New Dickinson outpatient mental health clinic opens June 1 – The Dickinson Press

DICKINSON — A DeCoteau Trauma-Informed Care and Practice clinic is slated to open in Dickinson, at 135 Sims St., Suite 208, on June 1. The outpatient mental health care facility is part of a joint agreement between the North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division and DeCoteau Trauma-Informed Care and Practice, PLLC that seeks to expand mental health service access on the Western Edge.

The joint effort is part of an ongoing partnership that aims to increase mental health services for North Dakotans living in 17 rural counties and tribal communities who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and lack services.

The $495,000 emergency COVID-19 grant awarded to DeCoteau Trauma-Informed Care and Practice aims to provide pandemic-related mental health treatment and recovery support to adults living in Stark County, as well as those living in Benson, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Dunn, McLean, McHenry, Mercer, Ramsey, Renville, Rolette, Sioux, Stark, Towner, Ward and Williams counties.

The new Dickinson DeCoteau Trauma-Informed Care and Practice clinic will be the third such clinic in the state, with others located in Bismarck and Garrison.

Individuals will be able to access mental health assessments and counseling services in person or by telehealth at the Dickinson facility, an area that has historically lacked robust coverage and options.

“We are honored to be a recipient of this grant. It will allow us to serve individuals in some of the most rural and COVID-impacted counties in the northern and western portions of the state,” Dr. Tami DeCoteau, who specializes in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders for adults, adolescents and children, said. “As an outpatient mental health clinic provider, we are acutely aware of the need for accessible mental health care for people experiencing depression, anxiety or other mental health issues.”

A recent report found that North Dakota has enough psychiatric hospital beds to treat the acutely mentally ill, but many hospitals around the state “blatantly” shirk their legal obligation to treat mental health crises.

The draft report by Renee Schulte Consulting was presented on April 5, to the North Dakota Legislature’s interim Acute Psychiatric Treatment Committee, as part of an ongoing study into the mental health care services throughout the state — but especially in western North Dakota.

The awarded grant, funded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will assist residents in Dickinson through the forthcoming care and practice clinic.

“We are pleased to work with DeCoteau Trauma-Informed Care and Practice,” Tami Ellison Conrad, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services division’s mental health programs administrator, said. “Establishing a clinic in Dickinson and providing services in tribal communities will increase availability of mental health services in some of the most underserved areas of the state.”

Anyone experiencing a behavioral health crisis should call 211 for immediate help 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. Trained specialists offer support and counseling over the phone, initiate mobile crisis response if needed or can provide referrals to appropriate community resources.

To learn more about accessing these expanded mental health services, contact DeCoteau Trauma-Informed Care and Practice at 701-751-0443 or visit
decoteaupsychology.com
.

Learn more at
www.behavioralhealth.nd.gov
.