A Grand Haven-based nonprofit that matches people needing care with a mental health professional is looking to expand into Kent County.

Driven by the area’s growing need for mental health care, Mosaic Counseling plans to open an administrative office in space it recently leased from Forest View Hospital in Grand Rapids and has begun referring clients to mental health professionals locally.

“We know we can help more people by expanding into Kent County,” Executive Director Sarah Lewakowski told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. “The need is so great.”

Operating in what Lewakowski calls a “unique model,” Mosaic Counseling serves as a one-stop resource for individuals seeking help with mild to moderate mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, grief, anger management and eating disorders. Mosaic Counseling will conduct the initial intake session and then refer the individual to one of more than 250 mental health professionals throughout the region who contract with the organization and provide therapy at deep discounts.

“We are a conduit,” said Lewakowski, a licensed psychologist who has run the organization for 20 years. The work of matching a person with the right clinician is “crucial to the success of counseling,” he notes.

Mosaic Counseling, formerly known as Tri-City Ministries before its name change in 2018, serves approximately 2,500 clients annually. Six local churches founded the organization in 1978.

Financially supported through foundation grants, philanthropy, government and fundraisers, Mosaic Counseling accepts all clients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay for care.

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Lewakowski said Mosaic Counseling also runs outreach programs at 27 schools in Ottawa County and recently began working at an elementary school in Kentwood, as well as offering employee assistance programs to more than 50 employers.

Mosaic Counseling mounted a $1.3 million capital campaign to pay off the effort, quietly raising nearly $750,000 from donors to support expansion into Kent County.

Lewakowski said the money raised through the “You Matter” campaign will go toward hiring additional staff and expanding programs.

“Expanding into Kent County allows us to expand our reach and provide much-needed services to a larger population,” said Jeff Elhart, a co-leader of the capital campaign. “It is an exciting time for Mozaik Consultancy and we are determined to make a profound difference in the lives of many people, especially young people in the region.”

Mosaic Counseling plans to expand as the latest community health needs assessments show increased demand for access and capacity for mental health services as case rates rise in both Ottawa and Kent County.

Ottawa County’s community health needs assessment noted that adults “reported higher levels of various types of mental distress” compared to previous analyzes and that “these rates were also higher than state and national rates.”

In a survey conducted by the Ottawa County Department of Public Health for its 2023 community health needs assessment, 16.5% of adult respondents reported poor mental health for 14 or more days per year; This rate is almost twice as high as nine years ago.

The incidence of depression increased to 26.9% by 2023; this was five percentage points higher than three years ago, with 33.9% of adult residents reporting experiencing anxiety; This was more than double the rate in 2017 and 11 percentage points higher than in the previous three-year period. Evaluation in 2020.

Nearly a quarter of adult residents who responded said they were taking medication or receiving treatment for mental health issues or emotional issues.

“Mental health remains the top health concern and has declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social factors,” according to the Ottawa County community health needs assessment, which lists mental health services as the region’s most urgent need.

In neighboring Kent County, nearly a quarter of adult residents who responded to a survey for the 2023 community needs assessment said they had been diagnosed with depression, and 27% reported being treated for mental health issues.

The incidence of depression was higher among young adults: 30% in people ages 25 to 34 and 26% in people ages 35 to 44, according to the 2023 Kent County community needs assessment.

Mosaic Consulting first expanded outside northwest Ottawa County seven years ago with the opening of an office in Holland. This led to working with the Community Foundation of the Netherlands/Zeeland Region to support students receiving Promise scholarships to help cover college or technical school expenses, Lewakowski said.

“Then we just kind of got hooked and started covering the entire county as it continued to grow,” Lewakowski said. “During this time, people in Kent County also asked me, ‘When are you going to be here?’ “I was meeting people who said,

He said a feasibility study funded in part by the Frey Foundation confirmed the need to expand into Kent County.

Expanding in Kent County “is just the next logical expansion” for Mosaic Counseling, Lewakowski said, opening up the opportunity for new collaborations. Mosaic Counseling has created new support groups with Forest View for people who have lost someone to suicide and adults who have attempted suicide.

“The expansion will make us a stronger organization,” Lewakowski said, noting that he hopes Mosaic Counseling will eventually be able to expand into areas adjacent to Kent County. “We now have for-profit and nonprofit organizations, churches and individuals with whom we can collaborate.”

Mosaic Counseling is expanding into Kent County as other local mental health care providers continue to expand their capacity.

Pine Rest Christian Mental Services is building a new pediatric center at its main campus in Cutlerville, and Trinity Health Grand Rapids is building a new mental health hospital in Byron Center as part of a joint venture. The 96-bed Southridge Behavioral Hospital is targeted to open next spring.

In June, Trinity Health Grand Rapids and Network 180 opened the walk-in Behavioral Health Crisis Center in a medical office building on the hospital’s main campus on Lafayette Avenue SE. The center provides a 24-hour environment for people to seek care in crisis situations.

In the first few months, the Behavioral Health Crisis Center recorded 768 interventions and 434 admissions. According to a Kent County news release this week, police transported 53 people, which led to nine people being transferred away from the jail. He noted that the center “not only provides immediate crisis response, but also reduces the burden on local emergency services and reduces jail admissions of adults in need.” of mental health care.”

Grand Rapids-based HealthBar LLC, which contracts directly with employers to provide primary and preventive care, also signed a partnership with Hope Network to provide specialized behavioral health services to clients. Enhanced mental and behavioral health care with Hope Network begins January 1. Employers who contract with HealthBar will provide their employees and families with access to behavioral health services provided by Hope Network.

“This partnership makes it easier than ever for employers to provide critical mental and behavioral health support to their workforce and their families,” said Adam Sevensma, primary provider and clinical practice manager at HealthBar. “Mental health is not just a personal issue, it is also a business issue. “By addressing mental and behavioral health as well as physical health, we reduce overall healthcare costs, improve employee well-being, and help companies create a healthier, more productive workforce.”

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