New Evansville center will offer treatment for mental illness

Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. is excited to announce that a new Recovery Center for individuals with mental illness will soon be opening in Evansville.  

The center will be located at 410 Mulberry Street in Southwestern's Community Support Services facility.

Southwestern received a grant through the Department of Mental Health and Addictions. They are the only mental health center in Indiana to receive this grant.

This Recovery Center in Evansville will be the first associated with a mental health center in the state.

They say the center will "add peer support and peer empowerment to the continuum of care that is being offered to those with mental illness in our community. Anyone in recovery that is struggling with a mental health issue is eligible to utilize the center. An individual does not need to be a Southwestern patient to participate."

"The goal is to establish a system of mental health support like one that is already available for those with addictions. Programs will be developed around the needs of the population served and will evolve as these needs change," said Beth Barchet, Director of Programs for Southwestern.

The center will have a Board of Directors and a Peer Advisory Council. To become involved, simply contact Lori Rivera, Recovery Center Program Coordinator, at 812-436-4352 or riveral@southwestern.org.

"An important thing to note is that this center is independent of Southwestern. We are providing the space and helping with the initial development, but for the future, it will be the responsibility of the program coordinator and their board to keep the program sustainable," said Barchet.

A Recovery Center is designed to provide people with opportunities in the following areas: assistance with employment services, peer to peer counseling, groups for advocacy, a social atmosphere for those with mental illness, promoting good mental health and outreach to reduce the stigma of mental health among other things.

"We are excited about this new venture and the opportunities it can bring. Peers can be an enormous help in encouraging and sustaining recovery in mental illness. Helping to set up this center through the Consumer Operated Business grant is the first step in this empowerment process. We are thrilled to be a part of making this happen," said Dennis Moran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.

The center is set to open by February, 2013.

Lori Rivera has been hired as the center's first program coordinator and she is working vigorously day in and out to ensure that the Peer Advisory Council is established, meeting and making plans for the grand opening in February.

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