Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Behavioral Health serves Southeast Alaska, which is comprised of rural island communities of over 70,000 residents with uniquely low access to prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for substance use disorder (SUD), and co-occurring substance use and serious mental illness (SMI). In most Southeast Alaska communities, SEARHC is the only provider of behavioral health and primary health care services, and has a user population of 28,600 in the service area. During the current national crisis of COVID-19, SEARHC Behavioral Health will provide crisis intervention services, SMI and SUD treatment, co-occurring SMI and SUD treatment, and other related recovery supports for children and adults impacted by the pandemic (70% direct service). SEARHC Behavioral Health will also address the needs of individuals, including healthcare practitioners, who coincidentally mostly work for the organization, with mental disorders less severe than SMI (10% direct service) and for all other individuals with mental disorders less severe than SMI (20% direct service). Services will be provided from the Hub, Sitka Behavioral Health, supporting (4) of SEARHC’s community-based clinics, or Spokes: Juneau Behavioral Health, Haines Behavioral Health, Wrangell Behavioral Health, and Juneau Front Street Clinic; and through the Community Family Service Program in (7) rural communities: Angoon, Craig, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Kake, Klawock, and Petersburg.
SEARHC Behavioral Health intends on implementing coordinated delivery of behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services with evidence-based strategies and cohesive approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. SEARHC Behavioral Health will provide crisis intervention services, mental and SUD treatment, and other related recovery supports for children and adults impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Programming will specifically address the needs of individuals with serious mental illness, individuals with substance use disorders, and/or individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Additionally, the program will also focus on meeting the needs of individuals with mental disorders that are less severe than serious mental illness, including those in the healthcare profession. SEARHC Behavioral Health will use the following evidence-based strategies:
• ASAM criteria
• Motivational Interviewing/Motivational Enhancement
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Matrix Model
• Telehealth Provision of Services
• Alaska Screening Tool
• Client Status Review
• Integrated Assessment
• Client-Centered Treatment Planning
• Comprehensive Community Support Services
• Crisis Intervention
• Crisis Stabilization
• 24-hour Mobile Crisis Response Team