Behavioral health center in Shawmut awaits final approval

VALLEY — A former WestPoint Pepperell human resources office on Shawmut Circle may soon be getting new life as a treatment facility for people dealing behavioral health issues. Should the state give its final approval to what’s planned, Spencer’s of Alabama could soon open as the ninth unit of a nationwide effort to help individuals who have mental health-related or a co-existing disorder such as chemical dependency. There’s an emphasis on helping veterans and first responders who are in need of specialized services.

Spencer’s of Alabama is affiliated with Coast to Coast, which has five locations in California, three in Florida and one in Arkansas.

On Monday of this week, members of the Lions Club of Valley met with Spencer’s executive director, Chase Cameron, and took a tour of the newly-remodeled building, which is located on the Circle between Bob Harding-Shawmut Elementary School and the Shawmut Methodist Church.

A native of western Colorado, Cameron is a former first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and a lobbyist for veterans’ care. He is familiar with the west Georgia-east Alabama region having been stationed at Fort Benning (now Fort Moore). His wife is originally from Valley and has extensive family in the local area.

A impressive amount of work has been done in renovating the former WPP personnel office. It aims to be a place that would offer safe, comfortable surroundings to anyone who has been experiencing mental or substance-abuse problems. Cameron explained that the goal of Spencer’s is to provide a 30-bed facility that houses a crisis intervention center, an adult residential care home with specialized medical services and a partial hospitalization program.

“We will have 30 beds in 26 rooms,” Cameron said. “We will be offering 24-hours-a-day services with a medical doctor, licensed counselors, LPNs and resident assistants. I have been working for more than a year on the application process. We are hoping the state planning agency will soon give us their final approval.”

The target population for Spencer’s of Alabama includes individuals who are at least 18 years of age who have mental health issues or substance abuse problems. There’s an emphasis on working with veterans who have experienced homelessness and individuals who have considered suicide.

“Alabama has a large veteran population and a high rate of mental health and substance abuse issues,” Cameron said. “Limited treatment options are available for those who are dealing with this. What we are proposing would provide a wide variety of services under one roof. It’s in an underserved area and would improve access to care. Spencer’s has a proven track record of operating successful treatment facilities and has an established relationship with veterans. It has the resources to ensure the success of this program at no cost to the state.”

For Spencer’s of Alabama to open, the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA) will have to approve the application and recommend that Governor Kay Ivey adjust the present state health plan to accommodate the proposal. Cameron said that letters of support from community organizations and officials would help.

Cameron believes there’s a critical need in Alabama for a facility such as Spencer’s.

According to the Substance and Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), more than 40 percent of Alabama adults sought treatment for a mental health-related issue between 2017 and 2019. An estimated 315,000 Alabama adults have a serious mental illness. In 2018, almost 40 percent of the adult Medicaid population initiated rehabilitation treatment within 14 days of being diagnosed with an alcohol or drug-dependancy problem. In 2020, a total of 793 Alabamians committed suicide.

“Based on observed trends, we believe that an estimated 13,000 veterans in our service area would be diagnosed with a condition that our proposed services could address,” Cameron said.

Of the 30 beds that have been proposed for Spencer’s of Alabama, four would be dedicated for clinically monitored, medically assisted detoxification, twelve would be in a crisis residential unit, eight in a partial hospitalization residential unit and six dedicated to an adult residential care home with specialized medical services.

Cameron said that Alabama is a largely rural state with mental heath/substance abuse treatment presently being provided in a fragmented, difficult-to-navigate system, something made even more difficult with bureaucratic barriers for patients and providers alike.

“More than one-third of U.S. adults who have a mental illness are also experiencing a substance-abuse disorder,” Cameron said, “but our current infrastructure and the current state plan would suggest that we treat these conditions as separate and distinct.”

There are specialty clinics out there that separate people by gender, age or their primary diagnosis. Spencer’s of Alabama will be different.

“The variety of services to be certified and provided in our single facility are chosen specifically for the impact they will have as a combined, cohesive approach in reducing the state-identified burden of mental illness, substance abuse and suicide as they coalesce,” Cameron said. “The bringing together of a multi-disciplinary team and offering crisis, residential, acute and specialized services at a single, 30-bed location will reduce fragmentation and allow for a strong continuum or care, thereby increasing the impact and benefit of provided services.”

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