A local organization has been selected for a national initiative to improve healthcare for people living with both addiction and mental illness. United Community Services was one of ten organizations selected by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare to participate in the initiative. United Community Services provides substance abuse treatment services. Knoxville Program Supervisor Travis Kirkland tells KNIA/KRLS News that many of the people they treat also have mental disorders. He hopes the initiative will help them be better able to identify and treat mental health disorders in addition to substance abuse treatment and create a fully integrated plan for co-occurring disorders.