Hollister
– A new mental health clinic opening in downtown Hollister will
be aimed at helping underserved populations in San Benito
County.
Hollister – A new mental health clinic opening in downtown Hollister will be aimed at helping underserved populations in San Benito County.
The San Benito County Behavioral Health Department will use state mental health services funding to open the new satellite clinic at 327 Fifth St. The clinic will open on May 10.
Many ethnic groups and homeless people do not have access to the mental health services they need, said Alan Yamamoto, director of the Behavioral Health Department. The “unserved” population is estimated at being just more than 200 people in San Benito County, he said.
The new satellite clinic will be much more informal than the traditional office clinic setting, with the hope of attracting the unserved population.
“One of the criticisms of public mental health is that not everyone is meant to make an appointment and sit down in an office with a psychiatrist,” said Jim Johnson, clinical supervisor for the Behavioral Health Department.
While San Benito County does offer the appointment-based services at the Behavioral Health Department offices on San Felipe Road, this will offer an alternative in a more central location.
“The clinic will have a strong focus on teaching healthy living skills in a casual and warm setting,” Yamamoto said.
There will be ping-pong and games as well as treadmills to provide entertainment for the people the agency is hoping to reach. The center will also provide a full kitchen to teach cooking and basic health skills.
As well as providing less traditional services for the mentally ill, the clinic will also offer telepsychiatry. Telepsychiatry uses teleconferencing equipment so that patients can speak with contracted psychiatrists outside of the county.
Yamamoto said this would save the clinic money on the costs of a psychiatrist, while allowing the agency to provide more extensive services and services in other languages, such as Spanish.
“The real plus is people that are hard to reach will come in for the socialization part, but we can also engage them to take part in the psychiatry,” Yamamoto said.
Yamamoto said that because of the stigma associated with mental illness, the Behavioral Health Department was looking for news ways to attract individuals.
The clinic will be paid for with $730,000 in state funds made available annually through Proposition 63, which passed in 2004. The proposition was designed to provide funds to counties so they can expand health services for the mentally ill.
There will be an open house at the new clinic from 1-6pm May 10.
Alice Joy covers education and health for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
