4C Health CEO and President Dr. Carrie Cadwell.
Indiana Senate Bill 1, which focuses on behavior health matters, is waiting for Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to sign it into law.
It had overwhelming support in both the state house and senate.
One of the key goals of the bill was to strengthen the state’s support for the 988 phone number, a sister to the 911 phone number. The 988 number focuses on mental health emergencies.
In the past year calls to 988 more than doubled from just over 160,000 calls to over 400,000.
As the bill was discussed, one name came up multiple times as an example of what Indiana mental healthcare could look like: 4C Health.
The past two and a half years, 4C Health has operated a mobile crisis unit that worked alongside law enforcement and other providers. In the process, the mobile crisis unit has helped 3,000 individuals in four rural counties. Sixty-five percent of those individuals were able to remain at home while being connected to care.
4C Health CEO and president Dr. Carrie Cadwell said becoming an example for the state was not something they expected to happen in a rural area.
“I think what we are demonstrating between the partnerships with local law enforcement officers and the emergency rooms is that actually the whole construction of what people want to do in the state is possible, is sustainable and can have very positive outcomes,” she said. “It can save lives. It can keep people out of hospitals, it can add resource time back to emergency rooms and law enforcement professionals.”
She also provided testimony for the bill in early April.
On Monday, the mobile crisis unit expanded into Howard, Tipton and White counties.
Cadwell said the unit is extremely cost effective compared to having emergency room bills or high-cost inpatient services.
The mobile crisis unit can help stabilize a caller at their location. They also have crisis stabilization units for voluntary observation. But in many cases, the mobile unit will be able to help the caller where they are and also provide resources and future care options.
Just because 4C runs the mobile crisis unit doesn’t mean a caller must get their future care through 4C. They will work with the caller to connect them to the care provider of their choice.
“The biggest barrier over time will be funding,” said Cadwell. “That is the biggest hurdle. Right now, we are one of the five state pilot grantees for mobile so we have the benefit of receiving state funding that allows us to continue. That funding will go into another year. It just got renewed. However, what happens next is anybody’s guess.”
One of the options for funding was through taxes. The 911 number is funded by a one-dollar charge on phone bills. However, while moving through the house and senate, the state legislature decided to fund the 988 number with $100 million over the next two years.
One other concern for Cadwell is finding a workforce to help cover the phone line and to also provide the mobile crisis care.
She said 4C staff has stepped up to make their program a success.
“Our model is great because we leverage existing staff,” Cadwell said. “That is helpful to us. The second thing, because crisis care and being there for someone in their most acute moments is such a part of the mission that our staff really feel connected to want to do that service. So that’s been super helpful.”
4C Health will the celebrate their new Logansport clinic with an open house running from 11 a.m. until noon on May 31. The new location is 800 N. Fulton.
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