Community Mental Health Care Facility Of Mt Pleasant Michigan

In 1965, there was a histrionic change in the method that mental health care was delivered in the United States. The focus went from State Mental Hospitals to outpatient settings for the treatment of mental health issues. With the passing of Medicaid, States were encouraged to move patients out of the hospital setting (Pan, 2013). This process failed miserably due to under funding and understaffing for the amout of patients that were released from the State Mental Hospitals. This resulted in patients, as well as their families, who were in dire need of mental health services. This population turned to either incarceration (jails and/or prisons) or emergency departments as a primary source of care for their loved ones.

The social service agency chosen to profile in this essay is COPE Community Services. They are located in Tucson Arizona and have many locations around town to better service and provide convenience for members. They provide integrated care for members. COPE's services include behavioral health, opioid treatment, medical services, therapy, youth services, and community health services. COPE accepts a wide range of members seeking services from the general mental health to severely mentally ill population. An Intake is completed to identify services for members. COPE accepts insurances from AHCCCS, Medicare, Tricare, and other contracted private insurances.

Saratoga County no longer has safe, stigma-free, places for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) to spend their days. SPMI individuals need somewhere to go where they can feel safe and can interaction with others. In the past SPMI Individuals in Saratoga County had the options of attending day treatment, going to a drop-in center called The Social Club, or spending the day being productive in a sheltered workshop environment. Over the past few years all of these options have been removed. First, The Social Club was closed. Next, the day treatment center was changed to a “PROS” model where services are limited, time specific, and the focus is on community integration. Lastly, state and county funding was cut for shelter workshop environments and funneled into work readiness programs focused on integrating SPMI individuals into the community workforce. Integration is a noble aspiration. However, many SPMI individuals do not have the capacity to successfully integrate into community settings. These individuals are better served in situations where their special needs are appreciated and met such as sheltered workshops, drop-in centers and day treatment. Thus, due to the closing or changes in these types of programs, Saratoga County no longer offers safe supportive places for many SPMI Individuals to spend their days.

There are many governmental agencies within the healthcare system. One of most interesting and heart-wrenching agencies is a local governmental agency called Terrell State Mental Hospital. This agency is well known in the state of Texas for its carefree healthcare. They have a longstanding relationship with the families of its patients and are a major contributor to the city of Terrell’s financial windfall. They produce over ten million a year for the city of Terrell, which allows this city to take care of its mental inpatients and make sure they have the best treatment possible.

Columbus Regional Health (n.d.) serves 10 counties in Southeast Indiana. The demographics include a predominantly Caucasian population of approximately 300,000 people (Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, n.d.). In southeastern Indiana, about 140,000 individuals have employment (Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, n.d.). Of those individuals, 15% of them, who are over the age of 24, have a bachelor’s degree (Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, n.d.). Approximately 30% of the high-school students drop out in this mainly rural area with a flat population growth (Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, n.d.). CRH’s MH unit provides psychiatric services to adults 18 years and older. Most patients have either psychosis or thoughts of hurting themselves or others.

Growing up in a small town in Iowa I was unaware of the many situations involving hardship or misfortune that were around me. Therefore, it was not till college when I received the opportunity to work for a reentry program called the Transformative Justice Initiative that I became aware of the multiple factors lead to incarceration, drug use, homelessness, and other areas of hardship. The longer I was involved with the program the more I learned how mental health is convoluted in all of these situations and in all populations. Consequently, my experiences with the Transformative Justice Initiative helped me develop my future aspirations as a professional, which include a desire to work with individuals that have mental illness.

The HCC convened in an effort to identify the strengths, and challenges of Mental Health Services currently being provided, and to help increase the provision and quality of these services in the community. Several community stakeholders from various agencies and organizations attended, including faith based organizations, attorneys, and local government officials.

In my experience, small towns often lack the mental health competencies and capabilities necessary to meet the challenges that face their citizens both individually and collectively. Having volunteered more than 300 hours in small communities, numerous shortfalls and gaps as it related to treatment and psychoeducation were discovered. As a result of these findings, I would like to devote time and research to such areas in order to establish and implement community based programs that will allow for mentally healthy

New Horizons Community Mental Health Center offers is outpatient substance abuse intervention. The Substance Abuse Program (SAP) attempts to assist clients with an insight of what has lead to their addiction as well as skills to remain sober (New Horizons Community Mental Health Center, 2014).

North Eastern Mental Health Facility is a 250 beds, long term mental residential health facility for adults located right in the center of Palm Beach County. The facility aids those in the community who suffer psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, and dissociative disorders. The facility provides room, board, meals, and counseling and therapy as well as directing patients to where medications can be received. North Eastern also has licensed physicians and psychologists on site who diagnose and determine the appropriate path of treatment needed in order to prepare patients for the outside world and maintain mental health. It is also a place where patients can grow and heal by offering one on one interaction with providers. The facility puts its patients first and is a not-for-profit organization funded by donations and money from the local and state government. This facility is selective about the number of patients admitted yearly. At North Eastern, patients must be hospitalized and diagnosed with a psychological disorder by a licensed care provider with proper documentation before admittance into the facility.

The conditions of psychiatric hospitals were poorly maintained yet again. From the late 1800s until the mid-1900s, the conditions of these institutions were hit or miss. Despite the rising population of those in need of mental health treatment, conditions were deteriorating across the board. This pushed in the deinstitutionalization movement (Nevid, Rathus, & Green, 2014). This was a push to remove patients from state-run hospitals into a more community-based treatment center. In most cases today, there are treatment plans in place depending upon the severity of the disorder an individual may be suffering from. It’s more about treating an individual with any variety of modern techniques or therapies and trying to reintegrate them into society rather than a lifelong stay in an institution. Deinstitutionalization didn’t work the way it was intended. After it was put into place there was a rise in the homeless population and different programs that were supposed to be put into place didn’t live up to

The solution to the problem is to provide sufficient funding to the community-based mental health system so people could be helped before they become part of the prison system. Services like medication therapy and monitoring, residential services, rehabilitation services and support services are successful in bringing the severely mentally ill back to communities. As a rule, community services are also less expensive. Instead, we see mental health agencies being closed and stripped of their budgets. As a result the mentally ill have no place to go for treatment and support.

Park City, Utah is a community which is located in Summit County, Utah and is also, is considered to a part of the Wasatch Mountains, with an elevation of 7000 feet above sea level. Park City, UT is located around 30 miles southeast of downtown, Salt Lake City, UT and sits on the edge of Interstate 80 making it a short 30 minute drive from the Salk Lake City International airport. Park City, UT was established in the early 1870’s and a mining town, and in 2002 has hosted the Winter Olympics, and today has been made popular by host the largest United States Independent film festal, the Sundance Film Festal. During the winter months Park City, UT is the home of two major ski resorts. At the time of the 2010 census Park City, UT had a population

Furlong, Leddy, Ferguson, and Heart’s (2009), “Assertive Community Treatment and Recovery at Thresholds”, reports in detail the principles of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). For example, ACT teams include: psychiatrists; nurses; peer counselors; employment and housing specialists; mental health counselors; case managers and substance abuse counselors. The team of diverse professions all work together with small caseloads to deliver intensive care. Next, they explain how ACT was developed after deinstitutionalization to decrease re-hospitalization rates. In fact, Act model outcomes show it reduces the rates of re-hospitalization, improves symptomology, and decreases incarcerations of individuals with serious mental illness. Last, the

Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With more than 320 affiliate nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well being of the nation, every day, and in a time of crisis (2007 Mental Health America). As an organization, Mental Health America has been around for nearly a century. We began work in 1909 when Clifford W. Beers, a young business man who struggled with a mental illness and shared his story with the world in his autobiography “A Mind