Free mental health clinic expands to help more people

A unique mental health clinic reached another milestone Thursday when the Wellness Project had a grand reopening.

A recent renovation will allow the free clinic to help more people with their mental health problems and provide access to other services at the same location.

The Wellness Project is operated by Community Services Northwest, a Vancouver-based nonprofit agency. The expansion means the facility at 317 E. 39th St. can now house other programs that serve the same low-income, uninsured and under-insured people.

The expansion added seven treatment rooms, bringing the total to 15, said Sharon Krupski, executive director of Community Services Northwest.

“At any time, we’ve been seeing 50 to 60 people,” Krupski said. “Now we’ll be closer to 100 people at any time.”

People often receive help weekly for six months or more. The Wellness Project receives 10 to 12 new applications for services per week.

But that’s not the only reason the staff of the clinic was glad to see the expansion, said Sean Coyle, lead clinician at the Wellness Project.

“We’re seeing an increase in the acuity of problems: more persistent issues, long-term depression, schizophrenia,” Coyle said.

The slumping economy has something to do with it, Coyle said. “People who need more help are getting less.”

Mental health services are provided by volunteers who are either licensed counselors, registered counselors, or master’s-level student counselors under the direct supervision of community mental health professionals and staff members of Community Services Northwest.

When the Wellness Project opened at that location in 2004 as a grass-roots, independent agency, it was described as the only free mental health clinic anywhere.

And six years later, “I haven’t heard of another one like this,” Coyle said.

The related programs now under the Wellness Project’s roof provide help in areas such as housing and addiction recovery.

“Housing is an important part of recovery,” Krupski said. “Our housing program is growing. We’ve gone from supporting 35 or 40 people, a year and a half ago, to more than 100 people.”

The Wellness Project also hosts a weekly drop-in session for homeless people.

The renovation of the Wellness Project was funded by $298,000 in community development block grants from the city of Vancouver and Clark County.

The Wellness Project received the 2010 Organization Award from Clark County Public Health. The clinic was honored for outstanding delivery of services to the county’s most vulnerable individuals.

Tom Vogt: 360-735-4558 or tom.vogt@columbian.com.