Community Support Services
Community Support Services (CSS) are available to adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Community Support Services is here to support individuals as they live and work in the community. Depending on the location, services and support provided may include:
- Monitoring of mental health symptoms
- Communication with other providers
- Crisis Intervention/Developing crisis plans
- Coordination and development of natural support systems
- Transportation
Eligibility for Community Support Services may vary. Depending on your location, the following criteria may be required:
- Medicaid or Region funding
- Primary mental health diagnosis
First Episode Recovery Support Team (FERST)
FERST helps individuals navigate the road to recovery from a first episode of psychosis. FERST is a multidisciplinary team that includes Team Director, Psychiatrist, Individual Resilience Therapist, Family Education Program, Supported Employee and Education, and Community Support Specialist. With a focus on early intervention, illness management, shared decision making, active learning, and recovery clients who participate in FERST report improved outcomes in relationships, work, employment, and overall life satisfaction.
Community Support Services (CSS)
CSS provide low-intensity community mental health services designed to assist individuals with a serious mental illness to live and work in the community. Services are individualized to match needs and may include assistance with housing, applying for benefits/entitlements, illness education, employment, assistance with ADL's, etc. Services are provided in the home, office or community settings. Groups are periodically offered to meet specific treatment needs.
Assertive Community Treatment
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a team approach designed to provide comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, medication management, rehabilitation, and support to individuals possessing a serious and persistent mental illness. A multi-disciplinary team of professionals, including a prescriber, team leader, social workers, a vocational specialist, a substance abuse specialist, and registered nurses provide these services.
ACT is an evidence-based recovery model where services are individualized to meet the unique needs of each consumer and address all areas related to successful community living. The ACT team seeks to address all aspects of an individual's functioning and to help him/her nurture his/her life goals and integration into the community. In addition to possessing a serious and persistent mental illness, ACT clients have avoided or not responded well to traditional outpatient treatment and often have co-existing problems such as homelessness, substance abuse or criminal justice involvement.
Depending on the location, services and support provided include, but are not limited to:
- 24 hour/7 days a week access to staff
- Initial and ongoing assessments
- Person-centered treatment planning
- Psychiatric services
- Medication management
- Crisis intervention and immediate support
- Symptom management and skills teaching
- Family support and education
- Substance abuse services
- Physical health screening and care coordination
- Employment and housing assistance
- Case management
- Ongoing support and advocacy while hospitalized or incarcerated
To be eligible for ACT services, you may need to meet certain criteria depending on the location where you're receiving care. The following criteria may be required, depending on the location:
- Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or Major Depressive Disorder
- Two or more hospitalizations in the last year
- Two or more incarcerations in the last two years
- Medicaid eligibility
- Has been unsuccessful with traditional outpatient services
Forensic Assertive Community Treatment
The Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) team serves individuals in the criminal justice system with a serious mental illness. FACT works to help people live successfully in the community while avoiding a return to jail, prison, or unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations. A multi-disciplinary team of professionals, including a prescriber, team leader, social workers, a vocational specialist, a substance abuse specialist, and registered nurses provide these services. This multi-disciplinary team offers recovery-focused, person-centered treatment planning and operates as a mobile outreach team - meeting clients in their home or community to provide services.
Depending on your location, services and support may include:
- 24 hours/7 days a week access to staff
- Psychiatric services
- Medication management
- Crisis intervention and immediate support
- Community integration through social activities and outings
- Case management
- Symptom management and skills teaching
- Vocational support
- Substance abuse treatment
- Physical health screening and care coordination
- Support and advocacy while hospitalized or incarcerated
- Comprehensive assessments and treatment planning
To be eligible for FACT services, you may need to meet the following criteria, depending on your location:
- Primary Axis I Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or Major Depression
- Two or more incarcerations in the last two years
One or more of the following indicators of high-service needs:
- Two or more hospitalizations in the last year
- Inability to meet basic needs
- Residing in substandard housing or are homeless
- Inability to participate in traditional office-based services
Program For Assertive Community Treatment
Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is a team approach designed to provide comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, medication management, rehabilitation, and support to individuals possessing a serious and persistent mental illness. A multi-disciplinary team of professionals, including a prescriber, team leader, social workers, a vocational specialist, a substance abuse specialist, and registered nurses provide these services. The PACT team seeks to address all aspects of an individual's functioning and to help him/her nurture his/her life goals and integration into the community. In addition to possessing a serious and persistent mental illness, PACT clients have avoided or not responded well to traditional outpatient treatment and often have co-existing problems such as homelessness, substance abuse or criminal justice involvement.
Depending on your location, services and support provided include, but are not limited to:
- 24 hour/7 days a week access to staff
- Initial and ongoing assessments
- Person-centered treatment planning
- Psychiatric services
- Medication management
- Crisis intervention and immediate support
- Symptom management and skills teaching
- Family support and education
- Substance abuse services
- Physical health screening and care coordination
- Employment and housing assistance
- Case management
- Ongoing support and advocacy while hospitalized or incarcerated
To be eligible for PACT services, you may need to meet the following criteria, depending on your location:
- Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or Major Depressive Disorder
- Two or more hospitalizations in the last year
- Medicaid eligibility
- Has been unsuccessful with traditional outpatient services
Supported Community Living
At UnityPoint Health, the needs of the client come first and Supported Community Living (SCL) provides services focused on elevating the quality of life they experience. SCL services provide individualized skill building, teaching, and support to individuals with mental illness in the community. Each client is treated as an individual and encouraged to develop and work toward his/her own identified goals, wants, and needs.
Depending on your location, services and support provided may include:
- Ongoing assessment and treatment planning
- Assistance with goal setting and achievement
- Community-based skill teaching and support
To be eligible for Supported Community Living services, you may need to meet the following criteria, depending on your location:
- Title XIX or County funding
- Receive support of an Integrated Health Home or Service Coordinator
- Primary mental health diagnosis
- Require assistance with locating housing, finding employment, improving socialization skills, basic living skills, and symptom management