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Meeting a crisis with options

Grand Rapids Herald-Review - 7/8/2017

New mental health outpatient services at Fairview

HIBBING - One in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Of those, only 40 percent received mental health services within the year prior to being surveyed.

Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society can include unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse,homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide and wasted lives. The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than $100 billion annually in the United States, NAMI reports.

Part of the challenge of treating a mental illness is lack of awareness about mental illnesses themselves.

As NAMI points out, mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders, similar to brain tumors or meningitis, that cannot be overcome through willpower and are not related to a person's character or intelligence.

In a region with few options for mental health care, Fairview Range has recently opened an Adult Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at Fairview Range Medical Center (FRMC).

"An outpatient mental health program is vital to our region because, like our recently started Behavioral Health Home, it offers patients both accessibility and a continuity of care," said Lauren Siebert, PHP intake coordinator.

PHP is an intensive, short-term outpatient group-based program for adults age 18 and over. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

PHP is an excellent option for those experiencing an acute episode of anxiety, depression or several other mental health issues, said Siebert.

"The ultimate goal is that our clients develop skills that enable them to better manage their symptoms and their lives," she added. "This three-week program helps individuals navigate what can sometimes be a rough transition back to work and/or home."

PHP offers peer support and access to medication managers, social workers and other mental health practitioners without the intensity of inpatient care.

The program is part of Fairview Range's efforts to expand its outpatient mental health services and offer programs that meet various levels of treatment needs.

"The Partial Hospitalization Program is another way that we can meet the needs of many individuals on the Iron Range and surrounding areas," Siebert explained. "PHP is one more avenue through which Fairview Range hopes to improve the overall health of the members of this community."

Additional programs offered at Fairview Range include outpatient mental health counseling, Behavioral Health Home and integrated Behavioral Health.

For more information about PHP, call 218-362-6984 or visit www.range.fairview.org.