Transition: SpringVale to end crisis intervention service, open urgent care facility

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ The manner in which behavioral health crisis intervention services are provided to people dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues in Tuscarawas and Carroll counties will change dramatically with the start of the new year.

At a press conference Wednesday at the Tolloty Technology Incubator in New Philadelphia, SpringVale Health Centers in Dover announced that it will be ending its 24/7 crisis intervention service on Dec. 31 due to the loss of funding.

"We must not overlook the vast impact this change will have on our communities and the lives of our residents," said JJ Boroski, SpringVale's executive director.

SpringVale's subsidy will end on Dec. 31

Since 2005, when an individual went to Union Hospital's emergency department with a mental health or substance abuse issue, SpringVale's on-call crisis worker was contacted to perform an on-site assessment of that person, he said. "At the end of the assessment, the on-call clinician would either complete a comprehensive safety plan addressing the immediate needs of the individual or take the lead in facilitating placement for the individuals."

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However, after Cleveland Clinic acquired the hospital, Union began utilizing the clinic's central in-take in Cleveland to perform crisis assessments. Instead of individuals talking face-to-face with a counselor, they would receive counseling through a video call.

This led to a 73% reduction in the hours of crisis intervention services being provided by SpringVale, which also led to a reduction in revenue for the service of about $210,000, he said.

In 2020, the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties began to subsidize SpringVale's behavioral health crisis intervention services. But the ADAMHS board informed SpringVale this month that it would end the subsidy on Dec. 31, Boroski said.

"The consequences of diminished face-to-face behavioral health crisis service will be vast and far-reaching. We know that behavioral health and substance abuse needs are dramatically on the rise," he said.

In a statement, Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital said, “Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital remains committed to providing comprehensive behavioral health services for the Tuscarawas Valley community. Union Hospital will continue to have 24/7 availability at our Emergency Department for patients with a behavioral health crisis. We also have a behavioral health outpatient center available for ongoing patient needs.”

New urgent care facility opens Jan. 8

SpringVale will be opening a new urgent care facility called Rapid Care at 155 Garland Drive, New Philadelphia, on Jan. 8. It will offer same day walk-in, face-to-face crisis assessments, diagnostic assessments and short-term counseling. It will be open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Natalie Bollon, the ADAMHS Board's executive director, who did not speak during the press conference, explained her agency's decision to the news media following the event.

"We would have never developed anything in the community that we weren't certain was going to be able to meet the needs of the community members. We certainly would never want to put anyone at risk," she said.

But she noted there had been a 203% increase in tax dollars used to support a service that fewer people were using.

"For the community as a whole, that face-to-face crisis is still going to exist," she said. "The difference is the afterhours component, when individuals would go to the ED (emergency department). They're still going to go to the same place, to the emergency rooms for support. It's just going to be through Cleveland Clinic's mechanism and the mechanism that we've developed with Trinity (Trinity Hospital Twin City in Dennison)."

Trinity will offer crisis assessments via telehealth through Coleman Professional Services.

"So, I want the community to please rest assured that we're going to take care, as a county, of any crisis needs that come across," Bollon said.

SpringVale will continue to offer its 24-hour crisis line at 330-343-1811 in Tuscarawas County and 330-627-5240 in Carroll County. Residents in Carroll County can also visit SpringVale's office at 331 W. Main St., Carrollton, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays for walk-in counseling and crisis intervention.

Mayor voices concern about changes

Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe, who attended the press conference, said that he and other mayors in Tuscarawas County have reservations about the over-reliance of telehealth when it comes to mental health.

"I'm just concerned about the availability of providers during that 6 o'clock at night to 7 a.m. timeframe and an over-reliance on telehealth and talking with somebody on the phone from Cleveland," he said.

"In my mind, this is a significant step back and we have some concerns. I hope that the ADAMHS Board, Cleveland Clinic and SpringVale will all work together to coordinate care and try and fill this gap that this change has created."

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: SpringVale Health Centers to halt its crisis intervention service