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County expands suicide-prevention trainings, school-based mental-health satellites after provider closure
Summary
County mental-health staff described expanded suicide-prevention and recovery-month outreach, short-form trainings for schools, reopening of clinic satellites in local schools and a pending provider application to replace closed Catholic Charities treatment services.
At a meeting of the Orange County Health and Mental Health Committee, county mental-health staff reported a series of suicide-prevention and recovery-month activities, expansion of school-based satellite services and efforts to replace a youth substance-use treatment program that closed after Catholic Charities ended services.
County mental-health staff said the department is running a joint social-media awareness campaign with the county executive’s office, using messaging based on the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration toolkit. The department is also sponsoring evidence-based trainings: QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) sessions that can be delivered in about an hour and SafeTALK three-hour sessions. Staff said shorter sessions attract higher participation from school districts.
The department reported recent outreach events including a QPR session and a SafeTALK session in August, tabling at schools during lunches and orientations where districts are interested, and partnerships for recovery-month events with ADAC and Think Differently. Staff noted the county observed National Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 10.
On substance-use treatment, staff said Catholic Charities closed its local treatment programs. A different provider has submitted an application to the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) to take over the former Catholic Charities site; county staff said a state site walkthrough has been completed and the county expects the application may be fast-tracked because the location was already a licensed site. The department said it hopes the replacement services will be operating early in the school year, and described Catholic Charities as a “highly utilized service for youth in our county.”
County-operated clinics completed a site visit from the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) for three-year recertification; preliminary feedback was described as positive, and a summation with the state was scheduled for Sept. 22. Staff said school-based satellites for Port Jervis Middle and High School and Valley Central Middle School are ready to open, and Valley Central has requested two additional satellites. The Bush Administration Building satellite remains pending; the village of Chester has also been contacted about possible interest.
Staff provided service-volume data: county programs delivered 26,484 total services in August. The department said it is admitting clients faster than it is discharging them, producing steady growth in active caseloads.
The committee discussion included offers to share social-media materials and outreach flyers. No formal committee action was recorded on these items during the meeting.
