Where to Find Mental Health Help in East Texas, Day or Night

Sometimes the hardest part of getting help is knowing who to call.

So this one is simple. Save these numbers in your phone today, for yourself or for someone you love. You may never need them. Somebody you know might.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

The 24-hour line for our part of East Texas

Community Healthcore is the nonprofit that provides mental, emotional and behavioral health services to Northeast Texas residents, including Gregg, Harrison and Marion counties. Its own site describes it as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic that has served the region for more than 55 years.

• 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (800) 832-1009
• Services or referrals: (800) 446-8253

A team that can come to you

Community Healthcore runs a Crisis and Mobile Crisis Team. Its page says the team provides crisis assessments to decide whether inpatient care is needed, or what resources and referrals a person needs. The listed service area includes Gregg, Harrison and Marion counties, along with Bowie, Cass, Panola, Red River, Rusk and Upshur. The page lists the team at 903-757-1106, extension 5833.

Its crisis services page puts it kindly: life is stressful, and sometimes that stress can be overwhelming.

Clinics close to home

From the Community Healthcore locations page:

• Marshall: adult and children's mental health outpatient services, 1500 West Grand Ave., 903-938-7721.
• Longview: adult mental health outpatient services at 1300 North Sixth Street, 903-297-1852. Crisis services and intake at 950 North Fourth Street, 903-758-0596.
• Gilmer and Henderson also have adult and child outpatient offices listed on that page.

The locations page does not list an office in Jefferson. Marion County families are inside the service area for the mobile crisis team and the veterans center below, so start with the crisis line or the referral line.

The adult outpatient page lists intake assessments, medication management, case management, skills training and counseling for adults 18 and older with serious mental illness. There is also a children and teens program.

Worried about the cost?

This part matters. The Community Healthcore home page says it will not deny access to services due to inability to pay, and that a discounted sliding fee schedule is available based on family size and income. It says it accepts many insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid.

For veterans and their families

Veterans Day is tomorrow. If you served, or you love someone who did, this one is for you.

The East Texas Veterans Resource Center lists peer support, mental health care, non-clinical therapies, rental assistance, utility assistance and case management for veterans and their families. Its service area includes Gregg, Harrison and Marion counties. The number listed is 903-291-1155.

I am a Marine. I know a lot of men who will carry something for years before they say a word. A call from another veteran can be the thing that opens the door.

Learn how to help a neighbor

Here is the part where any of us can serve.

Community Healthcore offers Mental Health First Aid training, with adult, teen, youth and veteran versions. Its page says one in five US adults experience a mental illness or disorder every year, and that the training equips people to recognize and provide initial help. The adult course page says it covers anxiety, depression, psychosis and addictions, and how to guide a person toward care. The phone listed for the training is 903-234-9200.

Think about who could use that in your circle. A pastor. A coach. A small business owner with a crew. A deacon. A parent.

And 988, anywhere

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline takes calls, texts and chats. Its site says conversations are free and confidential, and that it is available 24/7, every day of the year.

One more thing

If you are the one carrying it right now, there is no shame in calling. Asking for help is not weakness. It is one of the strongest things a person can do.

East Texas takes care of its own. Let somebody take care of you.