Behavioral Health Partnerships in Services, KY
Behavioral Health Partnerships
Adam Herald, Community Liaison
Baptist Health Richmond
Adam Herald:
In my role as a community liaison, I engage with the community on multiple levels, whether it be with community partners, whether it be in the court system, or getting people connected to the services they need with our Behavioral Health Clinic. A lot of our referrals come from the court system, whether it be substance abuse or domestic violence. I connect these individuals with the treatment they need, whether it be wraparound services with our Behavioral Health Clinic or whether it be our Chemical Dependency Intensive Outpatient program. We are trying to put an emphasis on rehabilitation instead of incarceration.
We support our community partners, these are our first responders. They diligently serve our communities day in and day out. We offer them the same support and services that we offer each and every individual who is coming through our programs, whether it be for mental health problems or whether it be for substance use disorder. We're here to serve each and every person, and especially the ones who put their lives at risk every single day to protect our community. My lived experience helps me a lot in my job. I'm somebody who knows the struggles of addiction, and so when I sit down with somebody the first day, what I'm doing is I'm telling them, "There's a way out. I know that there's a way out because I've been there. I've sat right where you sat." Being able to connect with someone on that level is really special, and it's something that they can see straight through. It's something that I'm passionate about and that I'm just blessed to be a part of.
