Treatment and Recovery

 

OUR GOAL

The goal of the community mental health service delivery system is to promote the mental health of all Alaskans and assist individuals with mental disorders to improve their quality of life. Services are provided through general community mental health services; services for youths with serious emotional disturbances; community support for adults with severe mental illness; psychiatric evaluation and treatment for individuals who are mentally ill and involuntarily committed; community based suicide prevention; and peer helpers.

OVERVIEW

Approximately 20,000 people receive treatment and rehabilitative services annually from 46 grantees. Over 225 Alaskan youth are served by 21 grantees through the Alaska Youth Initiative Program. Approximately 3,000 adults with severe mental illness receive ongoing community support services. Over 2,800 youth with severe emotional disturbances and their families received ongoing services. Approximately 260 consumers receive assistance through the Rural Homeless Initiative program. Over 9,800 contacts were made with Miller's Reach Fire Disaster survivors (Big Lake) through Project Fireweed. Over 3,600 individuals received mental health services through the program.

SERVICE DELIVERY

The Division of Behavioral Health is responsible for implementation of state laws which protect and promote the well-being of Alaskans who experience mental illness or developmental disabilities.  The Division is governed primarily by Alaska Statutes 47.30 Mental Health; 47.80 Persons with Handicaps; and 12.47 Insanity and Competency to Stand Trial.

The Community Mental Health section provides a comprehensive array of statewide community mental health services through offices in Juneau, Anchorage, Wasilla and Fairbanks.  Section staff administer grant programs which award through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process to nonprofit agencies that run comprehensive community mental health centers and limited service programs.  Staff members are responsible for preparing RFP's, organizing proposal evaluation committees, providing technical assistance to grantees, monitoring service delivery to assure regulatory compliance, and evaluating services to measure effectiveness.  They also assist mental health and developmental disabilities grantees with recruitment.

The Mental Health clinicians have specific expertise in services for children with serious emotional disturbances, community inpatient treatment, residential resources for persons who are indigent and experience mental illness, emergency services, and services for adults with severe mental illness.

Comprehensive Behavioral Health Treatment & Recovery (CBHTR)
Grant Program SFY09 Funding Summary