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HANCOCK, Mich., Nov. 10, 2016 – Dial Help, Inc., the only crisis intervention center in the Upper Peninsula, received $60,000 from the Portage Health Foundation (PHF) to offer mobile mental health crisis and intervention programming to Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon county residents and schools beginning this fall.
Dial Help applied for funding under PHF’s mental and behavioral health RFP this past summer. Earlier this year, PHF undertook a series of health forums focused on the topic of mental and behavioral health. The goals of these forums were to develop collaborative input, prioritize healthcare needs, and build consensus toward innovative interventions and solutions to address the mental and behavioral health needs within our communities. At the conclusion of these forums, PHF earmarked up to $100,000 for applications addressing these needs.
With this grant, Dial Help will provide expanded services to area residents and students.
First, two Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS) will be on-call to provide in-person crisis intervention to the seven school districts in the Copper Country and to area organizations such as law enforcement and human service agencies. The CISs will also dedicate a portion of their week to holding office hours at area schools.
Second, Dial Help will contract with licensed professionals to serve as youth counselors. These individuals will be available to students who require counseling services but who cannot typically access these services due to certain financial restrictions.
Finally, Dial Help will offer community-wide trainings on suicide intervention and basic crisis intervention skills.
Rebecca Crane, Executive Director of Dial Help, said, “We are thankful to PHF for giving Dial Help an opportunity to increase access to crisis intervention and other related services through a mobile crisis team approach. This project is one that we have wanted to implement for many years. We believe it will help us to more fully realize our mission in keeping the most vulnerable in our community safe and, ultimately, connected to vital community resources and services that will make a lasting difference in their health and wellbeing.”
About Dial Help
Dial Help, founded in 1971, is a licensed substance abuse prevention center providing crisis intervention, counseling services, family support services, victim assistance services, specialized behavioral education, and sexual violence and substance abuse prevention services throughout the Upper Peninsula.
