Spring 2010 Newsletter

1. Contact/MHA offer groundbreaking Mental Health First Aid training
2. Contact/MHA partner with WCNY-TV and Excellus to bring attention to veterans’ challenges
3. Contact focuses on social and emotional learning (SEL) with summer training institute
4. Contact offers 24/7 coverage for HelpLine and MHA info and referral services
5. Children 1st receives state grant

Contact offers 24/7 coverage for HelpLine and MHA info and referral services

Contact Community Services is now providing 24-hour coverage for two vital community resources: Helpline, Onondaga County’s information and referral (I & R) service; and the Mental Health Association’s I & R service. We are also updating and expanding databases for both.

Helpline. [315-435-8300] Onondaga County’s Social Services I & R line is now operated round-the-clock by Contact Community Services. Contact had been staffing the line after-hours since 2002. Our I & R experts field inquiries about flu clinics, locations for food pantries, emergency shelter, and thousands of other issues. The Helpline database is also available on line at www.ongov.net/helpline .

Mental Health Association (MHA) of Onondaga County I & R line. [315-445-5606]
Contact’s affiliation with the Mental Health Association has allowed the mental health provider telephone I & R line to expand from regular business hours to 24-hour coverage. I & R specialists are available to provide assistance in locating mental health providers by insurance carrier, location, specialty and other criteria. The database is also available on line at www.cnymentalhealth.org .

Contact’s other telephone services are also available round the clock:

Contact Hotline for counseling and crisis intervention [315-251-0600]

Youth Emergency Services for Mental Health [315-463-1100] for assessment and referral of county residents 18 years and younger.