Dealing with a mental health issue
can feel overwhelming.
Finding the right provider shouldn't.
When someone is dealing with a mental health issue, and they don’t know what to do or who to call, MHAOhio’s Get Connected program can help.
Get Connected helps individuals navigate the local mental health system, which includes connecting people to outpatient care, community mental health, hospitals, and crisis services; helping them work through the intricacies of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; and following up with them to make sure the connections to their providers and resources were made.
LeeAnn Mattes has been the Get Connected Program Director since 2016 and has seen the program grow and change over the last eight years.
“In 2020, Get Connected had 835 new client referrals, and in 2023 that number rose to 1,563,” she said. “In addition, each person’s situation and the system itself has become more complex.”
LeeAnn and her team member, Get Connected Program Manager, Hannah Davey, spend most of their days answering phone calls and emails from people facing a mental health situation. They work hard to respond to each inquiry within 24-48 hours. They have an in-depth conversation with each caller about what their needs are, if there are any barriers to care, and what specific type of care they may need. They apply their extensive understanding of different private and public insurance models and knowledge of how to obtain help without insurance, and they work to connect each caller with the provider that meets that person’s needs the best.
Sometimes finding the right provider requires research and sleuthing, but other times, because of how closely LeeAnn has worked with local providers over the years, she immediately knows who the right provider for that person would be. They aim to offer each person one to two provider options.
“We try to make it as easy as possible for someone to connect to a provider,” LeeAnn said. “We can make a direct referral for them to speed up the process, or we might send them a direct link to the intake paperwork. If the client doesn’t have the technology to access the paperwork online, we sometimes mail it to them so they can fill it out and take it to the provider. We do everything we can to break down barriers so they can get the help they need.”
A few weeks after referring a client to a provider, LeeAnn and Hannah follow up with the client to make sure the connection was made and their needs have been met. If the provider doesn’t work out or if the client’s insurance changes and the provider doesn’t take the new insurance, Get Connected will work with them again to find another provider.
Anyone in the Central Ohio/Franklin County area can access Get Connected at no cost to them. The program is funded primarily by the Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board of Franklin County, with additional funding from the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging to serve older adults in Franklin County.
Get Connected’s new referral numbers have climbed each year as more people become aware of the service and its impact on their mental health. That trend is expected to continue into 2024.
“It’s been really great to be able to witness the growth of Get Connected and the agency as a whole and know we’re all working toward the same goals,” LeeAnn said. “We are passionate about our mission, accessibility to care, and overcoming stigma. We talk about it every day and live it in our daily work.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health issue, contact Get Connected at (614) 242-4357.
