Author: Georgia DBHDD

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities provides treatment and support services to people with behavioral health challenges and addictive diseases, and assists individuals who live with developmental disabilities.

The agency’s mission is to lead an accountable and effective continuum of care to support people with behavioral health challenges, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in a dynamic health care environment.

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Community

Aspire engages first responders to better serve people with behavioral health challenges

aspire

Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services recently hosted a luncheon for law enforcement and other first responders in appreciation of their service to the community. Aspire staff provided information on dealing with individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

“Aspire’s goal is to work closely with first responders, improve accessibility of behavioral health support services in the communities, improve response time to crisis intervention in the community, and decrease ER visits,” said executive director Kay Brooks.

Staff gave a brief update on community behavioral health services in the eight southwest Georgia counties the agency serves and provided information about Aspire’s 24/7 walk-in crisis center in Albany. The first responders also had the opportunity to share some of the challenges they face when handling crisis situations.

“Law enforcement and other first responders are invaluable in behavioral health crisis situations,” Brooks said. “Aspire staff are committed to assisting our first responders to quick accessibility to behavioral health services, whether crisis intervention in the community, or at our walk-in crisis center.”

Aspire has scheduled follow-up visits with first responder staff to continue the dialog started during the luncheon. A strong partnership with local law enforcement and emergency personnel will help ensure that people needing crisis and other behavioral health services receive fast and effective care to meet their immediate and long-term needs.

Aspire is part of DBHDD’s statewide network of community service boards and provides behavioral health and developmental disability services in Baker, Calhoun, Dougherty, Early, Lee, Miller, Terrell and Worth counties.

See the press coverage of the luncheon from WALB and Fox 31.

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Community

Groundbreaking on new Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Cobb

BHCC Groundbreaking

On May 6, the Cobb Community Service Board (CSB) broke ground on a new behavioral health crisis center in Marietta. The center is expected to open by spring of 2015 and will provide easier access to high-quality services for Cobb and Douglas county residents. The center will offer 24/7 walk-in treatment and will house 24 stabilization beds, 4 transition-level beds and a 23-hour observation program.

The new center is part of Georgia’s increased focus on community-based behavioral health services. The addition of the Cobb crisis center and others across the state reflects the department’s commitment to serving people close to their homes and in the least restrictive setting possible. The facility will be supported by a $5.2 million annual investment from DBHDD.

“Thanks to funding provided for by Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Cobb CSB’s new center will serve thousands of citizens in immediate need of mental health and/or addiction treatment services,” said Cobb CSB executive director Tod Citron.

Governor Nathan Deal and Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee joined DBHDD Commissioner Berry at the groundbreaking ceremony held at 1775 County Services Parkway in Marietta.

The Cobb and Douglas Community Service Boards provide mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services to approximately 10,000 residents of Cobb and Douglas counties annually. For services call the Access Center at 770-422-0202.

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Community

Substance abuse treatment facility planned for Jasper

Highland Recovery Center press conference
(L-R) Highland Rivers Health CEO Jason Bearden, DBHDD Commissioner Frank Berry, Rep. Katie Dempsey, and Rep. Rick Jasperse.

On May 5, Commissioner Frank Berry, flanked by State Representatives Katie Dempsey (R-Rome) and Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) and Highland Rivers Health CEO Jason Bearden, announced a new substance abuse treatment facility to open in Jasper on Aug. 1. The program will serve people across 31 counties in north Georgia.

“DBHDD and our partners at Highland Rivers are focused on building community-based services that provide easy access to high-quality care across north Georgia,” said Berry. “The department is grateful for the continued support of the Georgia General Assembly, which makes it possible for us to meet the needs of the people we serve.”

The Highland Recovery Center will open at Highland Rivers’ outpatient clinic in Pickens County, which is being renovated to accommodate the new program. Highland Recovery will feature a 20-bed residential program for men—the first of its kind in north Georgia—and an outpatient treatment facility for both men and women. The new center will serve as a companion program to Highland Rivers’ Women’s Outreach in Rome.

“Highland Rivers Health is grateful for the vision, leadership and partnership of DBHDD and their recognition of the significant need for long term addiction treatment services in north Georgia,” said Bearden. “The new Highland Recovery Center will add to the growing continuum of comprehensive recovery services and supports for citizens with addictive disease.”

Nearly $350,000 in new investments will be used to remodel the current facility. The center has been given a $1.5 million budget for its first year of operations. Highland Rivers expects to staff Highland Recovery with approximately 25 new hires.

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Community

Dougherty Leadership Development Institute integrates individuals with disabilities into community leadership roles

DLDI Class of 2014

The Dougherty Leadership Development Institute (DLDI) brings together individuals with disabilities and community leaders. The institute focuses on educating participants about Dougherty County and raising awareness of community organizations and agencies serving people of disabilities. The program is a collaborative effort of the Albany Advocacy Resource Center (Albany ARC), the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and alumni of Leadership Albany. Since its creation in 1991, DLDI has produced over 400 graduates.

“In our community, we have individuals with disabilities who have the ability to be leaders but have never had the opportunity. DLDI integrates individuals with disabilities and community leaders in a leadership training program, opening doors for individuals with disabilities to become leaders and involved in our community by serving and volunteering,” says Annette Bowling, retired executive director, Albany ARC.

The program is modeled after Leadership Albany with the added goal of integrating persons with disabilities and non-disabled persons into the leadership community.

The DLDI has a threefold purpose:

    1. To allow individuals with diverse disabilities and non-disabled individuals to become more knowledgeable about common issues, needs, concerns, resources and opportunities which “cut across” disability lines;
    2. To provide the opportunity for leadership skills development aimed at empowering participants to have even more influence over decisions which affect their lives; and
    3. To establish a network for better communication and relationships between individuals with differing disabilities, as well as with organizations/agencies working for and with people of disabilities.

The institute’s class sessions include: diversity training; health and human services; education and communication; healthcare facilities/hospitals; courts and public safety; business and economic development; and arts and cultural activities.

For more information about DLDI, contact the Albany ARC at (229) 888-6852.

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Department News

Department expands services for young adults

DBHDD’s child and adolescent mental health office is operating under a new name: the Office of Children, Young Adults and Families. The new office will expand its focus to include the young adult population (ages 18–26), which has historically fallen into a gap between adolescent and adult mental health services.

“Young adults have become a target population in the mental health field. Access to care at this critical age can make a significant difference in how someone’s behavioral health develops into adulthood. The new office allows us to focus on people developmentally, not just based on age,” said director Linda Henderson-Smith, Ph.D.

The office will continue to support children, adolescents and their families. Visit our website for more information on the Office of Children, Young Adults and Families.

Additional Resources:

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Department News Staff

New leadership for developmental disabilities, hospital operations

DBHDD is committed to building and supporting a system of care for individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges in Georgia. To achieve this goal, the department is building capacity in local communities to provide easier access to high-quality care.

As the department transitions individuals from the hospital system to community-based care, collaboration between hospitals and community resources is critical. To ensure that each transition is facilitated safely and with focus on individual needs, Commissioner Berry has appointed Dr. Charles Li as director of hospital operations. Dr. Li currently serves as DBHDD’s assistant commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities. He was asked to lead the department’s hospital system because of his significant background in hospital operations and community programs. Dr. Li will direct activities at all DBHDD hospitals and will also serve as regional hospital administrator for Georgia Regional Hospital at Atlanta, one of the department’s busiest hospitals.

Berry has named Dan Howell as interim assistant commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Most recently, Mr. Howell served as acting regional hospital administrator for Central State Hospital. Mr. Howell has extensive experience in program administration and has led similar transition initiatives across the country. DBHDD is conducting a national search to recruit and select both a new assistant commissioner for developmental disabilities and a regional hospital administrator for Central State Hospital.

These actions underscore the department’s confidence that Dr. Li and Mr. Howell will be invaluable assets during the transition to a community-based system of care. Under their leadership, DBHDD looks forward to strengthening bridges between hospital and community-based services and providing better access for all Georgians.

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Events

National Rx Drug Abuse Summit comes to Atlanta April 22-24

Actress Melanie Griffith will headline Operation UNITE’s third annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis next week. The organization was founded in 2003 by U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-5) to rid communities of illegal drug use, provide support to friends and family members of drug abusers and to educate the public about the dangers of using drugs.

Organizers expect this year’s summit to top last year’s attendance of nearly 1,000. “The Summit takes a holistic approach to the drug abuse epidemic, bringing together legislators, law enforcement, medical professionals, advocates, educators and many other leaders to focus on real solutions,” said Rogers in a press conference hosted by DBHDD Commissioner Frank Berry in January.

The Generation Rx Project (GEN Rx), a program of DBHDD’s Office of Prevention Services and Programs, will sponsor the summit. GEN Rx was created in response to the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse among youth and young adults in Georgia. The program’s objective is to reduce prescription drug misuse and abuse among 12-25 year olds within targeted Georgia counties, Catoosa, Early and Gwinnett. GEN Rx will have an exhibit booth at the summit and will be providing information about the project to attendees.

DBHDD Prevention Team Leader Christopher Wood will present at a workshop (“Building Local Capacity to Prevent Rx Drug Abuse”) during the summit. Wood will discuss programmatic approaches to prevent prescription drug misuse and abuse, and specifically those programs and strategies being utilized by GEN Rx. The workshop will take place on Wednesday, April 23 from 1:30–2:45 p.m.

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Department News Staff

New director of Deaf Services

Dr. Candice M. TateThis week, DBHDD welcomes Candice M. Tate, Ph.D., as director of the Office of Deaf Services. Dr. Tate is a deaf psychologist fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). She brings over 15 years of experience in therapeutic and assessment services to both deaf and hearing populations. Her work on “Trauma in the Deaf Population: Definition, Experience, and Services” was published by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and has been used as a resource by DBHDD’s Office of Deaf Services.

The hiring of Tate reinforces the DBHDD’s commitment to ensuring that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing have service accessibility equivalent to that of the hearing population. Tate’s background gives her a comprehensive outlook on culturally appropriate solutions to workforce and system needs across the state. Her informed perspective will help to refine the department’s service delivery model as DBHDD works with providers to employ a workforce that, wherever possible, specifically includes ASL-fluent staff.

Tate holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Western Michigan University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Gallaudet University (2005). Over the past eight years, she has pursued her commitment of increasing consumer access to public mental health systems via training, consumer input, policy implementation and program evaluation. In 2008, she started Purple Monarch PLLC, which offers a full range of psychological services from therapy to assessment.

Tate’s own hearing loss was discovered when she was two and a half years old. She was placed in a mainstream school and did not learn ASL until she entered the clinical psychology program at Gallaudet. She developed a passion for helping people with access issues when she worked at a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities during her last two years of undergraduate studies. The experience inspired her to pursue a career in mental health focusing on linguistic and cultural accessibility.

Tate was raised in Montana but has worked across the United States with varied populations in a wide range of settings, including Rochester, NY; Washington, DC; Denver, CO; and rural Montana. Her exposure to different communities gives her a strong cross-cultural perspective. “I am committed to working within Georgia’s diverse deaf and hard of hearing communities to develop and expand an array of culturally and linguistically accessible services and technologies necessary to achieve overall health and well-being,” Tate said. She emphasizes the need for consumer input, “we will be listening directly to the communities and will develop these services based on their self-identified and assessed needs for services.”

Not unfamiliar with Georgia, Tate previously lived in Augusta for one year. She looks forward to being back in Georgia and is excited to join the DBHDD team. Her work will center on the implementation of meaningful system changes to deaf services at the state, regional and local level. “I feel honored to be a part of this change, and I believe that DBHDD has assembled a strong and qualified team that will successfully work together to achieve our vision and goals,” she said.

DBHDD is pleased to welcome Tate. Under her direction, Georgia will be well-positioned to become a leader in providing better access to behavioral health and developmental disability services for everyone the department serves.

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Staff

New interpreter coordinator joins DBHDD’s Office of Deaf Services

Deb WalkerDBHDD’s Office of Deaf Services welcomed new statewide interpreter coordinator Deb Walker in February. Deb brings almost 20 years of experience as a certified interpreter by the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. In 2003, she completed the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s Mental Health Interpreter Training. She has since been involved in the program as an instructor. Deb also held the “Qualified Mental Health Interpreter” designation (awarded by the State of Alabama) for six years and served as the practicum coordinator for the Alabama Office of Deaf Services for three years while working at Greil Psychiatric Hospital in the segregated Deaf Unit. Deb has lived in Georgia for four years and worked as a community interpreting provider before joining DBHDD.

Deb joins DBHDD’s Deaf Services coordinator Amy Peterson and community liaison Barry Critchfield. The Office of Deaf Services provides access to DBHDD services for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind. “Our office is working to make sure access is provided so that people who are deaf can receive services equivalent to those accessed by the non-deaf population,” Walker said. “We are striving to eliminate communication as a barrier to accessing services.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act places the incumbency on providers to offer interpreters for individuals who are deaf. DBHDD’s role is to facilitate training and coordination for interpreters and to help providers find easy access to certified interpreters.

“We rely on mental health interpreters to facilitate communication between the service provider and the consumer. When it comes to mental health for people who are Deaf, the interpreter has to know American Sign Language (ASL) well enough to be able to distinguish subtle variances in communication,” Walker said.

Currently, Georgia’s mental health interpreters attend the same 40-hour training course provided by the Alabama Department of Mental Health that Deb completed in 2003. DBHDD’s Office of Deaf Services is working to bring the next two steps of credentialing – supervision and evaluation – to Georgia. Under this new system, participants will continue to attend the course in Alabama, then return to Georgia to complete a 40-hour practicum and an evaluation. All three steps will be necessary to carry the designation of “certified mental health interpreter.”

“Any time you bring an interpreter into a mental health assignment, both the Deaf individual and the clinician have to believe that what is being communicated to each other through the interpreter is correct. How do they know, however, that what is being relayed to and from is accurate if no one is able to monitor the interpretation?” said Walker. “Our goal is to make sure that Georgia has a standard by which both parties can feel confident that the sign language interpreter is adequately trained to handle the nuances that are unique mental health appointments. We have a long, exciting road ahead of us but our sleeves are rolled up, and we’re moving forward.”

For more information about DBHDD’s Office of Deaf Services, contact Deb Walker.

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Community

RESPECT Institute

Joel Slack, who facilitates the RESPECT Institute in Georgia, originally developed the program at the request of Fulton State Hospital in Missouri. Leadership at the hospital realized that clients often had a solid understanding of what worked best in their rehabilitation. It was thought that this insight could be used to help aide in recovery, but most of them had never been asked to share their stories in their own words.

The first RESPECT Institute began at Fulton State approximately 15 years ago. Groups of 12 met for a 3½ day training in which each participant learned to present his or her story before an audience. After about 7 years of successful implementation at the hospital, Slack obtained grant funding to expand the RESPECT Institute statewide in Missouri. DBHDD brought the RESPECT Institute to Georgia two years ago. Training sessions are held 24 times a year across the state.

Day 1

Participants give an informal introduction using an outline provided by the RESPECT Institute. Each member of the group is able to offer feedback to the other presenters. For homework, individuals write down their stories.

Day 2
Each participant shares his or her recovery story at a podium. These stories are empowering and healing for the presenter and sometimes also very emotional. Following each presentation, the individual offers three pieces of advice learned through recovery. The group helps members develop a message and embed educational components into their stories. At the end of the day, participants are assigned to refine their stories based on the class’ feedback.

Day 3
Participants present their final stories and select three to four individuals to speak at their graduation ceremony.

Day 4
A graduation ceremony is held for all the individuals who complete the program. Graduates finish the RESPECT Institute empowered to tell their stories in any venue.

Upon completing the program, graduates become guest speakers at universities, corporate trainings, civic meetings and more. Outreach coordinator Alfred Brooks helps graduates find venues to share their stories. The RESPECT Institute has been in Georgia for less than two years, but graduates have shared their stories with nearly 20,000 people. Brooks also facilitates an ongoing monthly support group for each class.

“The RESPECT Institute offers life-changing, transformational experiences for people as they learn how to tell their stories. We’ve watched people heal in those three days,” said Slack. “Our graduates are also transforming their audiences by helping people to see the humanity beyond the illness. Once you’re able to see that humanity, it’s easier to treat someone with respect.”

The RESPECT Institute is provided by DBHDD in partnership with the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Networkand Mental Health America of Georgia. There is no cost to participants. To learn more about the RESPECT Institute, contact Mark Baker, director of DBHDD’s Office of Recovery Transformation, atbakermj@dbhdd.ga.gov. To apply, or to obtain a copy of an informational video, please contact:

Jen Banathy, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network
jen@gmhcn.org
404.687.9487