CARES Team
For supporting
everyone
The millage-funded CARES Team is an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals that includes nurses, social workers, crisis professionals, psychiatrists, addiction specialists, peer counselors, and medical assistants. The team helps any person--regardless of age, insurance status, or ability pay--who requires mental health intervention and follow up support. In 2021 alone, the CARES team provided 13,092 services to 752 patients. READ MORE
"We basically designed our CARES program for one client.
She was elderly, depressed, and needed stable housing. She got medical care from her primary care doctor, but she couldn’t access mental health services in the community and really needed them. We contacted her dozens of times in that first week. We couldn’t serve her through our psychiatry and psychology units because she didn’t qualify for Medicaid and her needs weren’t severe enough.
Our 24/7mobile crisis team tried to connect her to several community-based support services, but everything fell through. When we couldn’t find an alternative, our Crisis Team became her provider for several months. Knowing that millage funding would be starting on January 1, 2019, we began talking about the need for a program that could offer the kinds of services and supports she needed. That led to the creation of our CARES team.
When we launched our CARES program in the spring of 2019, she was our very first client. She was assigned a psychiatrist and a case manager who could really connect with her and help her achieve her goals ongoing."
— Melisa Tasker, Program Administrator, CARES, Washtenaw County
Certification
For maximizing
millage funding
WCCMH is now designated as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic and provides a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services. By achieving this certification, WCCMH has received additional federal grant funding to hire staff and provide services. These extra funds allow WCCMH to serve more individuals and maximize the reach of millage dollars.
24/7 Crisis Center
For creating a
safe space
750 Towner, a 24/7 crisis center established with millage funding, is a place where individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis can go for help and emotional support. The center can be used as a holistic alternative to the emergency room or the jail, helping stabilize individuals in crisis and providing them with a warm handoff to other community providers. In 2021, the crisis center handled 45 admissions and served 25 people in need of help and stabilization. READ MORE
