The Missouri Foundation of Health has awarded Family Counseling Center one of 11 priority area grants in Missouri to support the implementation of integrated treatment services for adults diagnosed with co-occurring disorders, using best practice models and methods.

The Foundation awarded Family Counseling Center $303,360 over three years to achieve the following priority project goals:

* Strengthen collaborative relationships among partners that will guide the course of change in the system of care,

* Leverage resources to increase consistency in service delivery and sustain improvements over time,

* Implement best practices that maximize efficient, coordinated care and produce improved clinical outcomes.

The project called, "Recovery Unlimited," will begin Nov. 1, 2006, and occur at Family Counseling Center's Kennett, Hayti, Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff treatment center locations.

Family Counseling Center's Chief Executive Officer, Myra Callahan, said, "With this grant opportunity from the Missouri Foundation for Health, we will be able to enhance access of treatment services to adults who suffer from both mental illness and substance abuse addictions (co-occurring disorders).

"Estimates from the Missouri Department of Mental Health indicate that 80,000 Missourians who have a serious mental illness also abuse alcohol or illegal drugs. People with co-occurring disorders usually become victims of bouncing from one treatment program to another, with marginal improvements in their ability to sustain recovery of either disorder.

"Fragmented treatment is proven to be ineffective; people must have available treatment services by an integrated team that can treat both illnesses at the same time and in the same location. Anything less will ultimately result in mental health or substance abuse relapses, poor physical health and negative social outcomes. This creates additional costs in terms of emergency room visits, homelessness, hospitalizations and legal problems."

Family Counseling Center's project seeks to accomplish the enhancement of treatment services to adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders with a four-part strategy:

* Early screening of clients using comprehensive clinical assessment tools,

* Clinical interventions using evidence-based treatment practices that have a proven track record to improve client outcomes,

* Implementation of technologies, such as tele-psychiatry, to bring services to clients in ways that leverage resources to reduce the overall treatment cost-per-client,

* and strengthen our community relationships to help guide the overall system of care.

FCC's Chief Financial Officer, Shawn Sando, said, "Our primary objective with this initiative is to pool our resources to transform our system of care, with the end goals of enhancing treatment services, improving client recovery, and striving for maximum efficiency so that more services can be provided to more people at a reduced cost".

Randy Ray, FCC's Chief Operating Officer, added, "We think it is important that the community know about important initiatives like this and more about our agency. In December the agency will host several open houses across Southern Missouri at 13 of our treatment facilities to give the public a chance to meet our staff and learn more about our programs. Of course, client confidentiality will be protected."

For more information about Family Counseling Center, available treatment programs, the co-occurring disorders project, or upcoming events like the open house, visit the agency's web site at www.fccinc.org, or call their 24-hour crisis hotline at (800) 356-5395.