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Managing editor

The Anoka County Board has agreed to give more money to one of the three mental health clinics with which it contracts, because of an uptick in demand for services.

The board has approved a recommendation from its Human Services Committee to increase the 2009 contract maximum with the Coon Rapids-based North Suburban Counseling Center from $153,000 to $167,000.

According to information provided to the county board by George Borrell of the human services division, the North Suburban Counseling Center has seen an increase in outpatient services provided under the sliding fee mental health contract as more people find themselves uninsured or underinsured.

The result is that the counseling center is expected to reach its contract maximum by the end of November, “leaving this vulnerable population with reduced access to services at this potentially stressful time of the year,” Borrell wrote in his report.

The 9.15 percent increase in the contract maximum will allow the North Suburban Counseling Center to maintain the same level of access to “critical mental health services for county residents” through the end of 2009, he wrote.

The county’s human services account for psychiatric and therapy services has money available because more referrals for service are on third-party reimbursement than anticipated, according to Borrell.

The North Suburban Counseling Center has been operating for more than 25 years; at one time it was a function of the city of Coon Rapids.

The mission of the private, nonprofit, community mental health clinic is to improve the emotional wellness of its clients with an emphasis on prevention and recovery, according to its Web site.

The center, which is approved by the state as a Rule 29 clinic, has an interdisciplinary staff from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, clinical social work and marriage and family therapy.

Services provided by the clinic include individual counseling, relationship counseling, parent and adolescent counseling, employee assistance program services, medical evaluation and management for established clients and psychological testing and assessment.

The clinic serves adolescents ages 16 to 19 and adults from 18 through 65 and older.

Peter Bodley is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it