Dozens of teens are taken to the Douglas County Youth Center for a number of reasons, every day.
Many of those teens struggle with mental health.
A community-based health center is expanding their services to help those kids.
"The criminal justice system is constantly becoming a health care system," Douglas County Commissioner and Board Chairman Chris Rodgers said.
Rodgers says he hopes that will change.
"The agreement between Charles Drew and the county will fulfill the complete array of services we have for families, will allow them to get services in the community instead of getting them in a facility," Rodgers said.
The new contract will allow teens inside the Youth Center more mental health care services.
"Before we were getting them there because we didn't have the capacity in the community," Rodgers said. "Charles Drew has the services there where we will be able to serve them in the community, and they'll be able to maintain a normal life with their families and still get the services."
Some of the services being offered include; screenings, psychiatric evaluations, as well as treatment and follow up care for youth dealing with substance abuse issues and/or metal health.
"This is part of the continuity of care services," Charles Drew CEO Kenny McMorris said. "That trust and relationship is so important so the earlier that you can build those relationships the better off you're going to be."
The program should speed up the evaluation process by adding another provider.
"The goal of this and also of juvenile justice is to be rehabilitating, so coming in with a public health model hopefully makes it better," Rodgers said. "Hopefully families will be open to it."
McMorris says serving youth who are from the area is essential.
"We really pride ourselves in being rooted and based in community so we meet people where they are," he said. 98 percent of our patients are 200 percent or below poverty and so we understand the social drivers and social determinants of health and how that impacts individual health-seeking behavior."
McMorris says he also hopes the expansion will allow them to better connect with families.
"We know that a lot of things that are playing out in the criminal justice system are strictly rooted and start from trauma," McMorris said. "Dealing with a lot of the issues our families are facing in this community, and so we stand ready to serve."
Larry Duncan, who's the Senior Director of Behavioral Health at Charles Drew says, they also hope to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
He tell us a sense of family, and familiarity, goes a long way to help teens continue services.
"It's going to make it easier for them with a helping type situation rather than avoid it [or] run away from it," Duncan said.
The expanded contract runs through the end of October 2020.
It'll automatically renew each year, unless it's terminated.
