Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services

The support you need

UCare’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder team helps our members receive appropriate care for mental health or substance use disorders. The team advocates on behalf of members, including those harmed by social risk factors associated with poor health — like food insecurity and housing instability.

We offer help to manage a mental health condition or substance use disorder at no additional cost through two phone lines:

Triage Line – for general help with mental health and substance use disorders, connection to community support and in times of crisis. This number is on the back of your UCare member ID card.
Access Line – for help specific to accessing care like determining appointment needs and scheduling appointments.

Continuum of care

Mental health and substance use disorders are treatable health conditions^1,2. But, the path to recovery from these conditions can be confusing and hard, especially during a worldwide pandemic that has greatly impacted American health care systems.

You are not alone. UCare staff are available to offer support, resources, access to care and case management. We work to de-complicate and go the extra mile for our members. We can help you better understand the range of options available for services and care and help get you there.

Services and care might include counseling, medication or a combination of both that seek to change behaviors, thoughts, emotions and how one sees and understands things. Medications often provide relief to help manage symptoms. For many, a mix of counseling and medication is best.

There are varied levels of care, too, such as inpatient, outpatient or a mix of services offered in both inpatient and outpatient facilities, or those specifically for children.

In addition, a mental health or substance use disorder diagnosis can lead to a medical diagnosis and vice versa. It’s important you get the right support to manage any co-existing mental health, substance use and/or medical conditions.

Many UCare health plans cover mental health and substance use care as an essential benefit, much like it does for care of a medical need. Call the number on the back of your member ID card to learn about your specific plan benefits.

Other Help

Use My Health Decisions to learn more about symptoms and use check-up tools
Search for mental health and substance use disorder providers in your UCare plan’s network to avoid unnecessary health care costs
Search the accepted drug list (formulary) for any prescriptions you may be taking
Manage claims through your UCare online member account
Learn more through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota

Crisis support

Staffed by trained responders, these resources can help if you or a family member is in a crisis or for ongoing help to manage a mental health or substance use condition.

1, 2: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5428163/