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PARKERSBURG -- Westbrook Health Services has been awarded a $2 million Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic grant to expand and improve access to behavioral health care.
The award over two years is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
"The grant will provide resources to help reduce barriers to access and expand behavioral health care capacity for at-risk and underserved populations, Kevin Trippett, Westbrook President and CEO, said.
Westbrook Health Services has been providing behavioral health and wellness services to clients in Wood and surrounding counties for more than 70 years.
The focus population will include individuals who need mental health or substance use disorder treatment services. The expansion will increase access for clients who are unable to afford services and in rural areas where services are not readily available by providing transportation and increasing overall capacity by funding 23 staff positions.
Westbrook has appointed Chief Clinical Officer Eric Limegrover as the grant expansion project coordinator. Limegrover has been with Westbrook for five years and has been responsible for outreach services prior to overseeing the expansion grant.
"This grant will ensure that no consumer will be turned away from services due to an inability to pay," said Limegrover. "It will allow us to recruit, train and retain highly qualified staff in order to increase our service array and decrease wait time for clients."
In his new role, Limegrover will lead specialists, physicians, therapists, nurses, case managers, peer recovery coaches and van drivers tasked with increased training efforts for staff, expansion of transportation options for clients, increasing telehealth services to reach a more rural population, initiate outreach and expansion with local military groups, Department of Veterans Affairs affiliated hospitals and other veteran organizations to provide sustainable mental health and substance use services to veterans and their families, establishing an advisory group comprised of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders and their family to provide input and guidance on implementation, services and policies.
"The $2 million will be essential for Westbrook to create a center of excellence in our region and be able to provide an expanded array of services from qualified and experienced staff," Limegrover said. "As a nonprofit, we have limited resources to draw from to address the many complexities facing our field. We have many challenges in serving rural communities in our region due to increased training expenses, limited internet access, rising technological costs and a lack of available qualified providers to tackle the needs of our area."
Westbrook is one of 13 community-based, comprehensive behavioral health centers established in West Virginia to assure that integrated substance use and mental health treatment services are available to citizens across the state. The state's behavioral health system is comprised of licensed community behavioral health centers.
The Excellence in Mental Health Act demonstration established a federal definition and criteria for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. These entities are designed to provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorder services to vulnerable individuals.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are responsible for providing or contracting with partner organizations to provide services with an emphasis on 24-hour crisis care, utilization of evidence-based practices, care coordination and integration with physical health care.
Westbrook Health Services is a non-profit 501(c)(3), Comprehensive Community Behavioral Health Care Provider licensed in Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood counties.