WARSAW, N.Y. — Mental health is vital to your wellbeing, but sometimes you’re faced with a crisis and need help.

That’s where places like Spectrum Health and Human Services in Warsaw, Wyoming County come into play.

“For me, it's more of a calling," said Debbie LaBounty, a clinician with Spectrum Health and Human Services. 

Helping people is what LaBounty does.

“I have clients that are age five, and I also have a client that's up to 90,” she said. “It was just my nature to want to immerse myself in an area that I hadn't worked with before.”

In recent years, that workload got a bit more intense because of a shortage of workers, specifically in rural areas.

“On certain days, it feels like you kind of get on a train and it just derailed,” laughed LaBounty.

It can be difficult, especially when dealing with people in crisis.

“I might have to end [a] session and tell them that we'll get back to them later, so that I can deal with the crisis that's happening at the moment,” LaBounty explained.

It's something centers across the state have to consider.

Eric Dryja is the VP of certified community behavioral health.

“We have four open positions at this site alone," he said. "Which puts us at about 1/3 of our usual staff that we're down.”

Many clinicians left during and post-pandemic for telehealth jobs.

“Staffing is harder just by nature in the rural community because there's just less people," he explained. "But in Erie County, they're having the same problem. All across the state, the staffing issue is a huge issue.”

With caseloads increasing, they sometimes have to get creative to address needs, whether transportation to treatment or just being there for someone who is suicidal or dealing with substance abuse.

“When we help those individuals get the treatment that they need, we are literally saving their lives,” said Dryja.

For now, they lean on peer advocates like Dawn Stone, people who have experienced some of these issues themselves.

“I get paid to talk to people who are just like me, and help them along their journey a little bit,” Stone said.

They share the work as best they can, but it still has its ups and downs.

“I have a bigger caseload which I'm kind of sad about because I really like to spend a good hour or so with my clients and give them time every week," Stone explained. "But at the same time, I get to know a lot more people so I do enjoy that.”

Helping people get through life is an important job, but sometimes it’s the helpers who need help.

“There's some people will stay in the clinic for a long time and some will use it to get them started," said LaBounty. "There's really no better place to learn.”

The need for these services is so great that Spectrum Health has opened a facility in Springville that acts like an urgent-care location for non-life-threatening behavioral health and substance abuse situations – and it hopes to open one in Warsaw later this year. 

For those interested in applying for open roles, click here.