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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBehavioral Health Board Annual Report for 2012 Suite County LAND OF NATURAL WEALTH AND BEAUTY BUTTE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH Azoolobal,MariarallbalthDinetar•AlerobaleaugAbaselklazitsbar BOARD OF SUPERVISORS NOV 12 2013 November 4,2013 OROVILLE,CAIJFORNIA Members of the Butte County Board of Supervisors: Dear Sirs/Madame: It gives me great pleasure to forward to you the Annual Report of the Behavioral Health Board for 2012. Current chairman,Pat Cragar,presides over a Board who showed both dedication and professionalism in its meetings and work on behalf of the community. Sincerely, Anne Robin, MFT Director L.77) /� KL-n1 J CAO U' i SCIf`lc� TTF • Department of Behavioral Health a ° Behavioral Health Board o ° Patricia Cragar, Chair o 0 109 Parmac Road, Suite 2, Chico, CA 95926 530/891-2850 u � Fax: 530/895-6549 August-2013 Butte County Board of Supervisors 25 County Center Drive Oroville, CA 95965 Supervisor Bill Connelly Supervisor Maureen Kirk Supervisor Steve Lambert Supervisor Larry Wahl Supervisor Doug Teeter The California Welfare and Institutions Code 5604.2 and the Butte County Behavioral Health Board By-laws state that the function of the Mental Health Board is, among other requirements,to investigate and understand the needs of the community and to present those needs to the Butte County Behavioral Health Director. In addition to that the Behavioral Health Board is to provide an"Annual Report"to the Butte County Board of Supervisors. Accordingly, in order to fulfill that responsibility, I am forwarding this annual report for calendar year 2012. The report will cover four major areas: 1. General Information 2. Program Presentation and Review for Calendar Year 2012 3. Monthly Reports 4. Itemized Goals and Ongoing concerns General Information: One out of four American families has a relative who has a mental illness. Mental illness typically strikes young people in their most productive years, aged 16-25 Families from all walks of life are affected regardless of age, race, income, religion or education. Mental illness devastates families and individuals. Family life is disrupted.* With these statistics in mind the challenge of providing services in an environment of declining revenue can be overwhelming. In spite of this reality the Butte County Behavioral Health Board has been impressed with the level of collaboration between the Department of Behavioral Health,other County Departments and the many Community Partners. Program Presentations: An especially interesting part of the Board's function is reviewing department funded programs. It's impressive to review those services that focus on prevention, intervention and treatment. The employees of both the department and the many community partners continue to demonstrate a tremendous level of enthusiasm,energy and commitment. Following is a list of some of the program presentations and events presented to the Board in 2012: • THERAPEUTIC BEHAVIORAL SERVICES-assist youth and parents in learning new ways to control destructive behavior and enhance managing skills calculated to increase those kinds of behavior that permit youth to be successful in their current environment. • MOBILE CRISIS TEAM-evaluates those adults and youth who are experiencing crisis in an emergency room or other community setting. • GRIDLEY LIVE SPOT-focuses on teens and provides services calculated to strengthen families, job fair success and suicide prevention training in the community. • ADULT OUTPATIENT TEAM CENTERS- provide assessment, diagnosis,and treatment to individuals requiring mental health or dual diagnosis treatment. An outpatient treatment team consists of licensed therapists, psychiatrist, psychiatric technicians,counselors,and support staff. Focus areas include mental health and substance abuse assessment, psychiatric assessment and evaluation for medication, medication monitoring, limited individual counseling,group counseling, and substance abuse counseling,bilingual counseling services and interpreter services. • YOUTH INTENSIVE PROGRAM -culturally specific supportive services and "wrap around" care for youth and families experiencing severe emotional and behavioral problems who are at risk of out of home placement. "Parent Partners" provide parenting education and support. • WELCOME,TRIAGE&REFERRAL/OUTPATIENT SERVICES-the welcoming service provided when an individual first enters the behavioral health system as a youth or adult outpatient. This program allows for walk-in and urgent care services. • S.E.A.R.C.H.-Support, Employment,Assistance, Recovery and Consumer Housing. Those intensive services provided to individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness due to severe and persistent mental illness. Individuals are referred to the Housing Authority of Butte County,the Department of Rehabilitation,Veteran's Services, Legal Aid,the Social Security Administration and other needed services. • INTEGRATED HEALTH& MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES-The Mental Health Services Act requires the development of integrated behavioral health services in community-based primary care settings through collaborative agreements with Federally Qualified Health Centers and other community health clinics in Chico,Oroville, Paradise, and Gridley. Mental health clinicians and psychiatric services will be co-located at these primary care facilities, and Butte County Department of Behavioral Health consumers will be able to access medical and mental health care at those same sites. s MOTHERS WELL PROGRAM-a teenage pregnancy&parenting program committed to helping pregnant and parenting teens prepare for and understand the joys and challenges of parenthood. • SENIOR COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT PROGRAM—provided as a part of"Passages"a home based counseling and support,to older adults,who are experiencing depression, anxiety, complicated grief issues or loss,trauma,and/or medication mismanagement. Services are offered in the home to those who may have difficulty otherwise accessing them. It includes programs to assist depressed and suicidal older adults. • HOSPITAL ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM-a program designed to keep youth out of acute psychiatric hospitals when possible. The focus is on rapid, intense collaborative services. MONTHLY REPORTS: Our monthly Board meetings include a variety of updates upon a variety of topics. They include: • NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS-or"NAMI"which provides support for families of those who suffer from Mental Illness. They provide training programs such as Family to Family and Provider education support recovery.A yearly walk is sponsored to increase awareness of the needs and services required by the mentally ill and help lessen the stigma associated with mental illness. "Parents&Teachers as Allies" and "Ending the Silence" programs were and are held to train teachers,family members, and consumers to present these programs to the community. "In Our Own Voice" presentations are very interesting and popular. They allow mental health services consumers,who choose to do so,to present their personal experiences to interested groups. • CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM-or"CIT"whose function is to encourage a humane approach to "de-escalating"the interaction of various authorities with those who suffer from mental illness. Captain Andy Duch of Butte County Sheriff's Office serves on the Board and manages the training for Law Enforcement&other similar, related organizations. This training has been in demand and has recently been provided to the Torres Shelter staff as well as the California State University Police Department and a variety of other emergency responders. Other Counties have expressed an interest in this approach. The Behavioral Health Board is especially proud of this program. There has been a collaborative effort between the Butte County Sheriff's Office and the Behavioral Health Department as well as NAMI (discussed above)to implement a voluntary"White Card"system whereby a consumer can elect on a voluntary basis to carry a standardized identification card which identifies their diagnosed condition and prescribed medications.This system has been implemented in other counties with success. When a consumer is in crisis and dealing with law enforcement or medical personnel it can be extremely helpful both in the de-escalation of an incident and in expediting the provision of necessary treatments and therapies. • MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT-provides for special prevention and intervention funds to be utilized in a variety of areas of need,as identified by the community. Some of those programs referenced above are supported by these funds. One example of this was a Suicide Prevention Summit held in March 2012 to develop a local suicide prevention action plan. In this regard an Annual Plan Update and Expenditure Report was completed and forwarded to the Board of Supervisors in July 2012. • MEDICAL STAFF REPORT-provides updates on the recruitment of psychiatrists as well as the status of those efforts to establish coordination with area hospitals. It also acts to educate and update Behavioral Health Board members as to various mental health issues,technical and otherwise. • PERFORMANCE REVIEW-Provides baseline data from the County's Avatar(management and accounting)system to permit staff and the Board to better track services. [Aside:The Board has been very interested in this tool which is in the process of being refined.The funding of programs often depends both upon being able to demonstrate those actions taken and the ability to track outcomes.] • DIRECTORS REPORT-provides updates on actions taken or contemplated by the State and Federal government including new and prospective legislation. The Director also identifies Department and County issues that affect or will affect Behavioral Health Services. Our monthly Board meetings also include updates from various standing committees including: • MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE-the ongoing recruitment of Board members as provided by law. The Board is made up of with representatives from consumers,family members of consumers, community members and youth. • CONSUMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE-Donna Matthews of the California Institute for Mental Health advises and assists the Committee in setting goals. • LEGISLATIVE/ADVOCACY COMMITTEE-which recently developed and forwarded a letter to potential employers encouraging them to hire mental health services consumers who have been deemed "ready to work." • COMMUNITY OUTREACH/EDUCATION COMMITTEE-develops public relation strategies including such activities as speaking at City Council meetings, providing material to media outlets and making mental health information accessible at public county sites. This committee is currently attempting to develop a collaboration with Enloe hospital regarding an "Alcohol and Other Drug and Mental Health"(AOD)education series. • MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEE-which works with the community at large to identify service needs and monitor program performance. GOALS/ONGOING CONCERNS: THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BOARD SET GENERAL GOALS FOR 2012-The Board met in January and in July to track goals and identify areas of interest and concern in the following areas: 1. Outreach &Education 2. Committee Work 3. Town Hall Meetings 4. Program Presentations 5. Board Member Training Most of these goals are of an 'ongoing" nature. We continually strive to be aware sensitive to our responsibilities as Board Members and will continue to be vigilant in our review of existing programs and in our efforts at suggesting the creation of new programs and the modification of old ones. Creating ways to gather feedback from consumers,families and friends is often a great challenge. We have changed the format of our meetings to encourage dialog and input and we continue to experiment with our format in this regard. We are in the process of creating a mechanism of continuous review that will be focusing upon specific programs. We are optimistic that the 2013 end of the year report will reference many positive developments and demonstrate continued improvement in the provision of mental health services. We also affirm our commitment to the ongoing exploration of novel ideas for the provision of services to the community. Thank you for taking the time to read this Annual Report. Sincerely, ( 6 -- Patricia Cragar Butte County Behavioral Health Board Chair