♪ Continuing our coverage from Owensboro.

I had the chance to sit down with Doctor Wanda Figaro, upper all to the CEO of River Valley, Behavioral Health River Valley is a regional mental health center that offers more than 35 treatment programs across 7 counties.

In fact, it's the only mental health center in the region that also operates a hospital for children with mental health needs.

We talk about the need that access and some of the solutions as we go on the road to Owensboro.

I know that that access has been a real a goal of yours since coming on in 2018.

>> And you all have made some great strides to improve that Tell us about some of those things that you're doing to remove the barriers to this type of health care act first, I have to recognize the prevalence of mental needs in our community.

>> And have of the individuals that need mental health services to not get them.

I and I we want to change one.

If cook with type individuals in the United States have a mental health issue, I haven't meant health it.

And in this and 50% of chronic take or or money faced before someone is 14 years old.

So we want to start early.

We want to focus on prevention and we want expand access.

So some of the initiatives that we developing the as 6 years is that we have implemented the Rio more live mental health crisis team.

24 with access to clinicians and psychiatry is a peer support specialist that will go whatever the person is needed.

And so instead of 3 line in law enforcement to attend mental health needs and mental health of any family member.

We're doing mental illness by providing immediate care and at the same time we are supporting the work of a first responder.

This is one of many initiatives that we have implemented in the last 6 years.

Is in the last 12 months.

We have opened a at clinics or sober, naming housing programs.

So we want to make sure that we offer mental health at throughout the spent a lifespan in and focusing on special populations like moms, a pregnant that have such a difficult time accessing services.

And another thing I just told you, I drove by.

>> I the Crown care unity resource enter.

This is brand-new.

Tell us about what what that is and what it's all about.

We open services at the crown last October at the Crown is an the Senate building in Owensboro.

>> So we know that everyone, if we say we're offering services that the crown, they're not going to be asking.

Where is that?

Everybody knows where the crown is.

And and this is a testament both our desire to provide access to services with no so people knowing where to go, it's across the judicial center and people when they go to the Jersey Shore center there either and looking for some type of because they're being the victim of a crime or they have been the perpetrator as we take an adjustment, but rather enhance safety in the community and wellness.

So having that is improving access to services.

We have a oneness library at the Crown.

and wonderful library for shoulder in teachers can come in and check out books and materials and curriculums.

They could any person that is walking shopping that can stop by is in and ask questions to therapies about the resources that have been that it I know there important things that we're doing at the crown is that we have connectors navigators that help individuals get services in the community, not just for mental health services for things that support they're well, NASA such as housing employment and older services that are available not only through 35 programs by the community, at the partnerships that we have with other providers, leverage those resources are for individuals.

>> River Valley also recently opened a treatment program specifically for pregnant or new mothers dealing with substance abuse.

It provides assistance and housing for these families for up to 2 years.

Thanks for a 2.5 million dollar federal Grant River Valley is one of 19 providers in the country that received grant money for a program of