Comprehensive Healthcare mobile outreach to begin this summer

Comprehensive Healthcare is expanding its reach this year with a 24/7 mobile service for Walla Walla County youth experiencing mental health issues.

The Youth Mobile Outreach program, which will start operating Saturday, June 1, will respond to mental health crisis calls for children ages 17 and under.

“The intent is to really look at how we help families so that children don't have to go to a higher level of care like inpatient,” said Comprehensive Healthcare Senior Director Natalie McGillen. “How do we serve the community right where the child or family members are at and provide service to them and get them linked to resources?”

According to the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey, which is conducted across the state every two years, 18% of eighth graders and 17% of 10th graders in Walla Walla County reported considering suicide within the previous year.

McGillen said that last year, Comprehensive Healthcare served 409 Walla Walla youth and 2,215 clients total. The mobile service, which is already fully staffed, will include a therapist, two peer advocates and a care coordinator.

The mobile outreach team will provide short-term support, de-escalate crisis situations and help connect people to whatever services they need.

“The team is in place, they've been making community connections, talking with community members and really starting to look at those resources and be able to talk about the program,” McGillen said.

Families in Walla Walla can also access Comprehensive Healthcare’s Youth & Family TREE program, which started in September 2023 and assists youth and families with wraparound mental health and substance use issues. Since it began, the program has received 10 referrals.

This is one of the programs children and families may be referred to by the mobile outreach program if the team thinks it’s the best fit. The program includes services such as counseling, substance use disorder treatment and career planning.

McGillen said that just two weeks ago, staff members were trained in supported employment and Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach, which is an approach to helping people work on general life enhancement, employment and coping skills.

“The community response has been really good,” McGillen said. “One of the things that we've been really working on is training up staff to just to be able to provide the best treatment to youth and their families."