NICASA NFP

Nicasa Behavioral Health Services is a behavioral health and social service agency that has been serving the residents of Lake County since 1966. Our mission is to transform one life at a time through our behavioral health and social services, which is realized through our vision of strengthening the communities we serve by being the premier behavioral health and social service provider.

We provide services across a continuum of care that includes education, prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. Our growth into an five-site, nationally recognized leader in comprehensive substance use prevention and treatment is a result of our ability to seek out those in need, identify strengths and resources, and deliver services that create positive choices and lifelong solutions. All of our services are provided in English and Spanish and include, but are not limited to, substance use treatment, mental health and problem gambling counseling, in-school prevention programs, Teen Court diversion, parent education classes, family advocacy, behavioral health care coordination, and a residential recovery halfway house for adults.

Our programs are culturally competent and provided by bilingual, bicultural staff. We also believe that everyone has the right to accessible, high-quality behavioral health care, even if they are unable to pay for services. Therefore, we focus numerous efforts on treating those who are uninsured, underinsured, and/or undocumented.

Since March 2020, all services were converted to a telehealth modality. Services are now being offered in a hybrid format to ensure care is available and accessible in a variety of ways. This has helped meet the needs of people who are both with and without technology and may experience other barriers in accessing care (e.g. conflicting work schedules, childcare, transportation, etc.). Although it has been four years since the onset of the pandemic, long-term effects are very present. Overwhelming symptoms and increased substance use are further complicated by ongoing challenges of employment, immigration status, food and housing insecurity, and more. A continued growth in needs and their complexities continues along with exacerbated behavioral health symptoms, thereby making treatment and services essential to living healthy and avoiding fatalities.

We created our first-ever, direct client assistance fund, the Stable Families Fund, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the many inquiries from individuals and families who were in need of basic essentials, as well as those who were disengaging from behavioral health services due to a lack of basic needs, we created this fund to help families with food and medication. For those who were undocumented and unable to receive government assistance, as well as the increased numbers of unemployed individuals, this assistance helped stabilize families so they did not have to decide which items to pay for in order to support their families. In addressing these basic necessities, people were able to avoid potential instances of child abuse and/or neglect while also fully engaging in their own behavioral health treatment. Since its creation, the Stable Families Fund has supported provided $39,000 worth of food and medication to children and families in need.

In 2022 the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine selected Nicasa Behavioral Health Services for a pilot project that focuses on providing prevention information and Narcan to identified overdose “hot spots” throughout western Lake County. In this Block-by-Block program staff knock on every residence and business in these areas to provide life-saving Narcan along with education on the signs and symptoms of an overdose, as well as where to seek help. As of 2024, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services is now responsible for the entire county and continues its outreach via people with lived experience who can best connect with differing Lake County residents and business owners.

In 2023 Nicasa Behavioral Health Services was awarded funding from the Lake County Board as part of American Rescue Plan Act funds to create a new First Responder and Veteran Wellness Center for current and former first responders, active service members, veterans, and their family members. This new center will be the first of its kind in Lake County and will provide behavioral health and wellness services to these helping professionals who often experience repeated instances of traumatic events that result in increased rates of substance use, problem gambling, mental health crises, and suicide. The new center will be called the Frontline Care Center, in collaboration with Living Pono Counseling, and is set to open in winter 2024.

As an innovator in the field of substance use Nicasa Behavioral Health Services has seen the various challenges and complexities that afflict individuals and families within the community. Almost no one experiences substance use difficulties in a vacuum. Similarly, many human service entities have long provided only a few services to improve certain aspects of the needs among the community. Research has shown that with more referrals and change in service providers, there is a decreased likelihood for long-term success. This experience and knowledge has fueled Nicasa Behavioral Health Services to decrease the amount of "service silos" while also providing comprehensive service options. To transform one life at a time, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services remains flexible and consistently changes to both innovations in the field, as well as the ever-changing needs of individuals and families in need.