Corsica River Mental Health Services Improves Services for Mid-Shore Residents

Corsica Health’s new logo

Corsica River Mental Health Services (CRMHS) recently unveiled its new logo and an interactive website that makes it easier for mid-shore residents with mental health issues to get the services they need. CRMHS has clinics in Centreville, Cambridge and St. Michaels and is a subsidiary of the nonprofit Crossroads Community, which provides mental health recovery resources to a five-county mid-shore area including Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester counties.

CRMHS opened its first clinic in Centreville in 2009 after the local health department clinic closed, and an assessment found a significant need for mental health services in the area. While Crossroads Community serves a narrower range of clients who must meet certain qualifications, the clinic is able to serve anyone in need of mental health assistance.

Demand for those services and the need to aid more residents within their own communities led to expansion, with the St. Michaels clinic opening in 2010 and Cambridge in 2012. The three facilities currently serve almost 750 clients.

The new website, www.crmhsinc.com, is an effort to engage individuals who may be reluctant to make an initial request for help in person, said Clinic Director Kathleen Van Fossen, LCSW-C. “Maybe they aren’t quite able to bring themselves to pick up the phone or walk in the door,” she said. “It can be easier to overcome that initial psychological hurdle in reaching out for help by filling out the first contact form on our website.”

Left to right, Administrative Assistant Kathy Chance, Psychiatrist & Medical Director Justin Hall, MD, and Clinic Director Kathleen Van Fossen, LCSW-C

Those still exploring treatment and counseling options can find information on the website about the types of services offered at the clinic, along with a list of the documentation necessary to bring with them for registration.

Both adult and child information packets can be downloaded, printed and filled out at home ahead of time, making the in-person registration at the clinic quicker and easier. Individuals generally leave the registration with an intake appointment scheduled within five to seven days.

At the intake appointment, a professional clinician works with the client to arrive at an evaluation and treatment plan, deciding whether the individual needs referral to one of the clinic’s doctors. “The client drives his or her own recovery process and works with the staff to determine the goals of any treatment,” said Van Fossen.

The clinics offer services for everyone, regardless of age, insurance or diagnosis. More than just psychiatric services are available. The clinics provide couples and grief counseling; individual, family and group therapy; health education and medication management; both child and geriatric specialty services, and more. In addition, staff from the Cambridge and Centreville clinics provide school-based mental health services in their communities.

Van Fossen described the website as interactive, colorful and meant to reflect the commitment of the CRMHS staff to its clients’ journeys toward mental health. “We are warm, caring and supportive,” she said, “and want people to successfully go through the recovery process.”

For more information or to make an appointment, contact Corsica River Mental Health Services in Centreville at 410-758-2211, Cambridge at 443-225-5780 or St. Michaels at 410-745-8028, or visit its website, www.crmhsinc.com.