Tara McDonald said she always knew she wanted a career path where she could help folks. After working as a social worker in the Hudson Valley and New York City, she’s now tasked with helping a county of more than 170,000 residents.

“Figure out what service best supports you, and sometimes it takes some time and it takes patience. Folks need the ability to be able to have somebody walking with them," she said.

McDonald is interim commissioner of the renewed Ulster County Department of Mental Health.

Almost 20 years ago, the department was absorbed into the county’s Department of Health. But now, as mental health needs are in high demand after two years of COVID, the county will once again make mental health a standalone entity.

The department will act as a connector for residents to access the mental health resources available to them.

In Ulster County, opioid deaths went up more than 60% from 2019 to 2020, and suicides were up more than 25% during that same time. The troubling numbers show a need across New York, where opioid deaths were up 44%, and suicides decreased slightly by 4%.

McDonald said making mental health its own department will allow county resources to reach more people.

“We will have a better ability to be able to directly connect with residents who are looking for services within our behavioral health system," she said. "That’s the hope, that’s the plan.”

The department is already up and running, but expansion is also in the works.

McDonald said the theme of the growth is getting people help right now.

“They’re being inundated with messages that say, ‘it’s OK to not be OK,’" she said. "And that’s great, but once now that I recognize that it’s OK to not be OK, what do I do with that? And that’s the theme.”