Mental health resource navigator ‘app’ goes live in November
FAIRFIELD: A new web-based tool will help Solano County residents find and access mental health services more easily.
At least that is the goal of the developers of the SolanoConnex Web App and Mental Health Navigator Program, which is a website that functions like an app to provide links or information for more than 100 resources.
It is scheduled to go live in November, with frequent updates to keep the information accurate and fresh, and will add new resources as they become available.
A public outreach and media campaign is the next step to educate residents about the program.
Megan Richards, deputy director of First 5 Solano, said that mental health was one of the top priorities – along with homelessness and housing needs – identified in the Human Resources Needs Assessment Survey completed by the county.
The Board of Supervisors then provided $2 million into a Community Investment Fund to support the priorities listed in that report.
“One of the areas that was identified under mental health was residents knowing how to access mental health services,” Richards said as an introduction to the board presentation.
Touro University California received a three-year, $806,667 grant from Solano County to develop the program, and the leaders of that effort, which started back in August 2020, received glowing remarks from members of the Board of Supervisors after their presentation Tuesday.
Supervisor Erin Hannigan, who said her daughter receives mental health care, described the program as “awesome,” but added that the real issue is not just being able to reach out to find services, but whether specific treatment is available.
“This is exciting. There is so much demand right now for mental health services,” Hannigan said. “I have a child in my home who has been in desperate need of mental health services.”
However, she said delays in just getting appointments can be “untenable” for a child in crisis, and that many people are forced to go through emergency rooms to get immediate attention.
“So it’s not just an issue of reaching out, as much as is there someone out there who can provide specific (treatment),” Hannigan said.
Supervisor Monica Brown wanted to know if the web app, in time, will provide information about which schools have wellness centers and other services – a resource that could be helpful for parents with a child in need of that attention.
Brown was told school resources could be added to future updates to the program.
Sarah Sweitzer and Carinne Brody, with Touro University California, made the presentation, describing how their team conducted a 900-person survey as well as talking to 67 agencies linked to mental health services.
Brody said they asked the agencies “what barriers do you see people facing to get services and how might we support you in getting over those barriers, and also, is this idea of some kind of centralized location like a web app something that would be useful.”
The group also mapped out the kind of services that are available, and where they are located – information that is part of the web app as well.
Information collected showed that only about half of the people seeking mental health services got the help they needed.
“A little over half said they needed help and received it; a little under half said they needed help and did not receive it,” Brody said.
“So that’s the piece we are looking at . . . that people have actually said that they do need help – which is actually a barrier in itself . . . that’s something that is still a challenge – and did not receive the treatment that they were seeking,” Brody said.
Another barrier is the stigma that is still attached to mental health, both by the individuals in need and by the community as a whole.
The next set of barriers, Brody said, were those that keep people from getting to the services they need once they actually reach out to get those services.
The data collection showed the need for increased access to existing services, greater awareness for specialized services such as language-related needs, or providers to meet specific populations such as the LGBTQ or racial and ethnic groups.
Finally, there was a need to identify, and ultimately fill, gaps in service.
“So we are going to try to do all of that with this web app,” Brody said.
That led to the development of a pilot program, which was then tested extensively, including taking the program to a wide-ranging demographic – seniors, economic levels, homeless and others – to see if the system was adaptable to those individuals and their needs.
An evaluation plan also was developed to follow how the program is being used and by which groups, Brody said.
“We are going to be tracking and reporting on indicators that are both quantitative and qualitative,” said Brody, also noting, however, that the program does not collect personal information on the users.
Person-to-person connections are also available for individuals who struggle with navigating these kinds of platforms, or have specific questions in certain areas. Different languages are offered as well.
“And the last thing I will say is it’s an adaptable product so if needs change over time . . . we have the ability to adapt and change as we need to,” Sweitzer said.
She said it will cost $5,000 to $10,000 annually to maintain the program. The source of that funding was not identified.
