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County hears health center report: same‑day access for first behavioral‑health visits, mobile crisis calls rising
Summary
Dr. Caldwell of 4 C Health told commissioners that Fulton County now offers same‑day access for first behavioral‑health appointments, psychiatry waits have fallen but remain long, and mobile crisis teams responded to 228 local deployments in 2025. The agency outlined workforce and outreach plans as state HIP changes loom.
Dr. Caldwell, representing 4 C Health, told Fulton County commissioners on May 4 that the county has dramatically sped up access to behavioral‑health care: "Today, everything we do is same day access. Somebody can come in, and they get their first appointment the exact same day, Monday through Friday." The presentation summarized 2025 service data and program changes for the county.
The report said the Rochester office served 1,742 patients locally in calendar year 2025 and the agency provided 36,179 behavioral‑health services across its service area. Dr. Caldwell presented appointment metrics she said demonstrate improved access: a typical wait for a first appointment dropped from about 30 days historically to 1.7 days a year ago and now to 0.4 days; the average wait for a second appointment fell from 11.9 days a year ago to 5.4 days now. Psychiatry medication‑evaluation waits remain longer (about 45 days), with a stated goal of two weeks by year‑end.
Dr. Caldwell also described crisis‑response work. She said the county recorded 228 mobile‑crisis deployments in 2025 and 1,282 deployments for Fulton County since the program began in September 2020. "Our mobile crisis teams are available 24/7/365," she said, and noted that calls typically come from local dispatch and occasionally via the statewide 988 system.
To address workforce challenges in rural areas, the health center said it will start an eight‑week paid pre‑med internship next summer to expose college students to psychiatry and primary care in rural practice. Dr. Caldwell described the center’s payer mix (about 60% HIP/Medicaid, ~20% commercial, ~18% Medicare, ~3% self‑pay) and said the county is planning outreach and supports in anticipation of changes to the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP). She warned that case reviews estimate some people could lose coverage under newly announced HIP work requirements and described plans to help people maintain access to needed behavioral‑health and substance‑use care.
Why it matters: Improved same‑day access and mobile crisis capacity affect how residents receive urgent behavioral‑health care, while the HIP program changes could shift demand and coverage; local planning and workforce recruitment are central to how services will adapt.
Dr. Caldwell concluded by inviting questions and committing to return with progress updates; commissioners offered thanks and the presentation moved on to other department reports.
