Clubhouse International noticed Summit County Clubhouse’s work of providing community and support for those with mental health and substance use challenges.
“They gave us a three-year accreditation, the highest level of achievement,” said Summit County Clubhouse Executive Director Jennifer O’Brien. “This is a huge milestone for us, and it shows our fidelity to the Clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation for adults with mental illnesses.”
The accreditation is important on many different levels, according to O’Brien.
“It shows that we are working in fidelity to Clubhouse International’s 37 standards that you have to meet in order to be an official Clubhouse, because anyone can open their doors and call themselves a Clubhouse,” she said.
The standards create a specific and unique model in which members join in a work-based approach to actually run the facility themselves, O’Brien said.
“The Clubhouse is not a typical clinical treatment, but it leads to remarkable outcomes in terms of reducing hospitalizations and rates of incarceration, while helping with overall improvements of well-being, reductions of isolations and increasing levels of employment,” she said. “If we’re accredited, it shows to donors and members of the community, even Park City and the county, who are investing money, that we’re running this as a proper Clubhouse.”
Some of Summit County Clubhouse strengths included its rapid growth, diversity of memberships — including young adults and those who speak Spanish — the engagement and impact of its staff and board of directors, its employment program and how it meets emergency housing needs for members in crisis, according to O’Brien.
“We have to show that we have a housing program, where we connect our members with housing resources, because Clubhouse International says our members have a right to safe and affordable housing,” she said. “That’s a high bar for us to meet, especially with the cost of living in this community. So for us to show we are making an impact for our unhoused members and those who don’t have funding is quite incredible.”
The accreditation wouldn’t have been possible without Summit County Clubhouse members, O’Brien said.
“Clubhouse International sends a team out for three days, and they are embedded in our clubhouse from when we open at 9 a.m. until we close at 5 p.m.,” she said. “They get involved and see how they are going, but the visit is the culmination of six months of data collection and preparation.”
That data included things like how many meals they serve each day, the rate of employment and whether those employed are full or part time, O’Briend said.
“They also looked into how many have gone back to work since joining our Clubhouse and how many social events we host each month and how many of our members attend,” she added.
Also, more than 60% of Summit County Clubhouse members are employed, which is one of the big missions, O’Brien said.
“They may have joined when they were unemployed, but they have recreated a routine and have recreated their skills,” she said. “So, we are able to get them out to work as soon as possible. We’re a launching pad, not a landing pad.”
The three-year accreditation is one of three options bestowed by Clubhouse International, O’Brien said.
“They can provide a one-year accreditation if a Clubhouse is meeting the standards but will come back to revisit the Clubhouse in a year to keep it on track,” she said. “The three-year accreditation, on the other hand, says a Clubhouse is an established, well-run facility that doesn’t need revisiting.”
That said, the Summit County Clubhouse’s three-year accreditation is conditional, according to O’Brien.
“They set conditions we need to meet over the next 12 months so we won’t have to start the accreditation process again for another three years,” she said.
Those conditions deal with how fast Summit County Clubhouse membership has grown over the past two years, O’Brien said.
“It has grown so much that it’s hard for us to keep up with our staff levels,” she said. “I’m the only local staff member, and like many nonprofits, here, my staff commutes from the Salt Lake Valley — South and West Jordan, Herriman — up to an hour-and-a-half away. So, right now, we’re closed to members on Tuesdays, and we need to have enough staff to open every day to get our members connected to resources.”
The community can help Summit County Clubhouse meet those conditions through donations, O’Brien said.
“Clubhouse is a place where people who have mental wellness issues can come and feel needed, and we are reimbursed by Medicaid for psycho-social rehabilitation, which is happening here,” she said. “But only 5% or 10% of our fixed costs are covered by that reimbursement. So we rely on donations to help our members in times of need so they can continue to work.”
O’Brien isn’t too concerned about how the Trump Administration’s cuts to Medicaid will affect Summit County Clubhouse.
“The good news is we won’t be affected directly all that much with Medicaid cuts because it’s a very small amount that covers our fixed-cost budget,” she said. “What will hurt us is when our members who are on Medicaid will lose those benefits — prescriptions, behavior or physical treatments. Those costs will fall into the lap of the Clubhouse. We do have an emergency response fund. We do step in for our members in crisis, so that will be a big financial stress on us because we are the social safety net for our members.”
Another way the community can help is through referrals.
“Clubhouses are intentionally understaffed because members need to run the business and facility,” O’Brien said. “Since, we don’t have a communications team or someone who works on our social media, emails and newsletters, we rely on word-of-mouth. We would love people to have our number programmed into their phones. So if they see or know someone who is struggling, they can get them in contact with us.”
Summit County Clubhouse opened its doors in 2019 in a room at the Christian Center of Park City and moved to its present location at 6304 Highland Drive in 2021, O’Brien said.
“So, to have a clubhouse this young to receive a three-year accreditation is an honor,” she said. “For our 73 members, this accreditation confirms that this Clubhouse is an irreplaceable part of this community and members are helping to operate the program according to the highest standards and best possible quality.”
For information about the Summit County Clubhouse, visit summitcountyclubhouse.org.