Shift to nonprofit behavioral services may be in the works

WASILLA -- Behavioral Health Services of Mat-Su (formerly Lifequest) has the potential to become a Community Health Center, a private, nonprofit medical home for all of the community, especially those who are uninsured or under-insured. Community Health Centers, or CMCs, were established by the federal government in 1963 as part of civil rights legislation. CMCs must serve the medical needs of all people in the community, instead of just serving the health needs of individual patients.

"It's really important to look at our health care system in the Valley," said Chas St. George, the director of community development at Behavioral Health. "There are people who work every day who are betting on their health because they don't have the means to afford insurance."

CMCs do not provide free health care, but cannot refuse health care to anyone, and provide a sliding scale based on income for individuals to pay for the services they receive.

St. George says that the 35 acres of land Behavioral Health sits on is a perfect site for a complete Wellness Center, which integrates mental health with mainstream health issues, lessening the stigma attached to receiving care for mental health issues.

"We are looking at how we can blend these two practices together," St. George said.

There are currently about 50 CMCs in Alaska. To become a CMC, Behavioral Health must go through a grant process with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and meet specific CMC criteria.

Behavioral Health management went through the process last spring and was denied CMC status; but received an 85 percent proficiency score, meaning that 85 percent of the criteria to become a CMC had been meet. The mental health care facility management is going through the grant process again this year with hopes that they will receive CMC status and be able to expand upon the services they provide in the Valley.

What makes a CMC work on a mental health aspect, St. George said, is that an individual receiving care at a CMC can discreetly ask for mental health help without having to announce it by walking into a mental health clinic.

"We can transfer an individual to a behavioral health setting without a mental illness stigma," St. George said.

If it became a CMC, Behavioral Health would specifically serve the needs of those in the Meadow Lakes and greater Wasilla area, but would be available to anyone in the Valley in need of health care.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.