The city of Goodyear has teamed up with health and wellness company Trauma Recovery Service of Arizona (TRSAZ) to launch the New City Pilot Program, which removes the two major barriers preventing residents from accessing mental health services: finances and accessibility.

“We have a program where eligible residents can have their out-of-pocket costs associated with receiving mental health services waived for up to 10 sessions,” said Christina Panaitescu, grants and neighborhood services supervisor for the city of Goodyear.

“(There is also a) partnership with a licensed mental health provider who provides services virtually and has appointments available.”

The idea for the program came from the city conducting a community and neighborhood services master plan, and phase one of that plan was centered on human services.

According to Panaitescu, the city learned that 1 in 5 adults experience mental health problems each year. With the knowledge that mental health challenges had also been exacerbated by the pandemic, the city wanted to try to remove any barriers to receiving care.

“We learned that for many, they had insurance that would cover mental health services, but they couldn’t access appointments because there weren’t enough providers or times that services were available,” Panaitescu said.

“And then … for others we learned that the out-of-pocket costs such as the co-pay or being uninsured for mental health services would be a barrier. So, we wanted to see if we could increase the availability of mental health services for our residents to receive services in Goodyear.”

New City Pilot also has a mental health committee that is composed entirely of Goodyear residents who are volunteering to identify any barriers, gaps or needs as well as promote the program.

To sign up for the pilot program, residents can either call or go to TRSAZ’s website, where there is a landing page specifically for the program.

For the first four sessions, residents only need to submit their address and proof of residency. In order to receive 10 sessions, TRSAZ needs to verify the residents’ income with a W2 or pay stubs, and as long as they meet the income requirements, they can get each of those sessions. 

TRSAZ requires that the resident be making 80% of the area median income, which varies based on the number of family members. According to TRSAZ, the median income limit for a family of one would be $52,400 while the limit for a family of four would be $74,800.

Whether the residents have insurance or not, Goodyear will cover any costs for both the four and the 10 sessions. 

“It’s regardless of whether they’re insured or not, it’s really for everybody,” said Jordanna Saunders, CEO and founder of TRSAZ. “Goodyear has been really generous about that, like we negotiated with them to set that rate and they were really motivated to help their residents.”

TRSAZ provides psychotherapy and social and emotional support for people who are 13 and up in the state of Arizona and specializes in working with those who have mental health concerns. 

It offers a number of services including individual therapy, therapy for adolescents, couples therapy, family therapy as well as group therapy — all of which are offered under the pilot program. 

Saunders also emphasized that TRSAZ has an 80/20 model. 

“We have contracts with other entities that allow us to see certain populations of people, so 80% of folks come in with some kind of funding, 20% of the folks come in and they don’t have any current resources to get the services they desperately need,” Saunders said. 

The city’s partnership with TRSAZ began when it issued a request for proposals (RFPs), shared that it was making up to $200,000 available for the pilot program, and set the criteria that it must be a license provider. There was also a minimum amount of experience needed, and the companies also had to propose budgets and solutions.

TRSAZ was selected based on its proposal and what it was looking to accomplish. 

In addition, Saunders used to be a Goodyear resident and was relatively active in the community as part of the Faith and Wellness committee, which is where she first heard from the community about the mental health needs. Then, the RFPs went out and Saunders created the program based on her work with the community and general knowledge of what residents needed.

Panaitescu emphasized the importance of the program is that when someone is experiencing a crisis — especially a mental health one — to ensure that they can get an appointment and not have to worry about choosing between dinner and a counseling appointment. 

“The goal is to make sure that Goodyear residents have access to mental health services in our community,” she said.

Panaitescu is hoping, in the future, to see TRSAZ and other mental health providers get additional funding from other sources to sustain this program and similar programs so appointment availability and financial burden is never a barrier for people to receive mental health services. 

In addition, Saunders hopes that the program will not only help residents better navigate the complex health care system but motivate other cities and corporations to step in and put money into helping their residents.

Panaitescu wants Goodyear residents to know that the city and its council care about them and their quality of life and want to help them achieve their best possible outcomes.

“I just want (residents) to know that it was created with them in mind and that they have a voice in it, which is why we have the committee,” Saunders said. “And also … the healthier you are, the better you are in all areas of your life.”