A ribboncutting was held Tuesday, Dec. 2, for Rochelle Community Hospital’s Behavioral Health Services department that launched in April.

The new department is located at the RCH Multi-Specialty Clinic at the hospital at 900 N. Second St. It is open Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Services are offered by appointment only. Call 815-561-1320 for appointment information. No walk-ins are accepted. Services are available for patients 12 years old or older. Health insurance is required for payment.

Offerings include face-to-face counseling, behavioral telehealth evaluations and medication management services.

Behavioral health providers in the clinic are Licensed Clinical Social Worker Danica Reints and Nurse Practitioner Chiedza Nwakudu. Reints provides in-person counseling services for individuals as well as couples (partners, family, parental, etc.) Nwakudu provides behavioral health evaluations and medication management through telehealth visits.

Reints and Nwakudu offer treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, couples counseling, depressive disorder, grief counseling, mood disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts or ideation.

RCH has had a desire to start a behavioral health clinic since 2022. The idea came about due to a need that was discussed in quarterly meetings that take place with RCH and local police and fire representatives and mental health organizations. The Rochelle Fire Department and the RCH emergency department have seen a rise in mental health cases in recent years.

RCH CEO Karen Tracy said Dec. 2 said that after having relationships with local behavioral health service providers for years, RCH wanted to help expand those services in the area and make them more available.

“This didn’t happen overnight,” Tracy said. “We’ve talked about this for quite a long time. Our staff did the work and researched it to understand what it would take to bring it here and what the community needed. I’m so proud of our team and being able to provide those services here. Because that’s what we’re all about. Trying to meet the needs of all of our community.”

RCH Chief Nursing Officer Rhonda Marks said that RCH has seen the need for behavioral health services increase in the area and its emergency department caters to people in crisis. RCH wanted to do something to help the community before situations get to a crisis point.

The clinic offers some evening hours to accommodate patients and their schedules, RCH Manager of Outpatient Services Tracey Busby said.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to provide these services,” Busby said. “We are pretty new to being open and have already seen exponential growth over the past several months. We know the need is there and we are happy to step up to the plate and be able to help our community.”

The ribboncutting was hosted by the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and the City of Rochelle. Chamber Executive Director Tricia Herrera said the community is fortunate to have RCH and praised its leadership for being responsive and reactive to what the community needs.

Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows called the ribboncutting for the behavioral health services department a “proud and meaningful day” for the city.

“We’re here not only to celebrate a new service, but to also celebrate a commitment,” Bearrows said. “That commitment is to the health and welfare of every citizen in the area. This is just amazing. I want to thank everyone at RCH on behalf of the city. Mental and behavioral health are as equally important as physical health. I’m happy that in Rochelle we have a hospital that has that same belief and pushes towards making these things happen.”

The event was attended by State Rep. Bradley Fritts, R-Dixon, who praised RCH for being an independent rural hospital amid difficulties in the industry.

“Many independent rural hospitals are cutting services, going under and having to merge with bigger networks,” Fritts said. “It’s unbelievable to be here today where RCH is not only not cutting services, but it’s expanding and building and growing to provide for its community. I want to commend RCH for that effort and the city and community for supporting it.”