Introduction
The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services manage the planning, development, execution and oversight of a system of care for children, adults, and families with severe emotional disorders, mental illness, and/or substance abuse issues. These services aim at reducing the impact of these disorders in communities by treating them in a proper manner and spreading awareness about them.
Last year recorded a large amount of people across America who needed mental health and substance abuse services but either did not receive it or reported an unmet need for proper health care. As a result of this gap, the health and wellness of the individual is put at risk and American communities, schools, prisons and healthcare units have to incur unnecessary costs. It is, therefore, important to know what mental health and substance abuse services are available in your city and help a person who needs it with your knowledge.
NAMI of Greater Chicago
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of greater Chicago provides mental health and substance abuse services for people whose lives are affected by serious mental illness and provides information, referrals, support, knowledge and active community outreach. NAMI is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 by four families whose adult children were suffering with serious mental illness. They offer some great programs like Information and referral hotline, family and patient support group meetings, information publication, educational meetings and programs for members and an up-to-date lending library. They have some innovative programs like a 12 week family to family education course and an 8 week consumer course, pathways to recovery, designed by other consumers.
Mental health services for Homeless Adults
Heartland Alliance, a 120 years old organization founded in 1888, aims to protect the human rights and responds to the human needs of the poor, isolated and displaced population by providing wide-ranging respectful mental health and substance abuse services and promoting permanent solutions for a more just global society. They provide high-quality housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, or chronic illness to advocate their safety, a complete range of health care for people experiencing poverty or trauma, economic opportunity to improve the well-being of homeless people and help them reach their goals and legal protection for vulnerable population like refugees, migrants and victims of trafficking. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights is an independent, non-sectarian, non-profit organization serving more than 1 million people annually which is a really rare thing in our days.
Chicago Bureau of Mental Health
Department of Public Health (CDPH) of Chicago has announced that in year 2012 it will focus on mental health and substance abuse services for the uninsured. The department has consolidated its centers from 12 to 6 and currently serves 3,000 uninsured clients. It claims to have the capacity to provide medical aid and medical care to 1,000 clients per year. While approximately 80% of CDPH’s clients, mostly uninsured, will be served at its own centers, around 20% will be served by community mental health providers. People who do not have insurance can continue to avail efficient services of CDPH.
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