While it might be hard to put the two together, there appears to be a significant link between the expansion on the Mid-Shore of behavioral health services and its economic development impact.
A case in point can be seen lately in both Kent and Talbot Counties with the growth of “Eastern Shore Psychological Services (ESPS), a privately-owned, mental health service provider. In Chestertown, a new office recently opened its doors in downtown that not only will be serving the needs of an estimated 4,000 individuals in Kent County who may be in need of psychiatric help but also adds twelve, relatively well-paid, professional positions to the town’s economic life. And this is also true in Talbot County, where ESPS’s presence has grown to over fifty staff members to handle its ever increasingly portfolio of work.
In fact, when you realize that only a few years ago Eastern Shore Psychological Services was made up of three professionals working out of a small office on Route 50 has now grown to have over 130 full-time employees, you begin to understand that economic development can come in many forms. And in this case, it comes with the real benefit of helping the 20% of the Mid-Shore population who need temporary or long-term help with through community, school and family-based treatment and evaluation services.
All of this prompted the Spy to reach out to Dr. Benjamin Kohl, who heads up ESPS programs on the Mid-Shore and has overseen much of this growth since joining the practice eight years ago. In our interview, Ben talks about the circumstances that led to his organization’s growth, including a marked increase in individuals enrolled in health insurance policies, but also, and more importantly, the slow but steady end of the stigma attached to those seeking out help for depression, attention deficit disorders, or drug/alcohol addiction, among many other conditions.
This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about “Eastern Shore Psychological Services please go here.
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