Behavioral Healthcare

2008 Behavioral Health Champions

Mental healthcare, developmental disability and traumatic head injury services, early intervention, substance abuse treatment Number of staff: 1 ,000 Most vivid behavioral healthcare memory: There is a young man who bounced around in the mental health system for many years. Nathan having dinner with his children in his own apartment after they were released from foster care and he was no longer homeless; Monique leaving the large refrigerator box under the FDR Drive carrying her plastic bags...

Publisher

A Time for Leadership

A majority of the abandoned kids had a history of mental illness, and 90% of their parents/ guardians previously had sought state services for them.1 This is yet another example, clearly receiving national attention, of the need for better mental health services for children.

Tools For Transformation

Rein in Seclusion and Restraints

Bill has called such force the elephant in the room as the mental healthcare field tries to become more recoveryoriented.1 We conclude this plea for change by repeating two statements we have previously made: It is important to recognize that eliminating a tradition that is firmly ensconced in any culture is a challenging assignment. Seclusion and physical restraint have been practiced in behavioral health settings for centuries and have been assumed to be a necessary routine in the treatmen...

Facility Design Showcase

Santa Fe Rape Crisis Center

Located in Santa Fe's Tierra Contenta development, which includes a library and youth center, SFRCC chose the site because it allows for expansion and is near public transportation, notes James Horn, AIA, senior associate and project architect for Spears Architects. The medical unit has a fully equipped hospital room where a victim can be cared for with greater confidentiality than in a hospital, and the law enforcement offices can be accessed through a separate entry to ensure client privac...

Information Technology

The Training Challenge

Life Management Center, a behavioral health and family counseling organization serving six counties around Panama City, Florida, focused on staffs basic computer skills prior to deploying Netsmart Technologies' Avatar software in 2006, and designated project leaders to assist with training. Adequate project staffing and a detailed implementation plan will result in more effective training, but a behavioral healthcare organization has to communicate its ideas to the vendor at the beginning of...

Risk Management

Insurance in Tough Times

During these challenging economic times, it's important for community mental health centers (CMHCs) to maintain robust liability insurance coverage and risk-management programs. Dr. Buchwalter advises not only having sound procedures for checking medications but also training staff on monitoring patients for adverse reactions, reviewing medical records to ensure required tests and follow-up procedures have occurred, and ensuring patients are educated about their medications and potential sid...

Financial Management

Designing a Financial Blueprint

A clear delineation of available financial resources provides operational planners, architects, and engineers with definitive parameters for planning and designing a workable concept, thereby saving time and money. Key measures to track include earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), the debt service coverage ratio, and operating and excess margins.

The Manderscheid Report

Change Is Coming!

Housing Services

Pursuing the American Dream

Together OCCMHA and CHN developed a five-year strategic housing plan which, among other things, requires OCCMHA's network of providers to: * incorporate housing information and preferences in person-centered plans; * evaluate all current housing stock; * ensure that the housing needs of persons with disabilities are incorporated into community-wide plans for affordable housing; * develop and maintain a centralized database that includes housing stock Information as well as tenant preferences;...

Service Transformation

Words Mean Things