Monroe County ACCESS

Transforming the system of care for children & youth with mental health challenges and their families

Monroe County ACCESS is an initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the Federal government to  transform the system of care that supports the needs of children and youth with mental health challenges as well as their families. The funding commitment is for six years.

A system of care is a wide range of mental health and related services and supports organized to work together to provide care. It is designed to help a child or adolescent with serious emotional disturbances, with the involvement of his or her family, to get the services they need in or near their home and community. The population of focus for Monroe County ACCESS is children and youth with Significant Emotional Disturbances (SED) from birth to age 21 with a special emphasis on children of color as this segment is viewed as having differential access to services as well as differential outcomes when the services are provided.

The initiative funds services, including Care Coordination and Family Mentors, designed to provide better access to needed services and improved outcomes. ACCESS also funds staff members to support the engagement and relationship building with youth service recipients and family members and to support cross-systems initiatives. In addition, an array of training and outreach programs are provided that are supporting the transformation to a family driven, youth-guided, culturally and linguistically competent, community-based, best practice-oriented and trauma informed and integrated system of supports and services.

For more information about the ACCESS Initiative, please contact Elizabeth Meeker, Psy.D., Project Director at 585-753-2680 or emeeker@monroecounty.gov