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- 17 - accessHealthNews.net December 2021 Volume 8 | Issue No. 52 This article was originally published in March 2021. S ocial workers are especially cherished in rural communities as they are key to breaking down access barriers to health care. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Erica Collins is among this heralded group. She continues to be instrumental in taking a whole-person approach to meeting the needs of those she serves. For the last two years, she has touched many in this role at HCC Network. "We're caring for the whole person: mind, body, spirit," she said. "You are a whole being and we must treat the whole being." Collins said she has been a social worker her entire life. She recalls a second-grade classmate who didn't always have school supplies – specifically, one of those Big Chief tablets. "I remember for months sharing paper and pencils with him," she said. "When we came back from Christmas break, he gave me a brand new Big Chief tablet and two chubby pencils. He said, 'My mom told me to give these to you' and I said, thank you." Collins grew up in Warrensburg, Mo. with a passion for reading, inspired by her mother, and an instantly recognizable empathy for others. Throughout grade school, she continued to share lunches and supplies with her less fortunate classmates. As she got older, she found ways to help friends navigate unmet needs by connecting them to community resources. After graduating from Parkville University, she became more involved in her community working for nonprofits and a residential rehabilitation center for people overcoming substance abuse. She also worked with homeless populations, as well as did work at Whiteman Air Force Base. After receiving her master's degree, Collins excitedly looked to HCC to pursue her clinical license, getting in on the ground level as they began building their behavioral health department. "There's such great vision and insight at HCC and it has grown very rapidly; our services keep getting better and better," she said. "I love the adaptability of HCC to become what it needs to be to meet the needs of the people it serves." Since Collins began working there, the department has expanded from three social workers working in behavioral health, a child psychiatrist, and an adult psychiatrist. Now there is an additional social worker, psychologist, and psychiatric nurse practitioner. Services have also expanded; HCC's behavioral health services are embedded in school districts and they now offer group therapy and medicated-assisted treatment. Collins provides individual and group counseling but says being part of an integrated team is the best way to provide health care services, especially in the communities she serves. She describes HCC as a one-stop shop with dentists, doctors, therapists, under one roof. This is especially crucial for rural communities as they face barriers in both access and social stigmas. "One of the things I care most about HCC being a one-stop shop is that we are caring for the whole person – mind, body, spirit – and that's a mantra I've had since I've become a social worker. We can't separate those parts out. We are a whole being so we must treat the whole being."

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