The need for behavioral health services has never been greater. Yet the professionals delivering this critical care—therapists, case managers, care coordinators, and more—are often stretched beyond capacity. Instead of spending their days focused on clients, they’re buried under progress notes, referrals, records requests, and endless documentation.
As Linda Jakes, Executive Director of Concord Counseling, explained:
Staffing shortages and burnout are huge issues, and a big piece of burnout has to do with the amount of paperwork that needs to be done. As much as that can be taken off providers’ plates, it will expand time with clients.
That’s exactly where Case Aide Services (CAS) comes in.
Shifting Time From Paperwork to Peoplework
The idea behind CAS is simple: remove administrative burdens so practitioners can focus on client care.
As Amy Drapcho, Senior Manager of External Affairs at Northwoods, described it:
“The idea behind Case Aide Services is to let practitioners focus on the people they signed up to help, while our Case Aides handle the behind-the-scenes, time-consuming paperwork.”
For community-based behavioral health agencies, this means more clinical hours, more billable activity, and ultimately, more patients served.
The Concord Pilot: A New Model of Support
Concord Counseling in Ohio is one of the first agencies piloting CAS for behavioral health, supported by an OMHAS innovation grant and evaluation from The Ohio State University.
Linda Jakes shared why this partnership matters:
“People get to come in and do what they either went to school for or what they love doing, and that is working and helping clients.”
Through this pilot, we’re learning in real time how CAS can:
- Increase clinical capacity by offloading documentation tasks.
- Reduce stress and burnout, leading to better retention.
- Improve compliance by ensuring timely, accurate documentation.
- Accelerate reimbursement and support agency growth.
Connecting to World Mental Health Day
Every October 10th, World Mental Health Day reminds us of the importance of supporting both those seeking care and those providing it.
This year, as agencies everywhere grapple with growing demand and limited resources, CAS offers a new way forward: real, practical help for the professionals carrying the weight of behavioral health systems. By giving practitioners time back, we’re not just improving efficiency—we’re protecting the well-being of the very people we count on to care for others.
Beyond Child Welfare: Expanding CAS to Behavioral Health
Northwoods has long supported child welfare agencies with CAS, helping them reduce burnout and turnover. Extending this model to behavioral health reflects a growing recognition that frontline workers across human services face the same challenge: too much paperwork, not enough time.
As Linda emphasized, removing administrative burden is critical to keeping practitioners in the field—and keeping clients connected to care.
Looking Ahead
The Concord pilot is just the beginning. By pairing human expertise with smart technology, CAS offers a sustainable way to give behavioral health workers the support they deserve.
We’ll continue to share what we learn as the pilot progresses, but one thing is already clear: when you lighten the load, everyone wins—workers, agencies, and most importantly, the people they serve.
