Tri County Behavioral Health, a mental health clinic in Conroe, is among 13 sites lined up to receive funds to expand mental health services, according to a Texas Health and Human Services Commission announcement July 22. The $4 million program, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Mental Health Block Grant, targets rural areas and Texans experiencing early onset psychosis. The program is aimed at people ages 15-30 who have been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder in the last two years, with symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and confused thinking causing substantial life disruption. The intensive treatment program is intended to help improve the quality of life by reducing symptoms along with the need for crisis services and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. “It’s critical we reach people early in their diagnosis to create the best opportunity for recovery,” said Sonja Gaines, HHSC deputy executive commissioner for Intellectual and Developmental Disability and Behavioral Health Services, in a press release. “Connecting people with the right treatment and support can be life-changing and dramatically alter the trajectory of a person’s future.” The specialty care includes medication, primary care, therapy, family education and support, case management and outreach because if people are helped within the first year of early onset, they have a good chance to learn to manage it and live independently. In 2018, 520 people received coordinated specialty care across 10 established sites, according to the release. With the addition of 13 new sites including Conroe, health officials estimate up to 700 people a month could be served by the program. Learn more about the program here.