The Office of Community Services, under NYS Mental Hygiene Law Article 41, is responsible for ensuring a comprehensive array of services across the disability groups of mental health, substance abuse and mental retardation/developmental disabilities for the citizens of Schenectady County. The office operates the County's adult and children's SPOA (Single Point of Access) and AOT (Assisted Outpatient Treatment) programs and contracts out direct service provision to a network of provider agencies.

Provides open access, after hours evaluation and treatment options for individuals seeking help for substance use.

Provides assessment, planning, and referrals for children and youth (ages 5 to 21 years old) in Onondaga County with emotional and behavioral challenges. Serves as a clearinghouse for many home/community-based services as well as out-of-home placements. Also provides assistance with school attendance concerns and has assumed responsibility for PINS (Person in Need of Supervision).

Provides timely access to services to support individuals living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED).

Provides mental health counseling for active duty military personnel.

Provides a central triage call line for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis or concern. Connects individuals to services including mobile crisis, crisis respite, peer/warm lines, and information resources.

Provides a centralizes referral system for children with serious emotional disturbance who need intensive mental health services to remain at home or in their community.

Provides Care Coordination, referral, monitoring, and access point for children and adults with serious mental illness, emotional problems, and/or behavioral problems who need more intensive support and care coordination.

Provides a 24-hour telephone evaluation service for individuals, family members and friends of those with mental illness. Services include evaluation if an individual is suicidal, homicidal, or at risk to harm themselves or others. This is an evaluation service, not a helpline or support chat line.

Provides a centralizes referral system for children with serious emotional disturbance who need intensive mental health services to remain at home or in their community.

Care Coordination/Case Management Services are intended for the high need consumer who has had difficulty maintaining linkages to mental health services and other important supports, such as benefits, housing, advocacy, health care, peer services, or vocational services. SPOA is a uniform referral process which assists the referring party to determine the appropriate level of care coordination services. After the referral is made it is assessed and a determination is made as to the acceptance of the initial referral or referral to another program which may better meet the needs of the individual. Levels of care include: transition case management, care coordination, assertive community treatment, and assisted outpatient treatment.

Provides outpatient mental health services to clients who seek help for depression, anxiety, suicidal feelings, and psychiatric illness.

A committee designed to link families who may require more intensive mental health support to services such as Care Coordination, Home-Based Crisis Intervention, Mental Health Respite Program, Home and Community Based Services, Family Support, and OMH services such as Residential Treatment Facility, Community Residence, Children's Psychiatric Center, or mobile crisis programs. Families are encouraged to invite schools and others working with their child to attend a meeting; approach is strength-based and constructive; jointly crafted written plans are provided to families at the conclusion of the meeting. Committee is made up of representatives from the following organizations: Wyoming County Department of Mental Health, Social Services, Probation, and Youth Bureau; Spectrum Health & Human Services (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Services including Mental Health Counseling and Chemical Dependency Services), Hillside Children's Center, Wyoming County Community Hospital (Crisis Outreach), GLOW Family Support, Clarity Wellness Community, New Directions and Western New York Children's Psychiatric Center.

Program is for individuals, families, and service providers seeking care management or housing services for adults and children living with mental health symptoms. Assesses the strengths and needs of those referred and then creates a plan for linkage with the most appropriate services. Coordinates with Health Homes for most appropriate Care Management service.

Provides outpatient behavioral health services to adults 18 years and older. Serves children under 18 ONLY if they are experiencing first episode psychosis. Treatment types include individual and group therapy. Services are provided by psychiatrists, nurses, and licensed clinical staff. Offers the NAVIGATE Program, a specialized evidence-based program for individuals experiencing first episode psychosis. Also offers a behavioral health walk-in clinic (The Help Center) that does not require an appointment. The Help Center offers immediate support for individuals who may be experiencing a crisis and/or are in need of behavioral health services and linkage to a community provider. The Help Center is an alternative to ECMC's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) for those who are NOT experiencing suicidal thoughts/behaviors.

Provides the following services for families and individuals: intake, assessment, and referral services; preventive programs and parenting education workshops; counseling services; drug and alcohol assessment and treatment; crisis intervention; and financial support.

A centralized intake process for referrals to high-intensity mental health services for children and adults who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness that interferes with their ability to function in the community, home, school, and/or work. The overall goals of the mental health services include fostering independence and improving quality of life. The purpose of SPOA is to manage access to high-intensity mental health services, provide a forum for improved collaboration among community service providers, and identify and promote community-based alternatives to residential treatment and psychiatric hospitalization.

Provides a team approach to community supports, linkage to assessments, evaluations, and service providers as appropriate.

Provides enhanced services by linking monitoring and advocacy in order to ensure that an individual’s quality of life may be maintained or improved in the least restrictive environment, keeping in mind continuum of care. Offers a Single Point of Access for connections to community agencies and providers. SPOA is not a service, but a process (a means to accomplish an end). Initial SPOA will concentrate on individuals with high needs. SPOA will coordinate services which may include but are not limited to: - Living arrangements - Educational/Vocational - Physical Health - Family - Mental Health - Self Care - Economic - Transportation - Social - Substance Abuse - AOT - Assisted Outpatient Treatment - ICM - Intensive Care Coordination Services The SPOA Committee consists of representatives from the Cattaraugus County Department of Social Services, the Cattaraugus County Probation Department, Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Foundations for Change, Department of Aging, Mobile Transitional Support Team, Community Action, Hillside Family of Agencies, Evergreen Health Services, Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Directions in Independent Living, and Intandem; as well as any agency that may be involved with SPOA referral.

*Provides crisis intervention, client/situation stabilization services face-to-face to divert non-lethal individuals from the county's psychiatric emergency departments as well as to find, support and link individuals to mental health services. Some services include:

• Crisis hotline.
• Mental health assessments.
• Crisis de-escalation and de-briefing.
• Linkage and follow-up to services.
• Alerts to identify and assist those at an increased risk.
• Coordination with schools, medical/ mental health providers and other agencies to provide crisis intervention and to help monitor clients who are at risk.

* Provides Open Access, a 24/7 response to those individuals living with addiction.

* Provides services in partnership with the Rescue Mission of Utica.

Provides support recovery from mental illness for people who experience a persistent and severe psychiatric symptoms and who have major difficulties taking care of their basic needs, protecting themselves, keeping safe and adequate housing, or maintaining employment.

Provides linkage to services for children, birth to 17 years who are experiencing a severe mental health or behavioral difficulties and their families.

Specialized services designed to carry out a plan that includes individual and group therapy, medication education, trauma recovery, alcohol and substance abuse treatment, vocational rehabilitation services, healthy living, interpersonal skills, therapeutic recreation, and discharge planning.