Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health (SEMO-BH) has provided mental health and substance abuse services to people of the Southeastern region of Missouri for more than 35 years and this year marks 35 years in Salem.
Friday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., SEMO-BH hosted an open house for community members to stop by and learn what SEMO-BH does.
SEMO-BH is a not-for-profit human services corporation that provides mental health services, substance abuse treatment and social services. Its long-held commitment includes providing people suffering from chemical dependencies, emotional problems, psychiatric disorders and other crisis of life the most complete treatment services in the region with a focus on individualized treatment.
“We understand that every situation is different,” said Clinic Manager Tina Hayes, who oversees SEMO-BH centers in Salem, Houston, Owensville and Steelville.
“We help meet peoples’ needs first,” she said. Once basic needs are met to make the people they help safe, comfortable and fed, they can transition into helping them face substance abuse issues.
“Until your basic needs are met, it’s hard to self-actualize enough to be able to beat substance abuse problems,” said Dan Adams - executive advisor for SEMO-BH.
SEMO-BH has become a leader in the regional chemical dependency education and outreach network. So it can meet the needs of those we serve, it offers a variety of services, including medication assisted treatment using medications such as Suboxone, according to Hayes.
People of all types of backgrounds, including education levels, races and economic standings are vulnerable. In each case the struggle to get treatment is a difficult one. SEMO-BH wants to make accessing treatment services as easy as possible.
In addition to its services dealing with hard substances, SEMO-BH teamed up with the Mayo Clinic to provide a smoking cessation program.
“Staff includes a registered nurse, a licensed professional counselor, and a certified substance use disorder counselor,” said Hayes. This includes in-person day treatment services like counseling groups designed to allow clients to process daily events including, thoughts, feelings, and personal difficulties with recovery.
“Our nurses act as educators on the effects of substances on chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, COPD,” she said. “Nurses serve as liaisons with outside healthcare providers including doctors and pharmacists to provide medication management, answer common side effects and the importance of taking medications as prescribed,” Hayes added.
SEMO-BH also expends a lot of energy helping people with their everyday needs and with developing life skills that are necessary for them to thrive. “Our care coordinators assist with budgeting, finding safe and affordable housing, educating on how to negotiate rental agreements, and things as simple as grocery shopping, locating clothing for job interviews, childcare, child nutrition, and daily sanitation in the clients’ home environments, locating food banks, and applying for employment or vocational training,” said Hayes.
According to Hayes, these positions also work with Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, children’s services, Medicaid and EBT applications. “[Care coordinators] are one of our most valuable resources, along with peer specialists who are individuals in recovery trained and certified by the Missouri Department of Mental Health,” she said.
A lot has changed regarding the way SEMO-BH in Salem operates. For example, it hasn’t housed patients at their facility since 2020 and their focus has shifted to serving the local communities of the counties, in which each of their offices is located (Dent, Phelps, Maries, Texas, Crawford, and Gasconade).
According to Hayes and Adams, the shift is reflected by serving those most at risk, including those experiencing homelessness, navigating like with a disability, single parents, and their families who have substance use and/or mental health disorders.
“Treatment is only temporary; recovery is life-long. Part of our mission is to provide tools and skills that will be applied during and after treatment, such as introduction to 12-step support groups, social organizations like service clubs, churches, and the community in general so that the individuals have a safety net after they leave our care,” said Hayes.
For more information about what SEMO-BH can do for you or a loved one, visit semobh.org.
