Providers open satellite offices in Battle Ground

For people living on the outskirts of Clark County, location can be a significant barrier to getting the mental health or chemical dependency services that are concentrated in Vancouver.

Pat Beckett, executive director of the Children’s Center, said one client from Battle Ground spent three hours trying to get to the east Vancouver office.

“It’s a long drive to Vancouver,” Beckett said.

The Children’s Center and Community Services Northwest recently opened satellite offices in Battle Ground, a city of about 19,000 people that both organizations considered underserved. They’ve taken up small offices at Center Point on the Battle Ground Adventist Community Services campus.

The building at 11001 N.E. 189th St. used to be a nursing home and is undergoing remodeling, said manager Rochelle Unger. There are conference rooms and banquet rooms for rent that help support free educational programs provided by the church. In the past, for instance, the building was host to an automotive class for widows, Unger said.

Center Point is slated to become a hub for primarily nonprofit social and medical service providers. Besides the Children’s Center and Community Services Northwest, there’s a free clinic and a food pantry.

“It’s one-stop for multiple needs, which is a better delivery model,” said Bunk Moren, executive director of Community Services Northwest.

Families with children and adults needing mental health counseling can go to the same building and have an easier time with joint sessions, Moren said. Both clinics are open part time until they get more clients.

The Children’s Center and Community Services Northwest have had a presence in Battle Ground for a couple of years. To curb youth suicides in the small city, the Children’s Center brought mental health counselors to Meadow Glade Adventist Elementary School and Captain Strong Primary School.

Community Services Northwest sees about 30 students at Battle Ground High School and has plans to bring substance abuse counselors to Prairie High School, Moren said.