EAT provides Medical, Dental, and Behavioral Health services in federally qualified health centers in the communities of Adak, Akutan, Cold Bay, False Pass, King Cove, Nelson Lagoon, and Sand Point.
Behavioral
The Behavioral Health Services Department is staffed by two Master’s level Clinicians, one who is licensed in Clinical Social Work, and one licensed in Counseling Psychology. Additionally, the department has Behavioral Health Aides, who have or are undergoing extensive training through the University of Alaska Rural Services Program and are long term community members. These Behavioral Health staff members are available to each of the eight communities served by EAT either in person when the clinician is in the community or through our state of the art tele-video conferencing system.
Crisis and Emergency Care and Treatment
Incidents in this category represent the most acute and immediate patient need for services and reflects the most pro-active opportunity for the clinician to assist in preventing more serious illness and the ensuing complications. A clinician, in response to a crisis or emergency request, provides immediate evaluation to patients whose level of functioning is seriously impaired and/or may be a danger to themselves or others due to their clinical profile or use of substances. EAT provides crisis intervention services with access via emergency telephone 24/7/365. Experienced clinicians take calls on a rotating basis, and make face to face contact with the clients whenever possible following the call requesting help. It is our goal to establish emergency response teams within each of our communities during this current year.
Emotional
The service is open to any persons of any age who are experiencing emotional problems. The Behavioral Health Services Program prioritizes individuals who suffer from mental illness (major affective disorder or major thought disorder) or who are a danger to themselves or others due to emotional distress. As a program we serve adults, adolescents, and children who may be experiencing depression, anxiety, or grief. We are also a safe place to turn if you are a victim of family violence or any other type of violence. We offer individual or group counseling services and work with the individual to decide on the course of treatment. Additionally, we arrange psychiatric services and medication management when it has been determined that medications are appropriate to aid with a mental illness. The Behavioral Health Department also accepts referrals from our schools to aid with young people who may be exhibiting inappropriate behavior or appears to be suffering from ADHD. We ask parents to be fully involved with the treatment of their child. We offer Family Counseling services to aid families experiencing emotional upset or stress due to inappropriate behavior by one or more members of the family. Each of these services can be provided at the local clinic or at the families home, if desired. There are no restrictions with regard to sex, religion, race, sexual identification, disability, or national origin for any of our services. Medication referral services offer clinical evaluation and referral when the patient needs a physician. A clinician will evaluate patients requesting Behavioral Health services to determine the least restrictive appropriate level of care for the individual. If needed, referral and access assistance is provided for patients who can best benefit from inpatient and residential services. The patient is encouraged to actively participate with the clinician in discussing the level of care recommended and the treatment dynamics involved.
Substance Abuse Services
The Substance Abuse Program gives priority to pregnant women and those patients seeking recovery, but no individual is turned away. The program provides a therapeutic outpatient treatment approach for the recovery and relapse prevention of individual suffering from substance abuse or dependency and experiencing related problems due to their continuing use of the substance, but do not require residential treatment. Additionally, those who have completed residential treatment and are in need of after care services are welcome to utilize services offered by EAT’s Behavioral Health Services. EAT’s multi-site design makes the full range of outpatient services, including in home services, available to all villages for individuals who need an request services. EAT provides referral services for those who require alternate services not provided through EAT’s Outpatient Substance Abuse Program. EAT promotes community awareness regarding the problems of substance abuse and supports the development of alternative activities that help the community and individuals seek out non-alcoholic social and emotional outlets. Additional, our Behavioral Health program staffs a Tobacco Prevention Coordinator who aids individuals expressing a desire to cease their use of tobacco. The outpatient Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse programs are best suited for persons who do not have medical or psychiatric problems requiring inpatient treatment, and who are able to abstain from mind-altering chemicals outside a structured environment. Family members are encouraged to participate in treatment upon approval of the patient. Patients under the age of 18 are seen, provided a parent or legal guardian signs a consent for treatment and agrees to participate with the patient when appropriate. Our Substance Abuse treatment program provides individual and group counseling and we will work with all regardless of their substance of choice. We believe and treat dependency as a disease, but we also know that recovery is possible and our Clinicians strive to help each individual we serve to discover their own recovery. Each participant in the counseling service agrees to be free of mind-altering chemicals with the exception of prescribed medication at the time of outpatient appointments, and to attend all scheduled treatment activities. Failure to maintain this agreement may result in dismissal from counseling. As provided for by patient’s rights, each patient is entitled to participate in the development and evaluation of a written treatment plan. Treatment planning is done at the conclusion of the intake procedure and is then updated regularly as the individual progresses in treatment. The confidentiality of patient records and personal information is protected by federal laws and state regulations. Patient information, including the fact or any association that the client is a patient in the program, may not be disclosed to anyone unless the patient consents in writing or otherwise provided by law, as allowed by a court order, or to medical personnel in case of a medical emergency.
If you believe you have a need for Behavioral Health Services, please contact your Community Clinic or call Behavioral Health directly at:
Toll Free:
(844)870.1750