Joliet, Illinois | City of Joliet/Facebook
Joliet, Illinois | City of Joliet/Facebook
The city of Joliet has launched a mental health program to assist r residents in need of services or financial support.
Joliet partnered with Thrive Works, a local mental health clinic and therapy office, to provide financial assistance to any Joliet City residents who seek help at the location.
Back in July 2022, the city council approved a $400,000 funding amount for this program, which offers discounts or coverage to Joliet residents, whether they have insurance or not. It can cover just the copay amount of insured patients, or help fund the care of uninsured or low-income residents who wouldn’t be able to receive care otherwise.
At the April 3 council meeting, council members were set to approve an additional $400,000 funding amount for the program, and they called up Fire Chief Jeff Carey to talk about the program and how it has gone in the past months since it was started.
He shared that in the past six or so months they have over 500 residents enrolled in the program, over 150 of whom are children. This program has also helped them work with residents in difficult situations, such as a few residents who routinely called for ambulance services and have not had to since Thanksgiving. They have also helped 24 people find housing and jobs through the program, improving their community and helping them get back to being productive citizens.
The decrease in calls for city emergency services saves the city about $2,800 per call and also saves in other associated costs for the city. Many residents are now able to access the care they needed but weren’t able to afford. They can access these services either through the city website or by calling Thrive Works and having the city water bill and insurance information ready.
"It’s been working out real well," Carey said. " And that money technically just goes into just an account that the city can pull back anytime if they want. It’s just there, as somebody uses it, we pay back the difference of what their insurance doesn’t cover. It’s been a tremendous success so far."
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