Decatur, GA, (March 25, 2024) – The DeKalb Community Service Board welcomes the new year with a new name, refreshed vision, and new look as Claratel Behavioral Health. The rebrand represents growth in both services and facilities, including a new $25 million Crisis Center as well as a renewed commitment to its mission of offering quality behavioral health services, developmental disabilities programs, and substance use disorder services to uninsured and underinsured residents of DeKalb County and the Atlanta Metro area.
“The name ‘Claratel’ is derived from the Latin words for ‘clear,’ ‘bright,’ and ‘wellness,’ all terms that illuminate the hope and optimism we bring our clients,” said Fabio van der Merwe, M.A., CHC, Chief Executive Officer. “This new brand clarifies the mission of our community-based, public nonprofit organization and will be reflected through the new logo and website, and physically in our facilities with plans to renovate existing facilities and expand our services with a 50-bed mental health crisis community.”
A public, nonprofit organization, Claratel Behavioral Health is the region’s premier behavioral health care provider, offering a full range of services for children, adolescents, and adults with mental and behavioral health challenges, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders. It operates 20 locations in DeKalb County, and its diverse workforce of nearly 500 direct-care and support staff assists nearly 11,000 citizens annually. Since 1994, the organization has primarily served DeKalb County and metro Atlanta as a safety net for clients with little or no health insurance.
In November 2023, voters approved a sales tax (SPLOST) that includes $15 million dollars for a new mental health crisis center that will provide the largest capacity in the state. It will include the addition of 30 beds for crisis stabilization, 20 beds for 24-hour observation and emergency evaluation, and a peer support center. The new center will also include a 24-bed transitional therapeutic residential program.
“While additional fundraising is still underway, this is a big step forward in fulfilling our mission and in addressing an ever-growing need by people experiencing mental health crises and substance use disorders,” said Mr. van der Merwe.
Claratel Behavioral Health is currently in the process of obtaining certification as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), effective in 2025. This certification and grant program aid organizations in planning, developing and implementing Community Behavioral Health Clinics. It includes grant funding of up to $1 million per year over a four-year period.
Claratel Behavioral Health also partners with the DeKalb County Police Department in the longest-running co-responder program in Georgia. Its Mobile Crisis Unit includes both a clinician and a police officer who can evaluate and assist individuals in crisis. In 2023, Claratel Behavioral Health expanded its efforts to develop co-responder program partnerships with the Cities of Decatur, Dunwoody, and Doraville, and a mental health case management program with the City of Tucker.
“While this rebrand will help potential clients and supporters better understand what we offer and will help us in our recruiting efforts, our mission and guiding principles remain the same,” said Mr. van der Merwe. “Claratel Behavioral Health will continue to be a leader in our field, employ a highly skilled, dedicated staff, collaborate with partners to offer a full range of services, and marshal the necessary resources to be the provider and employer of choice.”
About Claratel Behavioral Health
Claratel Behavioral Health is an innovative, community-based behavioral health and developmental disabilities services organization located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, offering a full range of mental health services, developmental disabilities programs, and substance use disorder services to nearly 11,000 citizens annually who are uninsured and underinsured. As a public, not-for-profit organization, Claratel Behavioral Health operates 20 locations in DeKalb County. It has a diverse workforce of nearly 500 direct-care and support staff of physicians, nurses, clinicians, and support personnel who are dedicated to helping clients and their families recover from these debilitating disabilities and resume productive lives. Claratel Behavioral Health strives to provide the highest quality, evidence-based services in the least restrictive settings and envisions a community where disabilities no longer limit potential. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners appoints board members. Claratel Behavioral Health is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). For more information, visit www.claratel.org or follow Claratel on social media at @claratelbehavioralhealth.
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