Bert Nash’s Access Center staff on the front lines in dealing with clients, crises

They don’t fight fires. But they know all about putting them out. They are the staff members of the Bert Nash Access Center.

“We are often described as the fire department of Bert Nash,” said Sherry Demarest, who is the Access Center team leader. “We’re kind of the jack-of-all trades. If someone doesn’t know what to do with a client, they call the Access Center.”

The Access Center is the entry point for all clients coming to Bert Nash for services, including those in crisis.

“We handle all the crisis phone calls,” Demarest said. “We advise them about what would be the best course of action. Usually, that means we advise them to come in immediately and one of us will meet with them.”

The Access Center is staffed with five daytime screeners and two clerical personnel. The screeners meet with walk-in clients between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. After paperwork is filled out and information loaded into a computer, the screener schedules the client to meet with a therapist, who will do an intake assessment to initiate services.

“The Access Center is an important hub within the mental health center,” said Eunice Ruttinger, Adult Services director, who oversees the Access Center. “All of the services within the Center look to them to assist with crisis situations. They are all very talented professionals who think on their feet and make difficult decisions daily. I am honored to work with them.”

A person who is in crisis can come to the Center anytime during business hours.

“We never turn down anybody who is in crisis. They don’t have to have an appointment or come in during any designated hours,” Demarest said. “We get a lot of crisis clients during the daytime. Maybe 20 percent of daytime intakes are crisis situations. It could be somebody who walks in off the streets and says I think I’m going to kill myself, please help me. After hours, they would go to the hospital and one of our after-hours screeners would meet them there.”

The Bert Nash after-hours screeners are on duty whenever the Center is closed.

All screeners go through a thorough training process and are closely supervised when starting out. It takes a

certain skill set for someone to make a good screener.

“You have to have a real high tolerance for drama and chaos and unpredictability,” Demarest said, “because you never know what’s going to happen with a screen.”

Sometimes a screener has to practice tough love.

“You have to have a certain degree of compassion, but not so much compassion that it interferes with your clinical judgment,” Demarest said. “You have to have a certain amount of empathy and be supportive, but at the same time you have to do what needs to be done to keep the client safe.”

The Bert Nash screeners are the only screeners in Douglas County who can do involuntary hospitalizations. Anytime there is an involuntary hospitalization, the screener is required to appear in court at an evidentiary hearing.

“We have to testify why we did the involuntary commitment,” Demarest said. “A judge rules on whether a client should have been involuntarily committed. Typically, the judge goes along with the screener’s recommendation.”

The criteria for involuntary hospitalization are very clear.

“Primarily, it’s the probability of harm to themselves or others,” Demarest said. Helping people get the help they need is the best part of a screener’s job.

“I love letting people know there are options for treatment,” said Sara Godinez, one of the Bert Nash screeners. “Lots of times, people don’t even know what services are available for them, let alone how to access them. When I can help someone find what they need, I’m helping them to find relief ad help. That’s my favorite part.”

When the daytime screeners start the day, they have no idea what to expect. But that’s what makes the job interesting … and rewarding.

“I enjoy working with a rotating, diverse population, so this job is never dull,” said screener Rosemary Corbin. “What I find most rewarding is helping our clients to problem solve, to help them overcome their immediate crisis, and to better their lives.”