In Collaboration with Comprehensive Healthcare, Camp Hope has opened a community resource center on their site located at 2300 E Birch Street, allowing for behavioral health services to be provided on-site to individuals residing at Camp Hope.
For Comprehensive Healthcare clients residing at Camp Hope, obtaining transportation to appointments or to pick up medication can be extremely difficult. Mishel, a Comprehensive Healthcare client and Camp Hope resident (who prefers her last name remain unmentioned), has been enrolled in services for about one year and has already greatly benefited from the new resource center.
“My counselor and I used to meet outside on the picnic tables or in my tent. I also used to have to walk to some appointments or all the way there [to Comprehensive Healthcare] just to get my medication…,” said Mishel.
President and CEO of Comprehensive Healthcare, Jodi Daly, Ph.D. says, “Camp Hope is among one of our many vital community partners helping us reduce barriers to care. Meeting both basic and complex needs is essential to an individual’s success, and we are already seeing the positive impacts that coming together to meet those needs has led to. We are grateful to Camp Hope for including us in this innovative idea, and for supplying us with the physical space to provide care to our clients.”
Recent high temperatures also presented challenges for clients with limited transportation resources. Now, clients like Mishel can meet with Comprehensive Healthcare staff privately, in a setting that is furnished with comfortable seating and air conditioning. The center is also equipped with secure internet so that clinicians can access their clients’ electronic health records.
According to Comprehensive Healthcare staff, the community resource center provides outreach teams with the opportunity to continually keep in touch with individuals between appointments.
“Our continued presence and support at Camp Hope have already made a noticeable impact,” said Chris DeVilleneuve, Vice President at Comprehensive Healthcare. “Homelessness is a shared concern for both organizations, as not every individual has the same path toward stable housing. Some individuals experiencing homelessness are also experiencing substance use disorders or mental health diagnoses.”
Staff at Camp Hope say the resource center reduces the stigma of needing behavioral health services, allowing them to provide residents experiencing homelessness an immediate entry point to behavioral health services.
“We are so excited about the ease of connectivity this partnership has for the residents and clients,” said Michael Kay, Director of Camp Hope. “It also allows us to continue to say, ‘yes’ in terms of admitting individuals who have experienced abuse or trauma by knowing we have resources and partnerships that have the expertise to provide the behavioral health care they need.”
Residents continue to face challenges when seeking assistance for medical, housing, pharmacy and employment resources, but Kay hopes that integrating these services on-site will help break down barriers.
“Grace City Outreach and Camp Hope are so pleased to be enhancing our partnership with Comprehensive Healthcare. Our mutual clients will greatly benefit by having their expertise, amazing staff and programs on-site and immediately accessible to them. In addition, this partnership will allow our staff to receive training and guidance by some of the best behavioral specialists in their field. We are so excited for this game-changing partnership. which will immediately benefit people experiencing homelessness and our community. Thank you to Comprehensive Healthcare for partnering with us by thinking outside the box for the benefit of our mutual clients,” said Kay.
