The Upper Cumberland’s Mental Health Cooperative expanded into a new 8,000-square-foot facility to address a growing demand for behavioral health services across the 12 counties.
Facility Administrator Kayla Jackson said the larger space now accommodating a patient load that includes hundreds of people traveling from adjoining counties.
“It really does reflect that growing demand because, you know, we started in that office which was smaller, we didn’t have a big demand so we didn’t have to have as many people,” Jackson said. “But as that need has grown across the Upper Cumberland, we’ve had to hire more staff to accommodate that need.”
Jackson said while the facility sees more than 1,000 people in a cycle. The facility provides integrated care that includes psychiatry, medication management, and therapy alongside community-based care management.
“Mental health just encompasses so many different aspects of our lives,” Jackson said. “If you are homeless, if you can’t afford to pay your rent, if you, if your child’s having problems at school with behaviors, all of those things go in together and they can really affect your mental health.”
Jackson said the cooperative also offers walk-in services to ensure help is available during immediate mental health crises.
“It is so that we’re there when somebody decides to ask for help, but it’s also because, you know, you can’t schedule a mental health crisis,” Jackson said. “You know, you can’t schedule a bad day. And so we have walk-ins available and try to accommodate those the best we can so that we can meet people where they are.”
Jackson said the need for services has increased as people have gained a better understanding of mental health treatment following the COVID pandemic. Jackson said the cooperative utilizes a safety net grant to provide care for those without insurance, while also accepting all forms of TennCare.
“I hope that they have shorter wait times to accessing to get their appointments scheduled, they’ve got more opportunities to have somebody come to their home, to go to their school to meet with them in the community and they have got more opportunities to engage in group therapy sessions where they can communicate with people who might be experiencing similar things as them,” Jackson said.
Jackson said care managers are able to meet patients at their homes, schools, or workplaces to overcome transportation barriers. Jackson said she expects the need for behavioral health services in the Upper Cumberland to continue increasing as the community grows.
“I just always like to make sure that people understand that we are community-based with our care management,” Jackson said. “We go into homes, we go into schools, we’ll come meet you at your work if that’s easiest for you, we can go to the the grocery store if that’s the only time that you’ve got, another doctor’s appointment with you.”
