Demand for services increases, but the goal remains to get people the help they need when they need it

Adapting and adjusting has always been part of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s modus operandi. That is never more true than during a pandemic.

“The pandemic has certainly had an impact on how we provide services,” said Bert Nash Center CEO Patrick Schmitz. “Because of Covid-19, people are experiencing longer delays in starting services, but we still aspire to having open access.”

Open access refers to the hours of the day that members of the community can walk in to the Bert Nash Center and begin the two-step intake process. The first step is completing the paperwork and meeting with an admissions staff member to set up the client’s chart. The second step is meeting with a therapist for the intake assessment, which is scheduled by admissions staff after meeting with the client.

“We have admissions staff coverage to complete the first step of the intake process,” said Dan Parker, Bert Nash Center Admissions Supervisor.  “The therapists’ availability to complete the second step may be one to two weeks out.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Bert Nash Center enrolled 12 to 15 new clients a day. The Admissions Team would conduct the registration and clients would be would be seen by a therapist that same day. In some cases, they might be seen the following day, depending on availability.

Now, only a small number of walk-in times are available to have a same-day intake, but those first-come, first-served times typically fill up quickly, so the Admissions Staff encourages walk-ins to come in earlier in the day.

“While we have a high volume of clients attempting to begin services, we are trying to get everyone in as quickly as possible,” Parker said.

With the increased anxiety and stress people are experiencing due to the pandemic, the Bert Nash Center is seeing an influx in the demand for services.“As the pandemic continues, we’re going to see more demand for services,” said Stephen O’Neill, Bert Nash Center Chief Operations Officer. “Our aspiration and commitment to open access is balanced against some of the harsh realities we are faced with right now due to Covid-19 and the increased demand for services. We’re adapting and making changes to meet that demand.”

With the transition to virtual therapy as a result of the pandemic, the Bert Nash Center is seeing fewer no-shows than it did prior to the pandemic. A reduced fee schedule implemented in January has also resulted in more clients seeing a therapist more regularly.

“People want to come more often for services because we’ve made services affordable, which is a positive,” O’Neill said.

Intakes can be conducted in person with social distancing or via Zoom. In October, there were 147 adult intakes, 89 via Zoom. For children, there were 38 intakes, 18 via Zoom. Of the 185 intakes in October, 58 were through same-day open access and 127 were pre-scheduled. Pre-scheduled means instead of receiving a same-day intake therapy appointment, the client returned within 1-10 business days, depending on availability.

The Center is hiring new therapists and using contract therapists in order to help meet the increased demand for services.

“We’re doing everything we can to get people the help they need when they need it,” O’Neill said.