New Position Added in Counseling Services page 2 CBH Care has again outscored the national average in the annual Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Mental Health Corporation of America (MHCA). Over the past eight years, CBH Care has participated in the MHCA surveys as an integral part of its continuous quality improvement process. And, as in previous years, CBH Care consumers have reported higher customer satisfaction in their responses than the national MHCA database in all survey dimensions. Each year, confidential responses are collected from CBH Care consumers and forwarded to the National Data Center for Customer Satisfaction (NDCCS) in Tallahassee, FL. NDCCS processes the raw data and prepares an analytical report comparing CBH Care's customer responses with those from other mental health centers in the MHCA database from across the United States. CBH Care has consistently scored higher than the national average in all categories in the survey. Residential Consumers In the Fall of 2007, this newsletter reported on survey results from CBH Care's Residential Services Division (which collected 78 confidential responses in September 2007). In that survey, CBH Care scored high marks in all four survey dimensions: Personal Therapy, Physical Environment, Client/Staff Interaction, and Overall Outcome and Reputation. The highest rating was in Client/Staff Interaction. Non-Residential Consumers Now, the survey results are complete for CBH Care's non-residential divisions and outpatient programs. In November 2007 confidential responses were collected from more than 350 customers in the outpatient programs and forwarded to NDCCS for processing. Just as in the survey of residential consumers, CBH Care consumers in the outpatient programs gave Client/Staff Interaction the highest scores. And the top three outcome related measures in the results are all within the Client/Staff Interaction dimension: Courtesy Shown to You by Staff, Degree of Confidentiality, and Professionalism of Staff. Judy Kim, Quality Improvement Specialist at CBH Care, has been studying trends during the past few years and points out, "The Professionalism of Staff rating continues to improve year after year. The dedication of our direct-care staff along with our very active quality improvement committees within the departments helps us constantly maintain and improve the standard of care we provide our consumers." James M. Cooney, Associate Executive Director, also credits the staff with the excellent ratings received in the survey overall. He says, "Though funding cutbacks have put great pressure on all agency staff, we continue to rate high compared to the national average. We have a great staff team and we are proud of them." Other areas in which CBH Care programs and services scored particularly high were: Opportunity to Participate in Treatment; Safety of the Environment; and Willingness to Return for Treatment. The nine outpatient programs at CBH Care in this latest survey included: the Counseling Services Division's three Outpatient Department locations (Hackensack, River Edge and Lyndhurst) and the PATH Program (a Homeless Outreach and Case Management Service Program); the Geriatric Partial Care and Adult Partial Care Programs in Adult Rehabilitative Services; the two programs in Adolescent Services (Youth Case Management Services and the New Directions Partial Care Program); and the Intensive Family Support Services (in the Adult Residential Services Division). Ms. Kim also reports an overall improvement in consumers' participation in the survey this year. She says, "We had an increase of 20% over the previous year in responses from our consumers. This helps make the survey more meaningful than ever since we use the MHCA Customer Satisfaction Survey data as we continuously seek to discuss, plan, implement and evaluate ways to maintain standards of quality as well as find ways to improve the quality of our services each year."
According to Staff Clinician Dawn Romeo, LCADC, LCSW, the Substance Abuse Treatment Center, in the past, has provided two levels of care: Early Intervention (Level .5) for individuals who have had no more than a few negative consequences due to substance use and who may be at risk for developing more significant substance abuse issues; and Intermediate Care (Level I) for individuals who have had a significant number of negative consequences due to substance use and/or have completed a higher level of care and need continued support to maintain sobriety. Ms. Romeo points out, "The new third level of care-Intensive Outpatient Care (Level II)- has been added to serve individuals who have become physically/psychologically dependent on drugs and alcohol, who have been unable to maintain sobriety or abstain from use for a significantlength of time, and who have had significant negative consequences due to substance use." "In the past," Ms. Romeo emphasizes, "There have been very few treatment centers to which consumers could be referred for this level of care. CBH Care decided to help fill this gap in services, especially prevalent in southern Bergen County, by developing this new program." In the new Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), consumers will receive nine hours of counseling per week. The IOP meets three evenings per week from 6 to 9 p.m. for an average of three months. Continuing care is an average of four to six months. CBH Care's Substance Abuse Treatment Center provides many services at all three levels of care including: Comprehensive assessment, individual counseling, group counseling, couplescounseling, family counseling, relapse prevention, substance abuse screening, psychiatric evaluations, medications for treatment of addiction, medication monitoring, and communityresource information. CBH Care is licensed by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, the Division of Mental Health Services and the Division of Addiction Services. Doreen Bobby, LCSW, Director of CBH Care's Counseling Division, applauds the new Intensive Outpatient Program in the Substance Abuse Treatment Center. She says, "We are developing this third level of care especially to meet the needs of consumers in our surrounding community. We now have a truly comprehensive outpatient service to help people with their addictions to drugs and alcohol." For more information, contact Ms. Romeo at 201-935-3322 or call the CBH Care Access Center at 201-646-0195.
Doreen Bobby, LCSW, Director of Counseling Services, states, "Ms. Bonomo's main functions will be to expedite the delivery of quality services in the Outpatient Services Department and to interface with all appropriate departments to ensure that Outpatient Services are being administered effectively and efficiently." Ms. Bonomo comes to CBH Care from North Jersey FriendshipHouse in Hackensack where she has been a Training Supervisor since 1988. From August 1990 to February 2001, while working full-time at Friendship House, Ms. Bonomo also worked part-time for CBH Care as a Residential Counselor in the Rutherford Residence Program. While there, she provided support for 12-15 residents, and was responsible for medication monitoring, group outings and the overall well-being of each consumer. Prior to her work at North Jersey Friendship House, Ms. Bonomo was a Psychiatric Assistant at St. Joseph's Hospital's Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in Syracuse, NY. She is a graduate of LeMoyne College in Syracuse where she concentrated on Sociology and Psychology. Ms. Bobby says, "We welcome Ms. Bonomo as a full-time member of the CBH Care staff and look forward to working with her in the Outpatient Services Department."
Many Americans are experiencing more stress because of the uncertain times in which we are living. They are worrying about losing jobs or homes, the rising cost of energy and food, and much more. Some are sleeping fitfully or are easily distracted and cannot focus on tasks at home or on the job. To help get through this difficult time and stay as healthy and happy as possible, here are a few suggestions-which are good for all of us, with or without a lot of stress:
In 1999, Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare and Community Hope came together to jointly respond to an RFP (Request for Proposal) issued by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services for an "IntensiveOn-Grounds Residential Program" to serve discharge-resistant patients at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains. This new alliance was unique for several reasons. Although Michael Armstrong, the Executive Director of Community Hope, and I were acquainted with each other, our agencies had not previously worked together. One agency was located in Bergen County, the other in Morris County. However, both agencies had successfully operated residential programs in their respective regions for a number of years and the agencies represented counties with the largest numbers of patients residing in Greystone. As fate would have it, the proposal submitted by this partnership was approved by the Division of Mental Health Services and the two agencies were awarded the grant. CBH Care was designatedthe lead agency and Community Hope was designated the subcontracting agency; however, the agencies would operate as equal partners. Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare would be responsible for the overall operation of the program and oversight of the medical and supervisory staff. Community Hope would oversee all of the direct care staff. Programmatic oversight would occur through a leadership committee that included the Executive Directors from the two agencies as well as the Director of Residential Services and the CHAMP Program Coordinator from CBH Care and the Clinical Service Director from Community Hope. The group would meet monthly at the program site or more frequently if needed. (CHAMP was selected as an acronym for "Care and Hope at Morris Plains.") CHAMP Program Begins In 2000, two of eight previously vacant, dilapidated, colonial style houses on Ruth Davis Drive were completely renovated for the new residential program. Within two weeks 10 consumers who had been hospitalized at Greystone, some for as long as 15 years, moved into the CHAMP houses. Program Coordinator Robyn Gorman, in charge of the day-to-day operations, assured that communityre-integration was the focus of the program from the very beginning. Consumers were encouragedto participate in in-houseprogramming as well as communityactivities. Consumers very quickly entered into day treatment and volunteering activities in the community. Some who were able went to work at local supermarkets through Project Horizon in Morris County. The original 10 consumers never went back to Greystone and all but two successfully transitioned into less supervised living arrangements in the community. In 2004, Morris County took over a large tract of land that was once part of the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital Campus. Being pleased with the work of the CHAMP Program, the Director of Human Services for Morris County approached Michael Armstrong, Executive Director of Community Hope, and offered the use of three additional vacant houses on Ruth Davis Drive for a token annual lease fee of one dollar per house. Mr. Armstrong and I arranged a meeting with Anne DeMuro, AssistantDirector of the New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services and requested funding to expand the CHAMP Program. Ms. DeMuro immediately recognized the opportunity to discharge additional patients from the state hospital and agreed to come up with operational funds to expand the program. However, she mentioned that the Division did not have capital dollars to fund the renovation of the three houses. Both Mr. Armstrong and I told Ms. DeMurothat we would take the responsibility to raise the capital dollars from other funding sources. We then approached the Morris County Community Development Program and submitted an application for the next funding cycle. Community Development thought the project was worthy of funding, however they had only enough funding to complete renovations on two of the houses. Feeling optimistic, we approached the Mayor of Parsippany, Mimi Letts, and explained the scope of the project and that we had already secured funding from the Division of Mental Health Services and Morris County Community Development and needed the financial assistance from the municipality to fund the renovation of the third house. We made a presentation before the town council and they voted to approve the request for funding in lieu of the township receiving COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) Credits. By the end of 2005, the CHAMP Program had expanded to five group residences with a total census of 25 consumers. As a result of this expansion, home health aides were added to the staffing pattern of the residences to accommodate the more medically compromised consumers. Also, additional clinical staff was added to the partial care program to serve the additional consumers now attending the program on a daily basis. Governor's Task Force Visits CHAMP In 2005, Acting Governor Richard Cody's Task Force on Mental Health visited the CHAMP Program. The Task Force members toured the residences and the day treatment program and spoke with residents asking them how they felt about the program and how it differed from their experiences in other programs. The Task Force members were so impressed, they recommended further expansion of the CHAMP Program in their final report to the Governor. This recommendation ultimately led to the development of what would become the Partnership Program which opened in the Spring of 2006 and consists of 10 "villas" located on the grounds of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in the Mountain Meadow Complex. Currently five of the villas are fully occupied with a total census of 30 consumers that were discharged from the state hospital. A sixth villa is opening this month (July). In addition to the villas, there are two partial care programs- one is a high demand program geared to the higher functioning consumer and the other is lower demand for the more challenged consumer. Equipped with a multidisciplinary staff that includes psychiatric advance practice nurses, registered nurses, consulting primary care physician, licensed clinical social workers, social service counselors and home health aides, the Partnership Program is able to manage the care of consumers who, in addition to mental illness, also have serioushealth problems that impact their ability to transition from the hospital to community living. Partnership Program Continues to Grow When the Partnership Program is fully operational, the census will grow to 48 consumers. Also, the Division of Mental Health Services has already approved funding for the developmentof three supportive housing units for 15 more consumers on Ruth Davis Drive that will become operational after the new hospital is opened. This occurred because the Morris County Freeholders turned over the three remaining houses on Ruth Davis Drive to the new program. The Township of Parsippany once again came forward with the funding to pay for the renovation of the new houses. Including the 25 consumers already residing at the CHAMP Program, the fully completed residential continuum of care operated by CBH Care and Community Hope will reach a combined total of 88 consumers who will have been discharged from the state hospital. Both Michael Armstrong and I are very proud of the accomplishments of this joint agency venture. We are glad to see that the efforts of the staff from each of the agencies will be making it possible for 88 patients to re-enter the community with the prospect of a more normalized life outside the hospital. We are also grateful for the assistance the program has received from the Morris County Freeholders, the Township of Parsippany and the New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services. It has been a most successful joint agency venture during the past eight years and we are looking forward to many more in the future.
Peter Scerbo
For the ninth consecutive year, the CBH Care Foundation is sponsoring its Annual Golf Outing. To be held at Wild Turkey Golf Course in Hardyston, NJ, on Monday, September 22, 2008, the Golf Outing will raise funds to support the non-profit charitable services provided by Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare.
Foundation President Helen Kuruc (who is Professor of Mathematics at Bergen County College in Newark, NJ) and Honorary Trustee Gabe Ambrosio (who is a Lyndhurst attorney and former state senator) are again serving as co-chairs of the event. Ms. Kuruc urges all golfers, "Register right away for the September 22 tournament. You won't want to miss this fun event. We need sponsors for the Golf Outing and for the many contests, but most of all we need a huge turn-out of golfers. We want this benefit event to be even more successfulthan the first eight were. And for you who cannot come for the golf, join us for the gourmet dinner-the fee is $50." Mr. Ambrosio says, "We are pleased to hold our Annual Golf Outing again at Wild Turkey. It is a uniquely designed course and presents many challenges to the golfer. Do join us for a great day of golf." The CBH Care Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization formed to support non-profit charitable services. All contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible. For more information about the Golf Outing, registrationand/or sponsorship, contact James Cooney, Associate Executive Director, or Jan Damiano, Executive Secretary, at 201-935-3322 or log on to our website at www.cbhcare.com.
Water is the perfect drink. It can improve energy, increase mental and physical performance, remove toxins from our bodies and keep our skin glowing and healthy. Though the old rule of "Eight glasses a day" is a good guideline, the amount needed does vary with each individual. What about other drinks like vegetable and fruit juices, sports and energy drinks, sparkling or flavored water, soda, or coffee or tea? Vegetable and fruit juices contain vitamins and minerals that are good for us, so a glass or two a day is fine. Sports drinks are good if you are exercising in the heat. Sparkling and flavored water can be an alternative to plain water-just make sure the calorie count and sugar content are zero. All soda is on the "no" list! Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center have found that adults who drink soda (diet or regular) have a 50% higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome which doubles the risk of heart disease and stroke and quintuples the risk of diabetes! So skip the soda-too much sugar! Coffee is the leading source of antioxidants in the American diet. It may improve alertness, but drink it early in the day so it does not affect your sleep. Energy drinks contain more caffeine than coffee and also sugar, so they are not recommended. Tea is the most popular beverage in the world and is loaded with flavonoids which may act as antioxidants, antimicrobials and anti-inflammatories. Tea drinkers have less risk of heart attack and stroke and tea may even have anticancer properties. But tea also contains caffeine, so drink in moderation. The bottom line is: Water is still the best fluid to drink to quench thirst, to combat heat, and to keep our bodies healthy. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated!
|
|
|
|
Mary Ann Bonomo has joined the CBH Care staff as Resources Utilization Manager in Outpatient Services, a new position in the Counseling Services Division.
This year marks the eighth year of CBH Care's joint venture with Community Hope (a Morris County based agency) in establishing and operating a most successful residentialtransition program that has grown through the years. Here is how it came about.
A donation of $275 for each participant will include a noon luncheon barbecue, golf carts, green fees, practice range, and a gourmet dinner at the clubhouse following the afternoon of golf. A modified shotgun start will take place at 1:00 p.m. All golfers will be eligible to win prizes in any of the special contests (hole-in-one on each par three, longest drive, closest to the pin, straightest drive, and gross and net) as well as raffle prizes.
We are in the hottest months of the year for northern New Jersey and drinking plenty of water is important to keep healthy and keep from getting dehydrated.
