SAI Mental Health aims to fill some of the gap left behind after mental health services in Northern Nevada have seen massive cuts. They opened up their doors to clients on the 16th of this month and have been busy ever since.
The need for mental health services is ever growing here in Northern Nevada after West Hills, one of the biggest mental health facilities in the area, closed its doors in December last year.
“We've seen a lot more addictions and a lot more overdoses, we've seen a lot more overdoses, we have packed emergency rooms where the staffing is overwhelmed," said Jeanette Bussey, CEO of SAI Mental Health.
Bussey was the Director of Outpatient Services at West Hills before it closed, and foresaw the impact it would have on the community.
“Shortly after we found out that the hospital was closing, Dr. Goyal approached me and we discussed the huge loss in our community of mental health services and what we can do about that," said Bussey.
That's how SAI Mental Health was created, with an aim to provide low cost services for those suffering from mental health or substance use. They accept all forms of Medicaid and most primary insurance plans, and for those under or uninsured, they have sliding scale payment options. “We are not giving up on the people in our community, we understand the need is there.”
SAI Mental Health is what's called an IOP facility, or intensive outpatient program, providing individual and group counseling.
“This is a completely out-patient behavioral health agency, so all of our services are completely voluntary, which is a little different from West Hills, which was an acute in patient locked facility," said Bussey.
“With IOP, the idea is to reduce that need for emergency services or even hospitalization," said Kelsey Carver, Clinical Director and Therapist with SAI.
Carver says that providing access to help with mental health and substance use issues may actually reduce crime and incarceration rates. "In prison or jail, folks aren’t getting those services they may be needing and they are further isolated from the community, where here especially in group therapy, there's power in that community building."
Even though SAI Mental Health just opened, they have big ambitions to grow their services to the community, and are one of the few places in reno with a doctor that can distribute suboxone, the medication used to treat opioid addiction.
