Northeast Kingdom Human Services
About Northeast Kingdom Human Services
The NKHS service area includes Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, known as Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom (NEK), covering a total area of 2027 square miles. Our staff travels all over the “kingdom” providing services.
Services Offered
- Adult Mental Health Services
- Addictions Services
- Emergency and Enhanced Emergency Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Community Rehabilitation & Treatment (CRT)
- Intellectual/Developmental Disability Services (IDDS)
- Children, Youth, and Family Services (CYFS)
- Consultation and Education
- Outreach

Newport
St. Johnsbury
Derby
Contact
181 Crawford Road, Derby, VT 05829 P. O. Box 724 Newport, VT 05855 |
|
2225 Portland Street P. O. Box 368 St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 |
|
We are a 501(c)(3) private not-for-profit organization with oversight by a volunteer Board of Directors and Program Standing Committee members who support the agency’s belief that human services should be cost effective and responsive to the needs of our local communities. The Mission of NKHS is to enrich communities and enhance the ability of individuals and families to improve their lives.
Outcomes and Innovations
NKHS Zero Suicide Implementation
NKHS created a Zero Suicide Implementation Team in November 2016 with members representing all agency divisions. The team identifies screening and assessment tools, protocols and procedures. QPR Gatekeeper Training was introduced and implemented as the basic training offered to all staff so everyone has the skills and confidence to provide a safe environment for individuals struggling with thoughts of suicide. We now have QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper certified instructors. This will allow us to offer QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training to partners, businesses, and organizations from the communities we serve.
Music & Memory Program
Several IDDS staff are now certified to use the nation-wide Music & Memory Program for individuals they serve who are challenged with dementia. We are able to create a therapeutic personalized playlist using an individual’s favorite music. It is proven that individuals listening to their music favorites using a digital device and headphones tap into deep memories helping the individual to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize, and calm aggressive behaviors. Several individuals in the IDDS Division have found the program beneficial to reduce aggressive behaviors and enhance their quality of life.
Specialty Team
The Specialty Team includes 21 employees from all divisions in the agency who are trained in providing trauma and grief support for a community experiencing an unexpected traumatic event. Individual crisis calls are managed by our in-house 24-hour Emergency/Crisis Services Team.
Trauma Informed Care Trainings for Community Partners
The Children, Youth and Family Division staff offer trauma informed care trainings to community partners. These trainings use various models such as ARC and RPC to show the impact of trauma on children and families. We are sought out to provide these trainings for various organizations and parenting groups in the communities we serve.
Community Partnerships
Children, Youth and Family Services Division: Children’s Integrated Services, LIT Teams, Northern Counties Health Care, Child Advocacy Center Multidisciplinary Teams, Resource Teams, Child Protection Team, Smart Babies Team, Laraway partnership, North Country Pediatric Collaborative
Adult Division: Community Health Teams, DCF/Lund partnership, Blue Print for Health partnership, North Country Hospital Emergency Department Training Plan, ONE Care Initiative, RISC/DART members
Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Division: College Steps, Global Campus Foundation
