Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority

What Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority does

Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority is a designated community mental health authority under the Michigan Mental Health Code, serving six counties in northern Michigan — Crawford, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Missaukee, Roscommon, and Wexford. The organization provides behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disability, and substance use services to four priority populations: adults with serious mental illness, persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, children with serious emotional disturbance, and individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders. Service delivery is organized around Person-Centered Planning and the Culture of Gentleness methodology, supported by a distributed physical footprint of county offices, two drop-in centers (Kandu Island in Traverse City and Hope Begins Here in Grayling), two clubhouses (Club Cadillac and Traverse House), day programs, and 24/7 crisis services including a dedicated hotline, mobile crisis response, and the FAST (Family Assessment & Safety Team) pediatric crisis program.

The core product portfolio spans crisis services, the CHAT/Behavioral Health Home integrated care model, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams, Community Living Supports, OBRA assessments, autism-related ABA services, supported employment, wraparound services for children, family support subsidies, and the Grand Traverse Mental Health Crisis and Access Center — the latter operated under a shared staffing joint model with Munson Healthcare and opened on January 5, 2025, with 24/7/365 operations commencing July 7, 2025. Substance use disorder services are accessed through the Northern Michigan Regional Entity partnership. Specialized facilities include nine planned adult crisis residential beds.

The revenue model is publicly funded rather than commercial. Medicaid (including the Healthy Michigan Plan) is the primary payer, supplemented by Medicare and other insurance billing when possible, plus a sliding-fee scale based on federal poverty guidelines for those unable to pay full cost. No individual is denied access to eligible mental health services due to inability to pay. As a government-designated community mental health authority, Northern Lakes is not venture-backed, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and operates within a fixed six-county catchment defined by Michigan state policy.

Name

Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority

Legal name

Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority

Website

https://northernlakescmh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority is a designated Michigan community mental health authority serving six counties, providing crisis, mental illness, intellectual/developmental disability, and substance use services to adults, children, and families under Medicaid funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI)

Keywords

• Community mental health
• Developmental disability services
• Crisis intervention services
• Substance use treatment
• Behavioral health home

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Medicaid Specialty Services: Primary revenue source from Medicaid, including the Healthy Michigan Plan, as payment for mental health services. Also bills Medicare and other insurances when possible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority is a designated community mental health authority providing publicly funded behavioral health services across six Michigan counties. Its core offerings include 24/7 crisis intervention, mental illness treatment, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) services, serious emotional disturbance services for children, and substance use disorder treatment, supported by drop-in centers, clubhouses, and vocational programs.

Product overview

Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority provides a comprehensive suite of mental health and disability services across six Michigan counties. The organization operates as a single integrated service delivery system rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Crisis Services (24/7 hotline, mobile crisis, FAST team), Mental Illness Services, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Services, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment. These are supported by Community Support Programs including Clubhouses (Club Cadillac, Traverse House), Drop-In Centers (Kandu Island, Hope Begins Here), and Day Programs. Specialized offerings include the CHAT/Behavioral Health Home, Autism Related Services with ABA therapy, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and Community Living Supports. The organization also operates the Grand Traverse Mental Health Crisis and Access Center (opened January 2025) and provides vocational services, family support programs, and Mental Health First Aid training. Person-Centered Planning serves as the unifying care approach across all services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Services 24/7 crisis intervention including a dedicated hotline, mobile crisis response, and FAST family crisis program for children and families in behavioral health crisis.
• Mental Illness Services Comprehensive mental health treatment for adults with serious mental illness including psychiatric evaluation, therapy, medication management, and community-based support.
• Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Services Individualized services and supports for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities using Culture of Gentleness with Person-Centered Planning to promote community inclusion and independence.
• Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services Substance use disorder treatment continuum including access and assessment, intensive outpatient, outpatient counseling, methadone/LAAM treatment, sub-acute detoxification, and residential treatment through Northern Michigan Regional Entity.
• CHAT/Behavioral Health Home Integrated behavioral health home providing coordinated care for individuals with serious mental illness, combining mental health services with primary care coordination.
• Clubhouses (Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers) Psychosocial rehabilitation programs including Club Cadillac and Traverse House where consumers and staff work side-by-side to foster recovery, social supports, and vocational skills.
• Drop-In Centers

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Munson HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2025Partnership with Munson Healthcare to open the Grand Traverse Mental Health Crisis and Access Center on the Munson campus at 410 Brook St., Traverse City. The center opened January 5, 2025 and operates under a shared staffing model with Master's and Bachelor's level mental health professionals and certified peer support specialists working between Northern Lakes CMH and Munson Healthcare. On July 7, 2025, hours expanded to 24/7/365 with a 'Living Room' model of care, Psychiatric Urgent Care operated by Munson, Welcome Center operated by Northern Lakes, and planned nine adult crisis residential beds operated by Northern Lakes.
• Northern Michigan Regional EntitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Michigan Regional Entity serves as the access point for substance use disorder services. Individuals with substance use disorders are referred to Northern Michigan Regional Entity at 1-800-834-3393 to access services including Access, Assessment and Referral, Intensive Outpatient, Outpatient Treatment, Methadone Treatment, Sub-Acute Detoxification, and Residential Treatment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Community Mental Health of Ottawa County: CMH authority for Ottawa County, Michigan offering mental health, IDD, and substance use services through a comparable Medicaid-funded, person-centered planning model.
• Lifeways Community Mental Health: CMH authority serving Lenawee, Jackson, and Hillsdale counties in Michigan with crisis services, IDD, and mental health treatment under the same person-centered framework.
• North Country Community Mental Health: Community mental health authority serving northern lower Michigan counties with a comparable rural, multi-county service area and similar mix of crisis, IDD, and SUD services.
• Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network: Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan managing behavioral health, IDD, and SUD services for Wayne County, Michigan. Direct peer in role and Medicaid-managed care responsibility, though much larger scale.
• Network180: Designated community mental health authority for Kent County, Michigan. Direct peer as a county-level CMHA providing the same array of public behavioral health, IDD, and SUD services under the same Michigan framework.
• Macomb County Community Mental Health: CMH services entity for Macomb County, Michigan providing mental health, developmental disability, and substance use services with a 24/7 access center, mirroring Northern Lakes' structure.
• Genesee Health System: Community mental health services provider for Genesee County, Michigan. Direct comparable in scale, services (crisis, IDD, SUD), and statutory designation as a CMH authority.
• Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority: Community mental health authority serving Saginaw County with crisis, IDD, and behavioral health services. Direct comparable operating model and Michigan CMHA designation.
• West Michigan Community Mental Health: Community mental health system serving Mason, Lake, and Oceana counties in western Michigan, with a similar rural footprint, person-centered planning approach, and mix of mental health and IDD services.

Broad incumbents

• Mid-State Health Network: Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan and managed care entity for behavioral health across 21 Michigan counties. Comparable as a regional oversight and funding intermediary that contracts with CMHAs like Northern Lakes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthernLakesCMH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-lakes-community-mental-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority