Grand Lake Mental Health Center Uses iPads To Stay Connected With Clients

Grand Lake Mental Health Center is using iPads to make sure its clients stay connected when it’s not possible to meet face-to-face.

The center just ordered thousands more iPads so clients have resources right at their fingertips.

For some people in Green Country, mental health help is just a button away. Grand Lake Mental Health Center serves people in 12 Oklahoma counties.

Josh Cantwell, Chief Operating Officer for Grand Lake Mental Health Center, said, "We have more people than ever before in need of mental health and substance use treatment and then we have people who are afraid to access that treatment."

They have been using iPads to keep their clients connected to mental health resources, despite all of the changes that have happened to daily life recently.

"We have people who are used to receiving their services in a certain way. They are used to coming to a certain location and receiving counseling services every week, they are used to being able to go to self-help meetings,” Cantwell said. "People ae contacting us now we are able to talk to them on the phone for a few minutes determine the best course of treatment but then we are able to get an iPad delivered to their home."

Cantwell says they started using the iPads in 2015 but never imagined a global pandemic would make the technology crucial to bring services to their clients. One click of a button and people can talk to doctors, nurses, therapists, housing specialists, case managers, nutritionists and dietitians.

"We have the ability to get people engaged in treatment without ever having to have physical contact with them," he said.