fiscal year 2018 - highland rivers health · highland rivers health is governed by a 14-member...

Annual Community Report Fiscal Year 2018

FY18 Annual Community Report | 1

Recovery is the HEART of Highland Rivers Health Annual Report to the Community for Fiscal Year 2018 – July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018

Highland Rivers Health

1401 Applewood Dr.; Suite 4

Dalton, Georgia 30720

(706) 270-5000

http://highlandrivershealth.com

Highland Rivers Health FY18 Annual Community Report

©2018, Highland Rivers Community Service Board; Dalton, Ga. This report may be reproduced in part or in whole without permission.

Table of Contents

To our community…………………………………………………....2

About Highland Rivers Health………………………….……………3

Profile: Frankie…………………………………………….…………4

Agency leadership……………………………………………………5

Agency and program highlights……………………………………..6

Profile: Cheri………………………………………………………….8

FY18 investment and revenue……………………………………….9

FY18 summary of individuals served………………………………..10

Profile: Amanda……………………………………………………...11

FY18 summary of accomplishments………………………………...12

2 | Recovery is the Heart of Highland Rivers Health

To our community stakeholders, partners and staff

If there is one word that sums up the very purpose of the services Highland Rivers Health provides,

that word is recovery. And if there is one word that sums up what our services seek to impart to

individuals – regardless of their age, their diagnosis or what they have experienced in the past, that

word is hope. Hope is the foundation upon which recovery is built, and every individual has a right to

both. Recovery is always possible; hope is the key that unlocks it.

Over the past year, Highland Rivers Health has renewed our commitment to recovery in all we do.

Through a variety of services and supports – including outpatient and intensive outpatient

counseling, community-based teams that visit individuals in their homes, crisis stabilization, peer

groups, day programs and so much more – we help individuals with mental illness, substance use

disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities work toward a life in recovery.

In the pages of this report, our commitment to recovery becomes obvious – in program highlights

that include an agency-wide recovery transformation initiative, in financial statements that show we

often provide services for which we are not compensated (because people need our help and we are

committed to helping them), and especially in the profiles of three individuals who share their

personal stories of building a life in recovery.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the 650 individuals that Highland Rivers Health has

the privilege of calling team members – a diverse and talented group of professionals whose passion,

and compassion, make a difference in the lives of thousands of individuals each day, regardless of

their specific job. I salute and thank each and every one of you. You are truly the heart of Highland

Rivers Health.

Highland Rivers remains committed to serving our communities with quality behavioral health

services and to helping every individual we serve find hope and recovery.

Sincerely,

Melanie Dallas, LPC

Chief Executive Officer


Living our vision and values to serve our community

Highland River Health (Highland Rivers Community Service Board) provides comprehensive treatment and support services for adults, children, families and veterans affected by mental health disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities and addictive disease. We are one of the state’s largest public safety net providers, operating more than two dozen treatment facilities across a Northwest Georgia region that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties, and serving nearly 16,000 individuals annually.

Highland Rivers Health is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and is a Tier 1 safety net Core Provider for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Vision

To be a community-based system of care focused on strengthening personal recovery through the advancement of a healthy lifestyle for mind and body.

Strategies

Highland Rivers Health values an integrated system of care approach to service delivery in which individuals and their families are at the center of the treatment planning process. This is accomplished through the following strategies:

Holistic care that promotes the wellness and whole health of the individual

Early identification and promotion

Aggressive outreach and community support services

Services that allow individuals to be served and supported in their communities

Recovery-oriented treatment and supportive services where individuals and their families are at the center of decision making

Trauma-informed and gender-specific care

Our Values

Recovery - We are committed to providing services across a continuum of care that is community-based, strengths-based, empowering and outcomes-driven, guided by best practices.

Empowerment - We encourage our staff to have passion, creativity and optimism through a flexible and innovative atmosphere, and we empower individuals served to take an active part in their treatment.

Collaboration - We foster good relationships with individuals served, families, community resources, partners and internal customers.

Fiscal Responsibility - We each use Highland Rivers Health resources effectively and efficiently.

Integrity - We ensure we are professional, honest, respectful, responsive and accountable in all our transactions between vendors, families, providers, communities, staff, partners and individuals served.

Respect - We treat each individual served and family members with respect and dignity.

Compassion - We respond to the needs of others with a spirit of advocacy and understanding.

Transparency - We ensure our interactions with community stakeholders, internal and external customers, individuals served and families are transparent and ethical.


Profile: Frankie

A journey to independence with the help of Highland Rivers’ intellectual and developmental

disability services

It’s common to talk about recovery when discussing mental illness or addiction, but individuals with disabilities don’t ‘recover’ from their disabilities. Still, for individuals with disabilities, the goal is the same as those in recovery with mental illness or addictive disease – to live a self-directed life as independently as possible in their community. Frankie is a good example. Legally blind since childhood and with a mild intellectual disability, Frankie lives on his own, manages his own money, and most important, does what he wants. “I have a good life,” says Frankie. “I go out with friends, I go do laundry by myself, I clean up after myself. I don’t think anything could get any better.” Staff from Highland Rivers’ Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

services visit him each week to make sure he has what he needs to continue living independently. “I have people come over to check on my medicine, check my sugar, see that I go to the doctor,” he says. “But I do what I want to do and not what other people want or think I should do.” Now age 57, Frankie feels he’s where he should be – something he appreciates even more because of the frequent moves he made most of his life. While growing up he and parents moved from Smyrna to Marietta to Griffin and to Paulding County. “I started living on my own in 1984,” Frankie says. “At first I lived with an elderly couple, and then I moved in with a roommate. But those were some pretty wild times and we eventually got kicked out of our apartment.” Along the way, he also had some bad experiences with previous caseworkers. “I had a caseworker that would ration out my money, and she wasn’t supposed to do that because it’s my money” says Frankie, who receives disability benefits. “Then one of my nurses was looking over my expenses and found some of my money was missing.” In recent years, things have improved significantly. He is happy with the services he receives, and earlier this year, he was able to take a trip to Nashville. “I went to Nashville in April with (Highland Rivers staff) Brandi Hopkins,” Frankie says. “We went to see the Grand Ole Opry, went out to the Hard Rock Café to eat. It was a great time.” He continues, “I like my life the way it is now. I think right now, things are just getting started.”

Frankie, 57, enjoys

his independence

About IDD services

Highland Rivers Health’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) services include a variety of programs and services that help individuals with disabilities live self-directed lives, as independently as possible in their communities. Among the agency’s IDD services are those which help match individuals with living environments best suited to their needs, abilities and preferences, as well as services that allow individuals to experience and interact with their community.

Community Living Supports (CLS) are individually tailored supports that assist with building skills related to an individual’s continued residence in his or her own or family home. Services and supports are based on the individual’s needs.

Community Access Services (CAS) assist individuals in developing, maintaining or improving self-help, socialization and adaptive skills needed for active community participation and independent functioning outside their home. CAS may include training in daily living skills, communication, mobility and the use of common community resources.


Highland Rivers Health Leadership

Highland Rivers’ leadership team is comprised of experienced professionals that work together

closely to manage clinical and business operations, ensure compliance with all applicable laws,

regulations and procedures, and oversee the delivery of high-quality services that meet the needs of

every individual we serve. Highland Rivers Health is governed by a 14-member governing board that

includes a representative from every county in the agency’s service area (with two representatives

from both Floyd and Polk counties) who are appointed by each county’s board of commissioners.

Committed to accountability, service and compassion, every member of our board and leadership

team has a unique role in ensuring Highland Rivers Health is the best organization it can be.

Executive Leadership Team

Melanie Dallas, LPC Chief Executive Officer

Francisca MgBodile, MD Chief Medical Officer

Rich Gonzalez, MBA Chief Administrative Officer

Stephanie Collum, LCSW, CHC Chief Compliance Officer

Debbie Strotz, MPA, CARES Chief Operating Officer

Kelly Trusheim, PsyD, MA Director of Clinical Services

Kevin Scott, RN, BSN, MBA Director of Nursing

Dena Payne, MBA Director of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Erica Collins, MBA, MA Director of Human Resources

Laura Citron, BS Director of Business Development

Michael Mullet, BA Community Relations Director

Melissa Stone, MA Executive Secretary

FY18 Governing Board

Bartow County Lori Rakes Chief Operating Officer Cartersville Medical Center

Cherokee County Chantel Adams, Chair CEO, Forever We, Inc. Fannin County Donna Whitener Mayor, City of Blue Ridge Floyd County Larry Maxey Floyd County Board of Commissioners Floyd County Bonnie Moore President, Rome, Ga., chapter National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Gilmer County Jean Smilie Behavioral Health Advocate Gordon County Cindy Cochran, Secretary Director, Child Advocacy Center, Family Resource Center of Gordon County

Haralson County Faye Ward, Treasurer Behavioral Health Advocate Murray County The Honorable L. Gale Buckner Chief Magistrate Judge Murray County Magistrate Court Paulding County Todd Vande Zande Chief of Police, City of Hiram Pickens County The Honorable W. Allen Wigington Chief Judge, Magistrate Court of Pickens County Polk County Bill Fann, Vice Chair City Manager City of Cedartown Polk County Jonathan Blackmon Chief Deputy Polk County Sheriff’s Office Whitfield County The Honorable Shana Vinyard Whitfield County Magistrate Court


Peer Programs

Highland Rivers continues to advocate for individuals with lived experience and increase peer services, so individuals can benefit from the experience of those living in recovery.

During FY18, the agency increased the overall average daily attendance in peer groups from 14.9 to 18.8, and hosted two RESPECT Institute trainings (in Whitfield and Floyd counties) that teach individuals with lived experience how to share their personal stories of recovery.

In addition, the agency hosted the first annual peer support program joint holiday luncheon in December 2017 that included all five of Highland Rivers’ peer programs.

Finally, Highland Rivers continued to increase its peer workforce, and now counts among its staff 26 individuals with lived experience.

Veterans Services

Highland Rivers continued to expand its services for veterans in FY18, hiring a veterans’ specialist to assist in Psychosocial Rehabilitation Supports for Individuals (PSRI) and Addictive Disease Support Services (ADSS) for the veteran population.

In addition, the agency signed a licensing agreement with Operation Not Forgotten (ONF), a recovery curriculum specifically for veterans and their families to help them address trauma and other issues as they transition to life outside the military. Highland Rivers established the first ONF peer and therapy group in Paulding County and is working to expand ONF to other counties.

FY18 Agency and Program Highlights

CARF Accreditation

In October 2017, Highland Rivers Health and its governing board each received three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities International (CARF).

The agency’s accreditation included its outpatient, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and crisis services. The three-year accreditation is the highest level of CARF accreditation.

As part of the accreditation process, eight CARF surveyors conducted a four-day onsite survey of 25 Highland Rivers programs, as well as agency facilities, staff and policies. Surveyors observed service delivery in the agency’s outpatient clinics, child and adolescent programs, group homes, crisis units and day programs, among others.

According to CARF’s accreditation report, Highland Rivers is a strong organization that offers a high level of care to persons served. Highland Rivers has been accredited since 2003 and the current accreditation is effective through September 2020.

Georgia APEX

The Georgia APEX Project offers schools an efficient and timely means of helping students who are struggling with mental, emotional, behavioral and substance use issues. The program provides in-school mental health counselors that serve as a resource for students and staff, and most important, help link students and their families with needed mental health services in their community.

Through the Georgia APEX Project, Highland Rivers Health provides mental health professionals onsite at elementary, middle or high schools. In partnership with school staff, Highland Rivers’ therapists assess and identify a student’s mental health needs and determine how best to meet his or her individual needs. Highland Rivers provides APEX in nearly two dozen schools in Gordon, Pickens and Bartow counties.

APEX Services include:

On-site mental health professionals

Individual, group and family counseling

Community Support Services

Psychiatric and nursing services

Linkage and referral to other services

Training and support for school personnel


Suicide Prevention Services

Highland Rivers Health is a participant in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) suicide prevention initiative, which seeks to reduce suicide events among individuals ages 10 to 24. The agency offers a variety of services, trainings and other resources to help communities learn about and reduce suicide.

In addition to education and resources community partners and other organizations can use to identify suicide risk factors in individuals, the agency also provides clinical therapy for individuals with suicidal ideation or mental illness that might increase their risk of attempting suicide.

One of the most valuable resources funded by the GLS grant is Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training, which teaches people what to do when encountering someone that may be thinking of suicide. Highland Rivers provides QPR training onsite at no cost to businesses, community agencies, schools, churches, civic clubs and other organizations that want to learn how they can help prevent suicide.

Recovery Transformation

Highland Rivers was asked by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Office of Recovery Transformation to formulate a leadership change team to guide our continuing efforts to become more recovery-focused in every aspect of our organization. From this opportunity, a group of 30 staff and community partners were identified to become a team of recovery change champions and leaders. After a 2-day recovery transformation event, the team identified five change opportunities, which the agency continues to implement:

Employee Morale: identify what staff team members need to keep coming back, and to increase tenure and enthusiasm.

Operation Initial Contact: identify ways to make a more welcoming environment in the front lobbies of our clinics.

Recovery Now: newsletters to spotlight host home providers and individuals living in recovery sharing their personal stories.

Recovery Community: become more involved in the community in order to develop community partners.

Open Access Initiative: identify ways to triage individuals at open access, to speed access for those with most acute needs.

HCS Conversion

For the past several years, Highland Rivers Health contracted with a third-party employer to provide staff for many agency positions. Of the approximately 600 staff that worked at Highland Rivers, only about 150 were actual employees of the agency, with the other 450 employed by HealthCare Staffing (HCS). In January, with assistance from DBHDD, Highland Rivers converted HCS employees to Highland Rivers employees. Though the change resulted in a considerable but one-time expense as vacation and accrued sick time were paid out, the change also resulted in increased employee morale, sense of belonging and teamwork.

Trauma-Informed Care

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes trauma-informed care as an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives. It can be thought of as a ‘lens’ through which to view individuals’ symptoms, experiences and service delivery.

There are seven domains of trauma-informed care which Highland Rivers is working to integrate throughout the organization with the help of an internal Trauma-Informed Care Committee. The committee also identifies best-practice trainings for clinicians and staff, and works to offer a variety of trainings to enhance clinical practice at the agency.


Profile: Cheri

A journey to mental health recovery with the help of Highland Rivers’ Assertive Community

Treatment program team

“It was really scary the first time I heard voices,” says Cheri, recalling the time in 2013 when she first heard them. Her initial reaction? “I thought someone had planted something in my head.” Until that time in her life, Cheri had never had mental illness. She had been using drugs, but ended up being admitted to psychiatric hospitals – including Highland Rivers’ crisis unit – more than 20 times over the next two years. She was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and began receiving community support services from Highland Rivers at her home in Chatsworth. “My first caseworker was really good,” Cheri says, “but then I got a different one that I didn’t like very much.” In October 2016, after telling program staff

she no longer wanted to work with her new case manager, she moved to Rome, into an apartment at Heritage Point. There, Cheri also began receiving services through the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program. “After I came to Rome and started to see Dr. Unger (the ACT psychiatrist), I started to feel hope,” says Cheri. “It might seem like it takes a long time to reach a life of recovery, maybe three years or whatever, but in the big picture it’s better than living the rest of your life not in recovery.” “ACT is absolutely wonderful,” Cheri says. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.” She engaged in the ACT process – she kept her doctor appointments, never missed counseling, and worked to set goals for her recovery. She had quit using drugs on her own, realizing that she needed to stop. She receives SSI disability, but wants to work again in the future, and become a nurse. About a year ago, the voices stopped. “It kind of scared me at first, and I actually felt kind of abandoned,” says Cheri. “I know that might sound strange but it’s true, and it caused me anxiety.” She continues to have anxiety, but has learned to work through it, and knows that is part of living in recovery. “I was at one time afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it – to recover,” Cheri says. “But anything is possible. I would tell people to listen because the process helps. If you can take care of yourself then it’s definitely worth it to take the opportunity.”

Cheri, 31, is now

living in recovery

About ACT

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is an intensive community-based program for adults with mental illness. The ACT team, which is available to individuals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, includes a psychiatrist, nurses and therapists, as well as vocational specialists, paraprofessionals and peer specialists.

Members of the ACT team visit individuals in their homes or other community locations several times per week to ensure their needs are met and help them work toward living in recovery in the community.

ACT helps individuals take the lead in directing their care and treatment goals, and help individuals develop and strengthen natural supports, and social and community living skills.

ACT FY18 notable accomplishments

Successfully hired a new team lead for the program.

Received a score of 128 on the DBHDD ACT Fidelity Review (140 possible), among the highest in Georgia.

Increased the number of individuals enrolled in some form of education program.

Assisted ACT individuals in attending the RESPECT Institute.


FY18 Investment in Services, and Revenues by Source

Over the past six years, Highland Rivers Health has grown by more than $15 million to become a nearly $50 million agency. Highland Rivers is a responsible steward of public funding and constantly works to enhance the efficiency of our operations, both clinical and administrative, in order to provide taxpayers a beneficial return on investment. With ongoing efforts to reduce overhead, approximately 88 percent of our funding goes directly into providing care for individuals we serve.

FY18 Investment in Services by Program Area

Crisis Services $ 9,637,545

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities $ 13,052,515

Peer Services $ 1,151,261

Residential Services $ 1,879,071

Adult Mental Health $ 9,012,388

Child and Adolescent Mental Health $ 1,875,776

Adult Addictive Disease $ 937,378

Other Addictive Disease Services $ 783,536

Community Support Services $ 1,182,985

Addictive Disease Residential Treatment $ 3,295,243

Department of Justice Programs $ 2,698,925

Community Rehabilitation and Wellness (expense-based) $ 463,507

Outpatient (expense-based) $ 1,567,888

TOTAL $ 47,538,018

FY18 Revenue by Source

DBHDD $ 24,925,103

Accounts Payable/Other $ 5,640,018

Developmental Disabilities Waiver $ 10,452,521

Medicaid $ 3,106,212

Care Management Organization (CMO) $ 1,514,282

Medicare $ 302,431

Commercial Insurance and VA $ 772,982

Transportation $ 453,892

Funding from Counties $ 250,312

Client Fees $ 1,013,136

Other Fees $ 521,798

TOTAL $ 48,952,690


Note: the total of individuals served is greater than the total of unique individuals because some individuals lived in multiple counties in the period.

Counts represent age of individual during last appointment of the fiscal year.

* Limited only to those that received an IDD services during the period. **Limited to individuals that received a billable substance use service during the period. †Includes individuals with a substance use diagnosis who did not receive

services in a substance use program (for example, an individual who may have been dually diagnosed with mental health and substance use disorders but chose to pursue treatment only for mental health).

What those receiving services say…

This year things are different; it's actually a pleasure to come here...it's just warmer, friendlier. It's a better place - better than ever.

(The Assertive Community Treatment) team has helped me immensely while I have been recovering outside the hospital. Thank you all…

I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation for all the hard work (during) my recovery and stabilization. My case manager was very invested in me, and I could tell that he cared, through his words and actions.

What's cool about Highland Rivers is it is where hope starts. Great place to grow in recovery. You are all making a difference and inspiring hope!

FY18 Summary of Individuals Served

In FY18, Highland Rivers Health provided behavioral health services to more than 15,000 unique individuals across all counties and agency programs. This count includes individuals who are enrolled in services on an ongoing basis or received services in a residential program or crisis stabilization unit. This count, however, does not include the hundreds (or perhaps) thousands of individuals that may have attended a training sponsored by the agency, or family members or others than may have been present during counseling or a home visit, or who may have otherwise learned important information through contact with an agency clinician or other staff.

Because Highland Rivers Health is a state-designated safety-net agency, individuals served by the agency often represent an extremely vulnerable population with complex needs, who might otherwise not have access to the critical behavioral health services the agency provides.

Individuals served by county FY18

Bartow 1,699

Cherokee 2,334

Fannin 238

Floyd 2,250

Gilmer 625

Gordon 938

Murray 578

Paulding 1,307

Pickens 694

Polk 1,063

Whitfield 1,600

Other/Unknown 2,766

Unique Individual Count 15,467

Individuals served by diagnosis FY18

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities* 445

Mental Health only 7,969

Substance Use only** 1,652

Substance Use Diagnosis (but not part of treatment)† 293

Dual Mental Health/Substance Use 5,047

No Diagnosis listed 61

Individuals served by age FY18

0-12 735

13-19 1,687

20-39 6,777

40-54 4,062

55-74 2,108

75+ 98


Profile: Amanda

A journey to sobriety with the help of Highland Rivers’ Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient

Program

For most of her life, Amanda didn’t drink. She never lost a job or had a DUI. But in her mid-30s, she developed a drinking problem and realized she needed help. “When I turned 21 I think I bought a six-pack just because I could,” says Amanda, who is now 37. “But I really never drank at all until about a year ago. My boss at the time always wanted me to have a drink after work. Eventually I started having more than one.” Then in December 2016 Amanda was involved in a fender bender. Even though she wasn’t legally drunk at the time (.03), she had been drinking and rammed the other driver’s car again after an argument at the scene. She was charged with reckless driving and ordered to attend SAIOP (Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program) at Highland Rivers in Jasper.

“When I was drinking, I always had dinner cooked – I was functioning, but I wasn’t happy with myself,” Amanda says. “The way I acted, the stupid things I did – like ramming that car. I could be obnoxious. I began to realize my drinking was a problem.” SAIOP is a six month program. Participants start out by coming to the program several times a week for several hours at a time, and also must attend a 12-step program. Amanda began SAIOP in January 2017 and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). “I realized I needed (treatment) because I started feeling better when I wasn’t drinking,” she says. “Learning to set boundaries was probably hardest – I had to completely change the friends I hung out with because most of them were drinking buddies. Even when family come to visit I tell them please don’t drink around me. I’m more assertive about taking myself out of those situations.” Amanda also understands that recovery can take work – and that you have to do it for yourself. “You’ve got to do it yourself and you’ve got to work the steps,” she says. Her work paid off and she graduated from SAIOP in July 2017. “I had to put my recovery before anything else – that way I could take care of my kids and my husband. And that’s what I did. I’ve still got work to do but I feel 100% better.”

Amanda with her

husband Justin, whom

she calls “my rock”

About SAIOP

The Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program (SAIOP) helps participants learn how to manage life issues and day-to-day living without the use of mood- or mind-altering substances or drugs.

SAIOP services promote recovery, self-sufficiency, self-advocacy, socialization, development of natural supports, and other important life skills, and include:

Alcohol and drug screening and assessment

Crisis intervention

Medication management and monitoring

Addiction and life skills education

Individual and group counseling

Linkages and referrals

Structured as a three-phase program, SAIOP ranges from 13 to 26 weeks and includes behavioral therapy and other treatment services. Each phase takes between one and two months and requires participants to attend SAIOP and 12-step meetings.

SAIOP is provided in Bartow, Floyd, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties, and is available to anyone living in Highland Rivers Health’s service area.


FY18 Summary of Accomplishments With a 12-county service area of approximately 4,400 square miles and more than two-dozen treatment facilities, it is nearly impossible to recount everything that Highland Rivers Health and its 650 staff do in a year. However, below are some highlights of FY18 that demonstrate both the depth and breadth of our agency and the services it provides in northwest Georgia.

Established a relationship with the Whitfield/Murray circuit Mental Health Court and drafted a memorandum of understanding and professional services agreement.

Added peer navigators in the Bartow and Paulding outpatient clinics to enhance the experience of individuals presenting for services.

Sponsored three free community screenings – in Cherokee, Gordon and Whitfield counties – of “Suicide: The Ripple Effect” through the Garrett Lee Smith contract.

Added three advanced practice registered nurses and two additional registered nurses to improve quality of care in Floyd County.

Expanded clinic space and added Saturday hours to accommodate growth in demand for services in Paulding County.

Expanded agency’s Employee Assistance Program provider contract with Mohawk Industries by eight hours per week to ensure adequate coverage.

Participated with the Northwest Georgia System of Care Advisory Council to create a school-based mental health tool kit.

Agency staff served as chair and secretary of the Polk County Local Interagency Planning Team in order to strengthen community relationships and increase attendance.

Achieved a score of 116 (Exemplary) on the DBHDD Supported Employment Fidelity Audit, adding 67 additional supported employment slots and helping 55 individuals find employment.

Assisted 155 individuals in transitioning into and maintaining housing through the Georgia Housing Voucher Program.

Reduced the need for food stamps and increased food resources for individuals receiving Intensive Case Management services by using the Able Body Working Adult law through the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

Achieved a 50 percent diversion for individuals presenting at Redmond Regional Medical Center emergency department in behavioral health crisis through a partnership with the hospital.

Began offering Addictive Disease Support Services (ADSS) in Bartow, Cherokee, Floyd, Gordon, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties.

Provided crisis intervention team (CIT) training to 20 law enforcement officers.

Began the process of obtaining a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to implement a state-of-the-art Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program to enhance the management of Highland Rivers’ high volume of substance use disorders.

Completed four major facility renovations to meet operational needs and complete regulatory corrective action plans, with less than $25,000 invested in the total renovation expenses.

And so much more….

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