Bluebonnet Trails Community Services is a government agency that's been around since 1997, and folks have known it as a big provider for people with mental health needs and intellectual and developmental disabilities across Central Texas. The staff-nearly 340 of them-work at several spots like Round Rock, Bastrop, Cedar Park, Elgin, Georgetown, Giddings, Gonzales, Hutto, La Grange, Lockhart, Marble Falls, Schulenburg, Seguin, and Taylor, and they get help from independent service providers. The place runs a lot of programs that help with behavioral health, crisis services, substance use, supportive housing, autism, and early childhood intervention for children under age three. There's specialized care for children, teens, adults, and even a focus on veterans and military folks, plus services for families and people impacted by natural disasters. Bluebonnet Trails keeps a crisis hotline open 24/7 for emergencies and has basic weekday hours at their Round Rock site.
People can get counseling, medication management, therapy for individuals or families, respite care, and support with finding work or daily living skills. They also have programs for youth like Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver, Coordinated Specialty Care programs such as ClearPath for young people with early psychosis, and Parents as Teachers in Bastrop County. If a child has autism, there are family-centered teaching strategies for ages 3-15, and for infants and toddlers with delays, the Early Childhood Intervention team helps families learn what to do next. There are clinics, called Family Health Centers, that provide medical, dental, developmental, and substance use help, and care is managed through a client portal. In some counties, they offer Peer Support and help for people involved with the justice system. The organization plans to move some programs to the new Mental Health and Disability Innovation Center at Hillside Campus to expand services.
Bluebonnet Trails has a board made of volunteers and takes part in community activities, outreach, volunteer programs, and offers free Mental Health First Aid training. There are social service programs, employment supports for folks with disabilities, housing help, and even services like dental care at specific sites. They've also got things you might not see everywhere, like a Metrocare Pharmacy, and tools like hospital dashboards, group purchasing, and legal and IT support. The staff includes psychiatrists, counselors, and medical folks qualified to provide assessments, symptom management, family and group therapy, and those all-important coping skills. Bluebonnet Trails has always focused on helping people find the right kind of support in their own communities, working to connect adults, children, teens, and families with what they need, and helping them during tough times, too.
