A health facility is awarded $1.2 million to tackle unmet behavioral health services in rural communities

A health facility is hiring more medical personnel in an effort to tackle behavioral health issues in northeast Washington’s rural communities – a growing issue in the region.

NEW Health has been awarded a $600,000 grant from Health Resources and Services Administration, according to a news release.

Clint Hagen, NEW Health’s chief operating officer , said they’ve been awarded $1.2 million total as part of a two-year grant.

NEW Health will be bringing on two health providers and a clinical pharmacist.

Hagen said the expanded staff will help target the unmet need for urgent behavioral health services in the region.

“The goal is to add two behavioral health individuals in the first year of the grant, and then continue to sustain that, and also add a clinical pharmacist to support, because it’s really targeting that behavioral health intervention in the primary care setting,” Hagen said.

The news release states the expansion responds to a community assessment project that revealed rates of mental health conditions and substance use disorders are higher in Washington’s three northeastern counties than the state average.

With the clinic serving more than 15,000 people across Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties just within the last year, Hagen said they hope this will help continue to close the gap.

“This is one way that we feel NEW Health can bring positive change to the table and change the script,” he said.

Editor’s note: This article was changed on Oct. 8, 2024, to correct Clint Hagen’s title.