral party that could recommend services based on client needs, utilizing a universal screening tool.
On January 1, 2022, Washtenaw’s millage-funded 24/7 call center became the primary access point for all substance use treatment needs and implemented a universal screening tool.
Residents can now call 734-544-3050 to access same day screening, treatment authorization, referral to community-based treatment providers, and more.
With greater resources from millage, WCCMH becomes access point for substance use referrals
One of the millage’s most significant goals was to provide mental health care access to everyone, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay for services. Before the millage, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH) was only able to serve Medicaid enrollees with serious conditions. Now, WCCMH can serve everyone, given staff capacity.
The millage funds a CARES team that gives everyone in the community 24/7 access to live care managers. When a Washtenaw resident calls CARES, a care manager can assess their needs, answer questions, and connect them to the right services.
The CARES team also provides wraparound case management, peer support specialists, and crisis services, as needed. 15.5% of CARES clients live in the county’s less densely populated areas. 28% identify as Black or African American. And 48.9% live in Washtenaw County’s low opportunity census tracts.
Millage-funded CARES team: serving all residents, regardless of insurance status
A 2016 mental health and substance use needs assessment found that there were long wait times across the county—especially for Medicaid enrollees, individuals with substance use disorders, and individuals with mild to moderate mental health needs. Following this, local partners put an innovative millage on the ballot—a millage for mental health service expansion.
Thanks to the passing of this millage, WCCMH has been able to dramatically increase services to Washtenaw County residents. Now WCCMH's millage-funded teams help those without health insurance, those with mild to moderate mental health needs, those in crisis, and more.
Staff screen callers for mental health needs and provide referrals to care at WCCMH, community mental health providers, hospitals, or immediate crisis care.
Calls to standard suicide hotlines are often transferred to the police when an in-person response is required, sending officers with limited training in behavioral health to respond to an already difficult situation.
Calls to the millage-funded 24/7 access line, staffed by Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH), provide access to community care from mental health professionals for individuals with urgent and emergent needs, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay for services.
If a community member in Washtenaw County does call the police for a mental health related incident, the police can contact the millage-funded 24/7 access line directly for assistance. The crisis team will respond when and where it's needed, reducing the need for police or hospital interventions.
Washtenaw County's crisis response team offers in-person support
Collaboration between local health systems and the millage is bidirectional.
In one direction, psychiatric emergency department patients can be connected to the millage-funded CARES team. From there, patients can begin to receive support and care from area providers, including Washtenaw County Community Mental Health.
In the other direction, the millage-funded CARES team can help people in crisis—such as people in need of psychiatric emergency department care or people contacted by the CMH crisis team—get admitted to hospitals for inpatient care. WCCMH screens patients to determine their level of need and provide authorizations for treatment.
Millage-funded CARES team: serving all residents, regardless of insurance status
