Adult Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health Home – Adults
The Assistance Plus Behavioral Health Home (BHH) Service for adults offers a team-based approach to comprehensively address adult physical health and mental health needs – at home and in the community.
The BHH Adult program provides a primary emphasis on preventative health and wellness, in addition to community partnering.
Members of the Assistance Plus Behavioral Health Home (BHH) program work together to identify and address, comprehensively, each person’s existing physical and mental health needs. This service is provided by collaborative and qualified professionals
made up of medical and psychiatric specialists, health home coordinators, clinical team leaders, nurses, peer support specialists, and the member’s primary care physician.
The Assistance Plus Behavioral Health Home for Adults team places primary emphasis on preventative health and wellness. This includes fostering community partnerships as part of long-term and integrated plans to meet the physical and mental health goals of each individual.
Our Behavioral Health Team;
- Develops individual plans with the member, and guardians as applicable.
- Assists with alternatives to hospitalization or residential placement.
- Coordinates services with physicians, natural supports, and other organizations.
- Assures continuity of care by assessing for gaps in services and offers access to referrals and resources.
- Organizes team meetings to coordinate care.
- Participates in crisis planning and coordination as necessary.
- Promotes member health and wellness in collaboration with primary care providers.
Additional Supports
As part of this team we also staff Certified Intentional Peer Support Specialists who self-identify as mental health consumers with personal experience with a severe and/or persistent mental illness.
Our Daily Living Supports and Skills Development Teams also provide services throughout Maine.
Next Steps
Individuals or guardians can begin a request for services at any time on our website, and providers or other care coordinators can begin a provider referral form on our website (assistanceplus.com) at any time.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Age 18 or emancipated,
- Documentation of a qualifying mental health diagnosis that is under one year old and is considered eligible under the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Other Eligibility Criteria :
- Proof of ‘Blue Paper’.
- Discharge from PNMI within 2 years of referral date.
- 2 or more psychiatric admissions (min. 72 hrs inpatient within 2 yrs. of referral date.)
Payment/Reimbursement
- Active MaineCare insurance coverage.
- Private pay.
- Grant funding as available.
Adult Community Integration (CIW)
Assistance Plus Community Integration is a service for adults who meet MaineCare Section 17 eligibility criteria. The service is for individuals with needs related to their mental health diagnosis.
Care Coordinators assist each individual in the creation and coordination of a person-centered treatment plan focused on meeting each specific need of that person (including, but not limited to, housing, medication management, therapy, educational/vocational, and social/emotional needs).
Adult Care Coordinators and Health Home Coordinators are required to have a MHRT/C (Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician Certification). In addition, they are provided with ongoing quality clinical supervision and learning opportunities to stay current with the latest policies and practices.
Community Integration Eligibility:
For those without an eligible diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, a clinical letter attesting to the need for Community Integration due to the following at-risk criteria:
- Homelessness
- Psychiatric hospitalization
- Criminal justice involvement
- Residential mental healthcare placement
Other Eligibility Criteria :
- Proof of ‘Blue Paper’.
- Discharge from PNMI within 2 years of referral date.
- 2 or more psychiatric admissions (min. 72 hrs inpatient within 2 yrs. of referral date.)
Daily Living and Skills Development for Adults
Assistance Plus Daily Living Supports provide adults with a documented mental health diagnosis opportunities to improve and maintain their community independence.
Daily Living Supports guide the implementation of each client’s personal care plans, in collaboration with their parents/guardians and broader community. Our specialists work to prevent and/or reduce psychiatric hospitalization, homelessness, residential treatment, and/or criminal justice involvement.
Our work focuses on clients as they develop personal goals around activities of daily living (community integration, coping strategies, money management, medication regimens, and medical care – including psychiatric/medical appointments). We work carefully to adhere to each client’s care plans and the shared goals of each client’s care team.
Our specialists are trained and experienced in their ability to help prevent and/or reduce psychiatric hospitalization, homelessness, residential treatment and/or criminal justice involvement.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Active MaineCare insurance coverage.
- Private pay.
- Age 18 or emancipated.
- Documentation of a qualifying mental health diagnosis that is under one year old and is considered eligible under the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
- For those without an eligible diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, a clinical letter attesting to the need for Daily Living Support (DLS) or Skills Development due to the following at-risk criteria:
- Homelessness
- Psychiatric hospitalization
- Criminal justice involvement
- Residential mental healthcare placement
Assistance Plus provides these services throughout Mid-Coast, Central, and Western Maine, including Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Somerset, Sagadahoc, Oxford, Southern Penobscot, and Waldo Counties.
Resources and Advocacy:
Assistance Plus Case Managers/Care Coordinators can;
- Advocate for each client’s needs with service providers and other organizations,
- Develop an individualized service plan with clients and guardians when applicable,
- Monitor the effectiveness of services, natural supports, and resources,
- Promote independence with a focus on maintaining the least restrictive environment possible – providing for each client’s active participation at home, and their community,
- Identify and offer referrals and available resources to target and address each need that the client and/or guardian may have,
- Build and bridge client/guardian relationships with broader community resources who can partner to enhance each client’s physical and mental health care needs,
- Support clients with obtaining MaineCare when needed,
- Support and assist client/family/guardians in navigating complex social services (for example, Social Security benefits, housing resources/applications, HEAP, and WRAP applications), and/or
- Coordinate transportation to and from medical and behavioral health appointments.
We serve Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Sagadahoc, Somerset, Penobscot (Southern), and Waldo Counties.