The arena of mental health services can be a difficult one to navigate. In recent years, the State of Indiana has encouraged communities to create a program called Systems of Care. The purpose of the program is to bring together a coordinated network of community-based providers of mental health services in Kosciusko County. The goals are to identify mental health needs in the community, collaborate on which providers can best address those needs, and then work together on developing future solutions. With the help of a $50,000 grant from K21 Health Foundation, Bowen Center has committed to implement the Systems of Care program in Kosciusko County and is staffing the Coordinator for the program.
“There are a wide range of mental health services that are needed within a community, and we know that there isn’t one organization that provides each of those services,” said K21 President & CEO Rich Haddad. “The impact of the Systems of Care program is that the strengths and specialties of mental health service providers can be identified and shared, and then by cooperating together, clients can be referred to the provider that best meets their needs. We have seen community cooperation and coordination be very effective in other health areas, and are hopeful this step will accomplish the same for mental health services for county residents.”Bowen Center has named Alexandra Myers as the Systems of Care Coordinator. “Our community is blessed to have so many resources and we are all working hard to ensure a bright future for everyone in our community,” said Mrs. Myers. “Having a Systems of Care Coordinator will help community agencies and individuals come together to work on our greatest needs. I’m excited to see how our community will benefit from all of us working together on common goals.”
