From Susan’s Desk
November 18, 2021
Over the last 18 months, Josselyn has seen a more than 75% increase in the number of clients seeking help and an 85% increase in the number of service hours provided. We are working hard to meet this increased need for quality mental health care in our community.
This means we’ve also increased our staff by more than 130% so we can remain responsive to the demand. We’ve grown our footprint to provide space for therapists, clients, and community members in need. We are proud of our growth, but it’s simply not enough. We are still the only psychiatry provider accepting Medicaid within a 400-mile area.
As we continue to grow to serve more people across a wider geographic area, we are also expanding our service profile to offer more acute services. For children who receive Medicaid and need a higher level of care, we have nowhere to refer them, except facilities located an hour’s drive away. For our lower income parents and caregivers, this commute is not feasible.
Access to critical mental health services like these can be lifesaving. Cook County Commissioner for the 14th District, Scott Britton, understands this and has been a stalwart champion for our cause. We are immensely grateful for his support.
“There is a tragic need for more mental health care in the northern suburbs and across Cook County, particularly for the those most vulnerable among us who rely on Medicaid-taking providers,” said Commissioner Britton.
More than 68,000 residents in northern Cook County alone require Medicaid-assisted psychiatric care. Of those, only about 9,000 are receiving psychiatric services – meaning just 13% of our neighbors are receiving the critical health care they need.
Scott Britton, Cook County Commissioner, 14th District
With the loss of state funding over the years, small community providers have all but disappeared. This leaves organizations like Josselyn to serve over 100 communities from Englewood to Palatine with ever-limited resources. Capital funding will allow Josselyn to sustainably provide mental health services to an additional 4,000 Medicaid recipients.
Commissioner Britton believes there is still much more to be done to ensure every resident, regardless of ability to pay, can reliably and conveniently access psychology and psychiatry health care. “I am committed to collaborating with my colleagues in the County and State to expand critical access to often life-saving mental health care,” he said.
For more information on Commissioner Britton’s work in the 14th District, please visit his website.
If you or a friend or family member could benefit from the support of a highly qualified mental healthcare expert, please call 847-441-5600 x 1 or get started here.
