Sanctuary Centers and Cottage Health Expand the Integrated Care Clinic to Offer Psychiatry and Serve More Seniors

Beginning today, the Integrated Care Clinic will now offer free psychiatry to those who have no other way to access psychiatric care. The expansion of services provided by Sanctuary Centers, in partnership with Cottage Health, also includes additional counseling services to seniors living with mental health and substance abuse issues. The Integrated Care Clinic opened its doors in 2017 as the only collaborative clinic in Santa Barbara to co-locate medical, dental, and mental health services with the goal of reducing barriers to access to care for those with mental illness and substance abuse issues.
In Santa Barbara County, over 60,000 residents have a mental health need for regular care. Half of that population lives at or below the poverty level, and 14% also suffer from drug and alcohol abuse illnesses (California Department of Health Care Services, 2016).
Additionally, by age 75, half of all Americans will have experienced a diagnosable mental disorder. Yet, less than one-third of older adults receive care. They are also more likely to develop chronic conditions and dementia as they age, intensifying their needs (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, January 2018).
Psychiatry at the Integrated Care Clinic will be provided by Dr. Steven Ruths, a practicing psychiatrist for nineteen years—as well as the medical director of Vista del Mar Hospital, who will see up to 20 clients per week. Clients will begin treatment by visiting the Integrated Care Clinic to be connected to psychiatry appointments. Additionally, outreach to seniors has already begun with the goal of providing education and counseling at the individual and group levels to those in one of our most vulnerable populations.
Barry Schoer, President and Chief Executive Officer at Sanctuary Centers: “I am very pleased that with the generous support of Cottage Health, we are now able to offer psychiatric services and enhanced geriatric services. In barely eighteen months—the Integrated Care Clinic has doubled the number of patients we expected to serve. During which time, we identified that access to psychiatry for all ages and the need for mental health services for the geriatric population were two significant gaps in our seamless system of care at the Integrated Care Clinic.”
“Expanding direct behavioral health services through the addition of psychiatric care is meeting a critical need among an underserved population,” said Katy Bazylewicz, Vice President of Marketing and Population Health at Cottage Health. “This program is part of the 2019 Cottage Behavioral Health Initiative, through which eleven community organizations like Sanctuary Centers are collaborating to address the community’s behavioral health needs.”
The Integrated Care Clinic is located in a green cottage behind the apartment building at 115 W. Anapamu Street #B151 (between De La Vina and Chapala Streets). We are open Monday – Friday, 11:00am – 6:00pm (Closed 2:00pm – 3:00pm for Lunch). For appointments, please call: (805) 963-1642
Additional funding is being provided by James S. Bower Foundation, SB Gives, RKB Fund and the Henry W. Bull Foundation.
About Sanctuary Centers www.sanctuarycenters.org
Since 1976, Sanctuary Centers has served over 10,000 adults living with mental illness and substance abuse, continuously filling the gaps in services. Each year, approximately 2,000 unique clients from Santa Barbara County are served at 7 facilities in Downtown Santa Barbara and at the County Jail. Current programs include: 12-bed inpatient treatment, outpatient mental health, psychiatry, 36 low-income supportive housing units, co-occurring disorders therapy, psychological testing/research, career development, serving the incarcerated and the Integrated Care Clinic. Sanctuary has also recently expanded our outpatient programming to children.
About Cottage Health www.cottagehealth.org
The not-for-profit Cottage Health is the leader in providing advanced medical care to the Central Coast region. Specialties include the Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Neuroscience Institute, Heart & Vascular Center, Center for Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation Hospital. The Cottage Health medical staff is comprised of more than 700 physicians, many with subspecialties typically found only at university medical centers. Last year, the Cottage Health hospitals in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley provided inpatient care for 20,000 people, treated 79,000 patients through their 24-hour emergency departments and helped deliver 2,100 newborns.