Grant Integrated Services to expand some youth mental health services in 2021
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 2 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | January 27, 2021 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Grant Integrated Services will provide additional treatment for youths with acute mental health issues and their families.
Director Dell Anderson said county officials received additional funding to expand “wraparound intensive services” to 30 more families. The added help was one of the goals for 2021 he presented Monday in a meeting with Grant County Commissioners.
Anderson said wraparound intensive services are designed to provide treatment for children and youths with acute mental health needs in their communities, rather than out of town. Currently, GIS has four coordinators working with 15 families apiece.
Children and their families receive at least 10 hours of services each month, Anderson said, and usually receive more than that.
He outlined other changes GIS officials want to make in 2021, including improving access to services outside Moses Lake. Grant County has been split into four regions, and managers have been appointed for each region.
The agency plans to move operations to new facilities in Mattawa and Ephrata. County officials are considering buying an existing building in Ephrata and renting a new space in Mattawa.
Anderson said GIS officials also plan to remodel the lobby of the Moses Lake office to make it more inviting for clients.
Grant Integrated Services received its license from the Washington Department of Health to open a treatment center for patients who have been released from a hospital, but still need care. Anderson said it should open to patients in March.
The building eventually will house an inpatient facility, and was remodeled to accommodate those patients. But DOH officials told GIS officials in October the facility will require additional remodeling before it can be licensed to offer those services. The department of health still hasn’t provided details for what will be required, Anderson said.
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