Cenpatico Blog

Awareness in the African American Community

Mar. 17, 2009 | Author: Bobby Dipasquale | No Comments »

This February marked the 9th anniversary of the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference. The Conference looks to raise awareness of behavioral health and other issues in the African American community;  a community where sometimes stigma becomes a large hurdle discouraging some from seeking and getting the help they need.

The Conference was a success. Over 550 conference attendees, volunteers, workshop presenters and keynote speakers from across the nation gathered for the two-day event.

Cenpatico was very proud to be a major sponsor of the event and to send some of our own to be at the Conference. Here are some of their thoughts and experiences from the two-day event.

“This was my first time attending the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference, and will not be my last. I met a lot of intelligent, funny, caring and dedicated people who all came together to share and support this wonderful cause. It was such a great experience to educate the African American Community about how mental illness affects everyone no matter what your ethnic background is. So many times in the community, African Americans are embarrassed to seek help when we need it. We choose to seek counseling through our church pastors. At the conference, it was rewarding to be able to offer a member counseling from a professional counselor who also has religious affiliations.  Just being able to offer these services opened the door for so many people. I gained so much from this conference. I made friendships and contacts in the community. I met people who feel as passionately about helping others as I do. Most importantly I met those members of our community who we serve everyday, who motivate me to get out of bed daily and inspire me to do what I do everyday. I felt honored and blessed to be apart of a wonderful event.”  – Michael Burnett, Care Coordinator

“It was very exciting to be a part of the Central African American Support Conference. Having more than 10 years of behavioral health experience, I’ve witnessed first hand the barriers some African Americans experience when attempting to obtain needed behavioral health services. It’s wonderful being affiliated with a healthcare organization that recognizes theses barriers and provide opportunities to help link individuals to needed services within the community.” – Bertina Rice, Trainer

To learn more about the Conference check out their website www.ctaafsc.org

This entry is filed under Blog.

Cenpatico Welcomes South Carolina

Mar. 5, 2009 | Author: Bobby Dipasquale | No Comments »

On Sunday, March 1, 2009, Cenpatico began managing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) behavioral health benefits for Absolute Total Care by Total Carolina Care (Absolute Total Care) in South Carolina. To visit their website please check out  www.absolutetotalcare.com.

Cenpatico is excited to be working with Absolute Total Care and South Carolina as we all look to inspire hope to the people we serve.

This entry is filed under News.

Engage me, please!

Feb. 16, 2009 | Author: Melinda Vazquez | No Comments »

As we, who work in the behavioral health system, examine our processes and track and trend outcomes, we recognize that many who come into our system aren’t really engaged in their own recovery.  We have providers complaining about the high incidence of missed appointments and the follow up needed to ensure medication is taken and appointments are kept.  But what is it that prevents these people who came to us for help from being invested in their own recovery?  The answer is engagement.  If we don’t connect with the person at the time they are asking for help, we will not be successful in the treatment and may never get them to come back.

I have come to this conclusion from a personal experience I had with the system I knew and the struggle to get it to work for my family. I can only imagine what would happen to those who come to us without knowing they should expect more.

When my niece was going through a hard time and needed some help to get through it, her mother came to me because I work in the behavioral health field.  She asked me to help her adult daughter get the treatment she needed, and I, of course, assured her that I could.  I found an agency that would do an initial assessment, made the appointment for her, and went with her to that appointment.  What a grueling and torturous process that was for both of us, but especially for my niece who was feeling awful about being there in the first place.  There we sat, in front of a person she went to high school with (small, rural communities face this kind of problem all the time), feeling ashamed and embarrassed and answering a barrage of questions like name, address, phone number, primary care doctor…and so on, and so on.  We were there for 2 1/2 hours before she was even asked why she was there.

We spent about 15 minutes talking about her problem, when the girl, who was polite but detached, handed her a schedule of outpatient group sessions she should start attending, handed her some forms to sign, and gave her a form that had the girl’s name and phone number to call on it “…if she had any questions”.  We walked out feeling exhausted and not at all comforted that her problems would be addressed by this agency or their schedule of group sessions.  Needless to say, my niece never wanted to go back there again.

I called to complain, and was immediately given a follow up appointment.  Too little, too late, my niece was not interested.  I spoke to everyone I knew to try to figure out how to improve the process so that the next person who went in would not encounter the same thing, but barriers went up everywhere.  If the agency was going to bill us for the services, they needed to have all that information.  They could not wait until the next appointment to complete it because many times a client didn’t come back for the second appointment and that meant they would not get paid for the first.  Imagine that!  The process itself was causing the problem, a fact I thought was clear, but the agency disagreed.

Not long after this experience, we signed a contract with a new agency in the area that didn’t have their occupancy certificate yet, so were providing services in the community.  This was the model of care we wanted, but had a difficult time getting the provider agencies on board.  The new agency started the intake process using peers instead of intake coordinators, and they met the client where they were and the same day they called, not waiting to schedule an appointment a week out.  So I called the agency and spoke with the Peer Support Specialist myself.  I explained our previous experience, and asked for his help.  He explained that he could only help if my niece wanted his help, but he was willing to call her, meet with her, and then take it from there.  What a difference this man made to our family!

Not only did he keep his promise and call her, but he then drove over to her house, met with her and her family, and immediately started her in services that very day!  She has been in intensive outpatient services for over 6 months now and doing great.  I asked her what made the difference to her.  She explained that when the peer called and talked to her, he started with questions about what she wanted.  Did she want help?  Did she want to get better? Is she ready to do what it takes to be better for herself – not her family – because she needs to make that commitment?  He promised her that if she did, he would be there to help her every step of the way, and he has kept his promise.

Now, 6 months later, he calls or stops by to see her once or twice a week, even though he is not part of her treatment team.  With her permission, he lets me know she is doing well.  He connected with her the way no one, but someone who has been where she has been, could have done.  He knew how he felt when he was in that place of desperation and he could look past the paperwork, at her, and ask the important questions that needed to be asked before the next steps could be taken.  This is engagement.  This is what our system needs.

Utilizing Peer Support Specialists and Family Support Partners to help those seeking treatment and their families is a perfect way to improve outcomes.  These are the people who can say what needs to be said to get the commitment needed for recovery.  These are the people who speak from their own experiences, and from their heart, without any question of their sincerity and with no judgment.  To walk down a difficult and scary path alone is much harder than walking with someone who knows the way.  As we at Cenpatico of Arizona train our peers and family members to be that partner down the path of recovery, we are seeing better outcomes and better engagement than ever before.  We are hearing the success stories that would not be there were it not for that one person who “held the hope”.  Let us look at this valuable resource that is all around us and make the most of it.

Peers and family members are the interpreters who speak the language we and our clinical staff have not yet mastered.  As we use them to move us to a more successful place, let’s learn from them.  Let us learn that essential skill of connecting with the person coming to us for help.  Let us learn to look at them with the care and concern they need us to feel to really help them.  Let us talk first and “fill in the blanks” later.  It doesn’t take long to make the connection.  A short 15 minute conversation, asking the important questions; “Why are you here today?” and “What do you think you need to be in a better place?”  Let us start there before we print out a treatment plan from a cookie cutter formula.  I know there are “best practices” and proven strategies for care, but first there is that person, sitting in front of you, looking for answers…asking for help.  Can you be that one person that holds the hope for them?  That person that will make a difference in their life?  Let’s try.  Together we can inspire hope for a better life.

This entry is filed under Blog.

When Hope Seemed Lost: A Success Story

Feb. 3, 2009 | Author: Cenpatico | No Comments »

A Member became known to Cenpatico Intensive Case Management in 2007 following three psychiatric hospital admissions related to suicide threats, alcohol and cocaine dependence, and bipolar disorder. He had abused substances since the age of 14, had been abused himself as a child, and was raised in an orphanage for much of his youth.

Our Intensive Case Manager (ICM) knew changes needed to be made if the Member had any hope of recovering. The first step was seeking a new Community Case Manager, since the prior one seemed unable to help. The Member was discharged home with a referral to a new community mental health center set up by the Cenpatico ICM. Unfortunately, the member never got there – returning to the hospital within just a few days after another suicide attempt.

The ICM worked to assist the Member in reaching the health center on discharge, but things took a turn for the worse. Within two weeks the Member was readmitted yet again to the hospital and had lost his place to live. He was now homeless.

At this point, the Member finally began to respond and decided to turn his life around. He began making references to wanting to be sober. Though he was irritable with hospital staff and other patients during his last hospital stay, he was started on new treatments to help him recover.

Meanwhile the ICM continued to encourage the Member to keep trying. The ICM was able to begin a referral process for a residential chemical dependency program for more intense substance abuse treatment as well as a place to go.

The Member completed the 30 day chemical dependency program – doing well there working on early recovery tasks.  In time he became less irritable and better able to relate to others than in the past. At the end of the program he was interested in continuing his recovery; however, he was still homeless.  The Cenpatico ICM identified a publicly funded program for homeless men in recovery from chemical addiction. The Member went directly into that program to begin a 90 day intensive group component, followed by continued housing for up to 2 years.

After one month, the Member reported to the ICM that he liked the program very much, was going to daily Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings and had an AA sponsor with 8 years of sobriety.  He was working the AA steps with his sponsor and was looking forward to plans for seeing his family at Thanksgiving.

Soon after, the Member reported a very happy and moving experience to the ICM.  He had his first sober New Year’s Eve in over 20 years.  He went to an AA dance, had a “great time” and was so happy that he cried.  He was also looking for a minister to help him complete his AA “5th Step”.

The Member is still working the chemical addiction housing program and continues to be in contact with the Cenpatico ICM team.

Recovery. Resiliency. Results. These are more than just words. These become real when people come together to make a difference.

This entry is filed under Blog.

Provider Newsletter – Winter 2009

Jan. 27, 2009 | Author: Bobby Dipasquale | No Comments »

Providers, please take a look at our Winter 2009 Provider Newsletter by clicking on it below.

This entry is filed under News.

 
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