The WGMC Health Partnership d/b/a Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, LTD, is excited about its upcoming partnership with the Will County Community Mental Health Board, 708 Board (WCCMHB), with WGMC’s Equity Institute conducting the WCCMHB’s first ever community needs assessment. The WGMC’s Equity Institute will conduct the community needs assessment, specifically to study the mental and behavioral health, substance use, and developmental disabilities needs, gaps in care, local policy, and impacts in Will County.
The assessment process will run from February through April 2024, and result in a comprehensive needs assessment report in May 2024 that will inform future behavioral health policies and initiatives in Will County that impact safety net organizations and the vulnerable populations they serve.
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) will offer its guidance. The Will County MAPP Collaborative will also provide support. This four-pronged assessment will be specifically related to mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities, and will include a community-driven data assessment, behavioral health organizational assessment, health status assessment based on validated local, state, and federal data sources, and stakeholder prioritization. Four areas of the county will be surveyed – Joliet, Wilmington/Braidwood + Essex, Plainfield/Bolingbrook, and University Park/Beecher. The assessment will encompass:
- Reporting on access and utilization among the population.
- Barriers to utilization
- System frameworks and deliverance of essential services by level of activity
- Overarching population health outcomes associated with DSM-V diagnostics and treatments.
“There is a need for more robust support for behavioral health programs in Will County,” said Shawn Marconi, MBA, the WGMC Executive Director. According to the 2023 County Health Rankings, the county needs to almost double its number of behavioral health providers. With only 645 mental health providers, the ratio of patients to providers stands at 1,010:1, compared to 370:1 for Illinois and 560:1 nationally. Resources in Will County are limited for hospitalizations for mental health disorders as well as inpatient/outpatient treatment for substance use disorders. Without addressing these issues, Will County’s healthcare infrastructure will face significant strain.
“Not addressing Public Health Equity in America is costing the United States roughly a trillion dollars per year, according to a study conducted and released in JAMA Network. The further in debt the United States goes in health cost burden, currently accounting for a 3rd of our nation’s overall GDP, the exponential lasting impact it has and will continue to have on our economy,” said Nicole T. Garrett, MPH, the WGMC Director of Data and Quality.
WGMC and the WCCMHR believe this assessment will allow for more nuanced discussions and focused effort to address the mental health needs of Will County’s residents.