Mosaic Counseling tells House panel school outreach, sliding-scale model reaches children and uninsured

Mosaic Counseling told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Medicaid and Behavioral Health that its school-based outreach and a large panel of reduced-rate private therapists let the nonprofit provide rapid, low-cost mental health care to children and adults regardless of insurance status.

The presentation, given by Mosaic Executive Director Sarah Lukowski, explained why Mosaic’s model emphasizes immediate access, a sliding fee schedule and school placements. Lukowski said Mosaic has “never had a wait list” and described a network of roughly 270 licensed private-practice therapists who agree to reduced rates for clients referred by Mosaic.

Mosaic’s model matters because committee members heard it can shorten the time between outreach and treatment and reach populations that otherwise face cost or transportation barriers. Lukowski said the group’s school outreach can place a child with a therapist “within a week or two,” and that placing clinicians in schools removes barriers that prevent many students from getting care.

Details presented to the committee included Mosaic’s operating model and recent…