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Screening kiosk opens to public

Carteret County News-Times, The (Morehead City, NC) - 6/26/2016

MOREHEAD CITY - A first-of-its-kind mental health-screening tool for Carteret County was unveiled Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the County Health Department.

This screening kiosk comes as part of the new Access Point Screening Program from Trillium Health Resources, the behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities management authority for 24 Eastern North Carolina counties.

The Access Point Screening Program is designed to provide people with access to anonymous screenings for mental health and substance use challenges.

The screenings cover topics including alcohol and substance use, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and eating disorders.

In addition to the kiosk, the Access Point Screening Program is available online and is accessible on all mobile devices.

Deanna Campbell, Southern Regional Director for Trillium Health Resources, said the important aspect of the kiosk is it provides an anonymous way for people to seek help.

"This is a tool to begin to talk about what is keeping a person from seeking treatment," she said. "We look at issues like ?do people have access to providers' or ?are we providing the right type of providers.' But many times it's that people don't want to be seen coming in for treatment services," said Ms. Campbell.

Bobbie Lowe, project coordinator with Trillium Health Resources, said the tool, whether accessed through the kiosk or at home through the internet, provides immediate answers and connects users to resources, including treatment recommendations, local referrals and educational materials.

The kiosk is equipped with an online screening platform, and has a dedicated phone line (VoIP) that will connect the user to the Trillium call center if they so choose. It's wheelchair accessible and features a privacy filter that makes on-screen data visible only to persons directly in front of the monitor.

Ms. Lowe said the county's kiosk makes the sixth that has been installed in Trillium's service area since October 2015.

"Our goal is to have one kiosk in the 24 counties included in our service area," said Ms. Lowe.

David Atkinson, director of the County Consolidated Human Services Board, said he was pleased to see the kiosk installed at the health department.

"I'm happy that we're providing another opportunity for our citizens to gain access to help," he said. "I'm looking forward to a lot of people coming and experiencing these services."

For more information or to access the tool, visit www.TrilliumNCAccessPoint.org.

Contact Cheryl Burke at 252-726-7081, ext. 255; email Cheryl@thenewstimes.com; or follow on Twitter @cherylccnt.