Caring for the Whole Person and Meeting Needs in Multiple Areas of Life is Priority at Wellpoint Care Network’s Mental Health Clinic
At Wellpoint Care Network, we know that unresolved trauma leads to a host of challenges for children, adults and families ― the most concerning of which is the instability it causes in key areas of life.
What adversity tears down, our trauma-informed staff can assist in building back up, reducing the need for deep-end interventions and preventing future instability.
Wellpoint Care Network has been a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) since 2023. That means that our clinic offers comprehensive, rapidly-implemented, trauma-informed treatment plans that incorporate all aspects of a person’s care. They are never left alone to navigate healthcare, justice, social service or education systems.
“Part of being a CCBHC is that we don’t turn anybody away for lack of resources,” said Suzanne Roundy-Schmidt, Clinical Supervisor at Wellpoint Care Network. “So if you don’t have insurance or need a sliding scale fee, we can adjust based on what people’s needs are.”
Helping People Navigate Their Care
Another big part of the CCBHC is forming connections with outside agencies. When someone needs assistance with housing or transportation, Wellpoint Care Network’s care navigators come into play. We have several care navigators, including some who are Spanish speaking.
“The role of the care navigator is all about continuity of services,” said Roundy-Schmidt. “We recognize people that come into our Clinic may have additional needs aside from mental health services. They may be living in a hotel, they may not have enough food to feed their family, or they might not have a primary care physician. Connecting with a Care Navigator makes it a little easier to access other services.”
“It’s about looking at the whole person,” added Maria Claudio-Mayzure, Care Navigator at Wellpoint Care Network. “If they don’t have food, that’s going to affect their mental health. If they don’t have housing, that’s going to affect their mental health. So many things are factors in a person’s well-being and need to be taken into consideration.”
guiding your care, Step by step
The first step for those who participate in services in our Mental Health Clinic is to take the voluntary PRAPARE screening, which is designed to equip our staff to better understand and act on individuals’ social drivers of health –– which we call the Five Pillars of Stability.
“The clinician is then notified of potential needs and can connect the person with a care navigator,” said Roundy-Schmidt. “It could be assisting someone whose insurance has expired or helping them find transportation to their appointments, anything like that.”
“We often help get the right forms filled out, collect proper documentation, etc.,” added Claudio-Mayzure. “We want to make sure there is never a lapse in care and that they can continue to get what they need.”
Making a big impact on success
Though a newer role at Wellpoint Care Network, the impact of care navigators on families can already be felt and seen.
“Continued communication and having a point of contact to answer questions can make such a difference to someone,” said Roundy-Schmidt. “For us, it might only be a 10-minute phone call. But for them, it really helped take things off their plate or secure resources in one of their areas of need.”
“Families are extremely grateful for the information and having us there to help them with any questions,” said Claudio-Mayzure. “Just having them know we are here for them and can help advocate for them. I’ve seen several families follow through with the resources I’ve offered to them. Recently, I worked with a family that we were able to assist financially. They were not English speaking, so they needed help with paperwork and additional research. They were very grateful to have someone help them navigate through things and explain things in layman’s terms. Their child still sees a clinician and the whole family is happy.”
Aside from being a great opportunity for clients to truly heal and thrive, care navigators are also a great companion to the work our clinicians are doing each and every day.
“It can be really hard to work with someone and see these needs and these gaps in services but not be able to do anything about it,” said Roundy-Schmidt. “So being able to work directly with a care navigator and know that they will support the patient however they can is a great feeling. It also helps build that relationship and trust with both the clinician and organization as a whole.”
