Here’s how Centre County is preparing for the ‘significant’ loss of UCBH services
Universal Community Behavioral Health’s decision to cancel its outpatient and crisis intervention services in Bellefonte will affect over 1,000 people, but county officials on Tuesday outlined next steps in what they hope will be a seamless transition.
UCBH — the health system that runs The Meadows Psychiatric Center and Can Help — recently announced that it would be closing its outpatient behavioral health services in Bellefonte and several crisis intervention services throughout Pennsylvania.
As a result of this closure, Centre County Human Services Administrator Natalie Corman said mobile and telephone crisis intervention services will be provided by the newly opened 24-hour walk-in Centre for Community Resources, and Service Access and Management, Inc. will provide delegate action when handling the 302 mental health warrant process.
These changes will begin in Centre County on Jan. 2, Corman said, adding that the decision for UCBH to close its services was the result of “a business decision” — citing insurance costs and staffing.
“When the announcement came for mobile and telephone crisis service to be ending, we immediately had to respond to that,” Corman said, adding that the county was made aware of UCBH’s decision on Nov. 26.
CCR, a licensed crisis provider based in Butler County, provides mobile and hotline services in western Pennsylvania. The State College facility — located at 2100 E. College Ave. — has a call center that will be used for crisis intervention services and client follow-ups.
“Come January 2, the name Can Help will no longer exist,” Corman said. “That is the name that UCBH has, so we are really moving forward with Center for Community Resources. It’s who will answer that crisis line for us, so that might be the one change that people hear is a slightly different name. But, the core when people are calling there, they know they are getting (help).”
The number used to call Can Help, 1-800-643-5432, will be retained by CCR.
“People know that’s who to call,” Corman said. “Really for a lot of our public, they will call that phone number and still get a licensed-crisis counselor answering that phone call. They will see very little unawareness that it might be somebody new.”
Corman said the county plans to offer employment opportunities to Can Help staff, being that they are already trained in crisis intervention.
UCBH services will close in Bedford, Somerset, Cambria, Clearfield, Jefferson, Juniata, Mifflin, Huntingdon and Schuykill counties, starting Feb. 1, but Corman said her office’s relationships with providers allowed Centre County to make the transfer sooner.
The county’s first priority was filling the gap in crisis intervention services. The board of commissioners voted Tuesday to move the contracts with CCR and SAM to next week’s consent agenda. Now, Corman said the county will work to connect people who relied on UCBH with other providers.
Citing a letter sent by UCBH, Corman said residents are being referred to private insurance providers and Community Care Behavioral Health. Corman said the county has been working with CCBH and the Behavioral Health Alliance of Rural Pennsylvania to maximize services.
Centre County will not be able to contract with any new providers until 2020, Corman said.
“We’re really going to try to work throughout our entire healthcare system for this,” Corman said. “Something like this impacts our entire healthcare system ... we’re going to maximize everything that our county has for this right now with this loss.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, five community members spoke about the importance of enhancing Centre County’s mental health system, citing the fatal police shooting of 29-year-old State College resident Osaze Osagie and a series of community discussions on mental health.
Although the loss of UCBH is “significant,” Corman and the board of commissioner said they are pleased with how quickly the county was able to respond to the closure in a way the still offers the same type of services.
“We really feel confident in our community that crisis will remain a service,” Corman said.
