We value the trust of our community. In the effort to be transparent and find solutions to our challenges by working together, we are sharing the following unique challenges and key ways we serve our neighbors in need of mental health and substance use services.

We encourage suggestions, feedback, and donations to keep our vital work going!

Each session costs the agency nearly $200, and the average Medicaid reimbursement is less than $85. As one of the few agencies that accept Medicaid and offer sliding scale fees for the uninsured, Bacon Street has seen a 186% increase in low-income families over the last year, meaning they utilize Medicaid, receive services at no cost to them, or pay as low as $5 per session. Although we have excelled in our goals of accessibility and affordability, our overhead has also risen 186% to meet their needs. 

• We need more funding for these clients, as well as to be able to provide our vital free prevention services to the youth and families in the communities we serve. Without prevention programming and counseling services, we face the grim reality that teen suicides, overdoses, incarceration, hospital visits, EMS calls, school violence, and court involved youth all rise, damaging the health and wellbeing of us all. Keeping these services free means that every child, teen, young adult, and family who needs and wants these services has the access to them without having to choose what to sacrifice, whether that be their groceries, gas, or bills.

It’s critical to our communities that we ensure our services are equitable, affordable, accessible, and quality because:

• Equitable- Everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socio economic status deserves a safe space to receive substance use and mental health services. Unfortunately, this is not an intentional common practice for many for-profit agencies. By employing diverse professionals, Bacon Street makes the best effort to offer the right background, life experience, and language that best fits each family we have the honor to serve.
• Affordable- Many private practices do not have the time or resources it takes to deal with the long, in-depth process it takes to charge insurance. Insurance companies have 90 days to pay for each session, meaning there are always challenges with cash flow. Many offer only full price sessions that have no financial assistance. This means that the low-income, uninsured, military, and middle-class families have to pay $200-$1,000 each month for therapeutic services out of pocket. This creates a financial barrier to most families, making them choose to not receive the services they need for their child’s or their own substance use and mental health needs. 
• Accessible- Being easily utilized is critical to the start of services. It takes a lot of courage to reach out for help, especially when you or your child are in a place of desperation. Being able to talk to a person when you call is so important. Many agencies force prospective clients to leave messages and get called back instead of having administrative support, and they often never get calls back. Being accessible, even through text, is critical to our families meeting their goals and thriving.
• Quality- Mental health and substance use treatment professionals are in a shortage, and their jobs require 6 years of education and 1-3 years of training to be licensed. Our licensed professionals and those on their way to licensure take their jobs seriously and specialize in working to address the challenges specific to each person. Some agencies place clients by availability in schedules, we place clients with counselors based on their needs and preferences, which is a trauma informed practice. If Bacon Street counselors aren’t the right fit for a client, we refer them to who we believe would be the best fit outside of our agency. 

We need your help to keep our vital work going. Donate today and join our monthly giving program. Donating $15 each month covers the cost of 1 session and 2 hours of prevention programming!