Historically, mental health and chemical dependency services have been handled by different agencies. They have been seen as separate clinical disciplines by professionals specializing in each area. But time and experience has proven that frequently - too frequently to minimize - there is an overlapping relationship. Often the substance abuser will start using because she/he has an underlying mental health condition, which may not be obvious, or well developed, but is uncomfortable nonetheless. In these situations, the substance abuser is said to have started using to self-medicate her/his emotional discomfort. Unfortunately, once someone has developed a substance use habit, she/he must choose recovery as well as deal with the initial problems. Of course, there are frequent instances where the user is intentionally using to deal with a serious thinking or emotional issue.

Conversely, the use of substances can readily create significant mental health issues such as the psychotic break that frequently occurs with methamphetamine use, or the a-motivational syndrome (chronic lethargy) that can occur with heavy marijuana use. Again, there is need for crossover expertise.

As the provider of mental health services for Jefferson County, and as one of the only providers in Oregon of enhanced co-occurring residential treatment, BestCare is in the rare position to have intra-agency access to professional care for both the mental health and addiction treatment.

As a necessary component to this, BestCare provides crisis services in conjunction with police, rescue and Mountain View Hospital in Jefferson County. BestCare also offers one of the only community based centers for clients with thinking disorders a place where positive and supportive interaction can help members improve the quality of their lives.

It should be noted that in all BestCare service offerings, there is a significant effort made to ensure that programs are evidenced based.