LEXINGTON, Ky. — Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health have created a seamless connection point for Kentuckians who need social and health services.
What You Need To Know
The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center at UK created a website to connect patients to real-time support
Findhelpnow.org is designed to help people find Kentucky-based medical and behavioral treatment
The website also provides connections to statewide naloxone distribution, mental health call centers and referrals for in-house care
When the temperature drops and the holidays set in, vulnerable communities often face tougher social and mental health realities.
“When an individual is looking for substance use disorder treatment or mental health treatment, it can often take days, if not weeks, to find a treatment facility that will accept their method of payment and has the additional wraparound services and is in the geographic location that they’re searching,” said Catherine Hines, project manager with the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center at UK.
The center is reminding communities across the state about its quick and accessible health and social services.
The group has created Findhelpnow.org, a one-stop website designed to help people find Kentucky-based medical and behavioral treatment, recovery services and now community-themed resources like assisted living or employment, in real time.
“They all have near real-time availability, which means that we have teams that work directly with treatment facilities all across the state,” Hines said. “I think we have over 500 at this point where they update their treatment slot availability on a scheduled basis,”
Within this collective hub, over 90 different search filters help individuals narrow down options to meet their specific needs and requests. Hines said the website is tailored to meet statewide demand.
“Working very closely with our partners at the State Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, the Kentucky Department for Public Health, as well as many others,” Hines said.
Although they’re introducing mental health and community resource tabs onto the site right now, Hines says they’ve tracked thousands of site interactions for other services since 2019.
“We pretty regularly hear positive feedback about how they’ve been able to help someone get into treatment or find resources that they need, so it seems to be making a good impact, and we’re going to keep it going and keep adding new resources and new opportunities for people to find help,” Hines said.
Hines said that whether people are seeking crisis support at the moment or aren’t sure what help they need, they encourage people to start right at their website.
The website also provides connections to statewide naloxone distribution, mental health call centers and referrals for in-house care.