Significant Service Expansion Coming in January
You’ll likely be hearing a lot more about LFS in your community starting January 1. This month, we received formal certification and approvals to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or CCBHC. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services recently toured Health 360 in Lincoln, and we passed with flying colors.
What does this mean for you? A significant expansion of behavioral health services, especially related to crisis situations. We will be faster, closer, and better equipped to help people who need us.
For LFS, those hubs are in Lincoln and Fremont, which also covers Omaha. We are also expanding services in Grand Island and North Platte, although not under the banner of a CCBHC.
Access to mental health assessments, overdose treatment, therapies, and so much more, come with a CCBHC designation. Perhaps most significant is the focus on care coordination. Clients will no longer have to navigate services on their own. Instead, they will have a designated person to guide them towards the care they need.
You can learn more about CCBHCs here or check out this video.
LFS has been working towards this transformation in statewide behavioral health services for over four years. We’re so excited to bring it to you in January!
Dana Village Spruced Up
They say many hands make light work and that was definitely the case at Dana Village this summer. Community friends and partners joined us for a day of raking, trimming, and cleaning. The campus looked amazing afterwards. A second clean up day was rained out in August, but has been rescheduled for the morning of Saturday, September 27. Lunch will be provided, so registration is requested. You can register here.
The current fundraising project at Dana Village is the Gym/Wellness Center. The buildings have extensive deferred maintenance and needed renovations after sitting nearly vacant since the college closed in 2010. A recent wine dinner netted significant funds to meet requirements of a matching state grant. However, you can still donate to bringing the gym back to life. It’s important to the residents at Dana Village, as well as the entire community of Blair. Go here to donate.
LFS Leads on the Future of Human Care
While it seems society is heading in all directions, one thing is assured: there will always be the need for helpers — those people and nonprofits who consistently step up to provide human care.
During the upcoming 2025 Future of Human Care Symposium, attendees will consider how nonprofits and businesses work together to “Build the Community Safety Net.” Panels and speakers will discuss everything from AI to finding hope in the chaos. Omaha Mayor John Ewing will deliver the keynote, plus we’ll hear from two national speakers and Omaha’s philanthropic leaders, learn where artificial intelligence can fit into our work, and of course, enjoy Coneflower Ice Cream.
Lutheran Family Services, in coordination with Urban League of Nebraska and McGrath North, hosts this annual program for fellow leaders who provide essential human care services in our community. This third annual event will be at the Scott Conference Center on the UNO Campus, Wednesday October 15.
To register, contact Renee at rlauver@mcgrathnorth.com.
