Lifeline Connections is providing behavioral mental health care to Whatcom County residents through telehealth during Covid-19.
The nonprofit started in Vancouver, Washington, in 1962 as the Clark County Council on Alcoholism before expanding to become a community-based behavioral health treatment organization specializing in mental health and substance use treatment. Lifeline Connections has nine offices across the state today, including one in Bellingham that serves about 200 of its 950 weekly patients.
“The impact [of Covid-19] on people’s mental health hasn’t been good,” Lifeline Connections CEO Jared Sanford said. “There’s help available and Lifeline Connections is one of those options.”
When Covid-19 emerged, Lifeline switched its services to telehealth within a week, he said. All treatment, including the initial assessment patients take, can be done online. Some inpatient care is still available for individuals who need a higher level of care, including residential and detox programs.
The company has seen both people who haven’t sought care for anxiety or depression before, as well as people who are seeking treatment for the first time. Although Sanford has seen a higher demand for mental health treatment across the state, he said one positive outcome from Covid-19 is it has made treatment more accessible to people through online services.
The organization also provides youth care through work with youth in the criminal justice system and partners with school districts on school-based substance abuse treatment, among other services, according to the Lifeline Connections website.
The focus of the nonprofit is to provide care for people who might not otherwise have access to quality treatment, Sanford said.
Services provided at the Bellingham location, located at 4120 Meridian Street Suite 220, include medical assisted recovery, substance use disorder, alcohol drug information school, and problem gambling treatment, according to the Lifeline Connections website.
The nonprofit helps over 5,000 adults and youth per year seeking substance use and mental health treatment, according to its 2019 annual report. The nonprofit is licensed by the Washington State Department of Health and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
People looking for care should reach out by visiting the organization’s website, lifelineconnections.org, or calling 360/922-3030 to learn how to access the care they need.
Those interested in service will then receive an assessment on substance use, mental health, or both. A licensed behavioral health nurse will identify the level of treatment needed and once the recommendation is made, the patient will start receiving care from a counselor.
“The important thing is that you receive care, not so much where you receive it,” Sanford said.
Sanford encourages anyone interested in treatment to reach out.
“We’re here. We’re available,” Sanford said. “We want to ensure folks struggling with behavioral treatment receive help.”
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