New Carilion Mental Health Navigation Line Available for City of Roanoke Residents
In response to the multi-layered crises of COVID-19, economic downturn and racial injustice, Carilion Clinic Community Health and Outreach and the Carilion Psychiatry and Behavioral Health department have partnered with local organizations to develop a mental health network in the City of Roanoke.
The network has since joined together to launch a mental health resource navigation telephone line called the Mental Health Navigation Line. This free and confidential service helps connect Roanoke City residents with mental health, substance use treatment and other community resources.
"We are very excited to be working together as a community to expand access and build capacity for mental health and substance use treatment services," says Shirley Holland, vice president of Planning and Community Development for Carilion. "Ultimately, this will allow us to better understand the needs of our community and determine gaps where we can work together to develop future resources and programming."
In addition to Carilion resources, the Navigation Line will help callers connect with providers in the community, including:
- Blue Ridge Behavioral Health
- American Addiction Centers
- Bradley Free Clinic
- Dominion Youth Services
- Family Services of Roanoke Valley
The community may be familiar with other Carilion crisis lines. The new Navigation Line offers a different service. It is staffed by non-clinical professionals and focuses on providing general support and resource navigation.
The primary functions of the Navigation Line are to:
- Listen to a caller's needs.
- Talk through resource options based on the caller's needs, past experience, where they live and what they want to achieve.
- Accompany the caller as they seek access to resources once they've decided which option(s) to pursue.
This may include three-way calling when applicable and/or calling the individual back to ensure they were able to access the resource.
The line officially went live on Tuesday, June 1 and is being staffed by Carilion’s Community Health and Outreach team. It will be available initially Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. to address issues related to mental health, social services, financial assistance and substance use. The phone number to access the line is 1-540-985-6999.
Due to resource limitations, the Navigation Line is available for City of Roanoke residents only with the goal of identifying opportunities to expand into other markets in the future.