Investing in Child Wellness

Fostering Families Magazine

The Early Years

The future prosperity of our society depends on its ability to foster the health and well being of all children. Young children with strong mental health are prepared and equipped to develop important skills and capacities that begin in early childhood.

Mental health is the foundation for how children socialize, learn and meet their potential. The basic structure of the human brain is constructed through a process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood. Just as a solid foundation is critical when building a house, it is also fundamental for a child. Early experiences literally shape how the brain gets built.

One way to think about mental health for children is that it is like the levelness of a piece of furniture, such as a table. The levelness can depend on a table, the floor it’s on, or both. Just as levelness allows a table to function properly, the mental health of a child enables him/her to function in many different areas. 

Young children’s mental health is different from adult mental health and the determinants are multiple. Children develop in different environments; some balanced and others unbalanced. Balanced environments include supportive relationships, and access to things like good nutrition and health care. Those young children developing in unbalanced environments, such as extreme poverty, abuse, and chronic or severe maternal depression, may experience the effects of toxic stress.

When children’s brain structure develops in an environment of toxic stress, it’s like a table on an uneven floor- resulting in lifelong difficulties in learning, memory, self-regulation, and social and emotional functioning. Tables cannot make themselves level; they need attention from experts who understand levelness as well as stability and can work on both.

Our job, as a society, is to work toward the levelness necessary by creating and sustaining environments that foster brain development, reducing exposure to toxic stress and creating buffers of support to make stress more tolerable. Many states have instituted effective policies and programs that provide young children with the attention they need from experts who understand levelness. When we collectively ensure the healthy development of the next generation, they will pay back through productivity and responsible citizenship.

Previously published in Fostering Families Magazine, by Noelle Hause, EdD, LPC.  Noelle is the Program Director for Project Launch, a prevention program that provides education, screening, and workforce development regarding infant and young child mental health.

SEE MORE INFO on Project Launch offered at NRBH's Littler Prevention Campus.

Imagine that you and your family are enjoying a pleasant day at your company’s annual picnic.  Everyone is having fun.  The adults are playing volleyball and softball.  The children are enjoying the playground equipment.  There is plenty to eat.  Suddenly, a child sprains an ankle, breaks an arm, or chokes on a bone.  Fortunately, someone has had first aid training.  The injured child receives basic medical aid, meeting their needs until professional medical care is available.

Now, imagine a friend is experiencing a different kind of distress.  She has been acting differently.  She is isolating herself from others.  She is tearful and seems unusually angry.  She isn’t eating much, but sometimes smells of alcohol.  She has made odd statements.  These behavior changes worry you – but you don’t know how or if you should help.   You need Mental Health First Aid training.

Mental Health First Aid training prepares the average person to understand and help address mental health issues.  Mental Health First Aid was developed in Australia in 2001.  Health care providers there recognized that their country’s enormous rural spaces often made it difficult to obtain professional medical care.  For people who were discouraged by depression and other behavioral  challenges, seeking help and traveling to obtain it during a crisis was often overwhelming.  Mental Health First Aid was developed to bring timely mental health care to people, regardless where they lived.  It proved so valuable that it has since spread to many countries, including the United States.

Mental Health First Aid training includes twelve hours of instruction.  Attendees learn how to recognize distress and provide assistance to a person who is experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, substance abuse, and other difficulties.  The training also clarifies when it would be better to contact police or other emergency personnel, rather than providing first aid alone – and how to recognize this circumstance.  

It is important to know that Mental Health First Aid does not replace care by mental health professionals, but, it does provide basic assistance until professional help can be obtained. 

Mental Health First Aid training is available to anyone, but it has proven especially useful to teachers, police officers, fire department personnel, paramedics, and others who respond to crises as a part of their work.

North Range Behavioral Health provides Mental Health First Aid training, free of charge, to individuals, agencies, organizations, and businesses within Weld County.  Training is offered throughout the year. 

Please contact Dr. Maureen Huff at 970 347-2120 for more information or to enroll in the training.

This article was written by Pamela Collins Vaughn, MA. LPC - Program Director, NRBH.  It was previously published in the Greeley Tribune.

You have probably heard of behavioral health professionals such as psychologists, therapists, professional counselors, clinical social workers, and others.   But, have you ever heard of a behavioral health peer specialist? 

Peer Specialists are people who have been in treatment for mental health issues, gotten better, and want to give back to the community.  They are carefully selected and trained to help others in the recovery process at a behavioral health treatment center or clinic.  In 2008, North Range Behavioral Health saw the benefit of Peer Specialists and added them to the staff of its adult recovery programs. Peer specialists are considered to be staff, provided with training, and are certified to provide services.  

Recent research shows that peer specialists provide significant help in achieving positive outcomes for consumers.  Peer specialists reduce the overall cost of care because they are paid less than their licensed colleagues.  Additionally, in the course of providing care, peer specialists are provided with important opportunities to use their experiences to help others and to develop skills which, in turn, strengthen their own recovery processes. 

Peer specialists have experienced mental health challenges, including history, diagnosis, substance use, and other symptoms that are similar to those of people who are in treatment programs.  Because of this, peer specialists have a unique point of view and possess the type of understanding that only comes from being a peer.  Peer specialists do not provide therapy, but they have been trained to listen empathetically and to respond in ways that support the treatment goals of their peers.

The peer specialist’s role in the professional community is to help therapists and case managers by  monitoring consumers’ progress, stability, and changes in behavior.  They are especially alert to negative or self-destructive behaviors and immediately report these to the professional therapists.  At North Range Behavioral Health, peer specialists are supervised by and responsible to the director of the adult recovery program. 

Peer specialists’ involvement in providing recovery services is a natural and proper development in the better treatment of persons who have a mental illness.

Davis Popkins has been a consumer at NRBH since 2003 and working as a peer specialist since 2008.  Davis has also served on North Range Behavioral Health’s Board of Directors since June 2007.

This article was written by Davis Popkins, Peer Specialist & Board Member, NRBH.  It was previously published in the Greeley Tribune.

It may not be generally known in the community that there is a treatment program for offenders in Weld County.  In light of the recent article in the Tribune regarding an increase in the number of parolees and a consequent increase in the number of crimes committed, we want to assure the community that there is a ray of light regarding those parolees that want to turn their lives around.

Make no mistake, for someone with a felony conviction, there are many barriers to lodging, employment, even relationships.  An offender comes out of prison with little more than the proverbial shirt on his or her back, and is expected to pull life together.  It is not surprising that, according to Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner, so many return to prison.

North Range Behavioral Health has a program which has operated for over 4 years, that works directly with offenders.  It’s called BASIC, or Behavioral Alternative Services In Community.  The program’s primary mission is to reduce recidivism, or as we like to say, “keep the heads off the beds.”  BASIC assists as many as 150 offenders annually and works closely with agencies such as the Parole Department, Probation, the District Attorney and Public Defender’s Office.  We draw on as many resources as necessary to help offenders stabilize their lives and move to a more “pro-social” existence.  BASIC is funded in part by the state, (Senate Bill 97). 

Once referred to BASIC, the offender can expect to meet with staff trained in mental health and substance abuse.  Peer Specialists, clients who have successfully completed their personal treatment and have subsequently been trained to help their peers, are also a part of the treatment team at BASIC.  The majority of our clients have co-occurring issues and therefore need assistance with both their emotional health and drug and/or alcohol use.  Through the use of individual therapy, group therapy, case management, and medication, an offender in treatment has a significant opportunity to become a successful member of our community.

Various regional statistics indicate that 50% to 70% of offenders return to prison within three years of their release.  While it is true that not everyone referred to BASIC stays out of jail, 90% do successfully complete their treatment, get off parole, and move on with their lives.  A year in jail costs $28,000.  We celebrate the fact that although it costs $6000 a year to provide treatment through BASIC, therefore the savings to the community is $22,000 for every individual who does not return to jail.  The value of jail-diversion programs such as BASIC is evident.  Each offender who turns his or her life around means a productive member of the community, rather than a financial drain on our already financially-strapped community.

Anyone can make referrals to Pat Miller at 970-313-1126.       

This article was written by Dana Wellman, Program Director, BASIC.  It was previously published in the Greeley Tribune.

Congratulations to North Range Behavioral Health (NRBH) for being

Signal's Provider of the Month for February!

NRBH provides professional, culturally competent mental health services for Weld County.  They have a long history of providing exceptional services, dating all the way back to 1929!  As times have changed, so has NRBH.  They are proud of their work and their long record of outstanding service to the people of weld county.

The NRBH Provider of the Month Showcase page can be found at: http://www.signalbhn.org/Provider-Showcase.aspx

Learn more about NRBH's full spectrum of substance abuse, mental health and co-occuring services by clicking on this link: http://www.signalbhn.org/Custom/NRBH.aspx  *Be sure to check this page often for great information on NRBH!

Throughout the month of February, NRBH will feature many informative articles in the form of blogs on the Signal website.  Most of the articles have been previously published in the Greeley Tribune newspaper as guest editorials.  You can access all of NRBH's blogs by clicking this link: http://blog.signalbhn.org/?tag=/NRBH

Signal is proud to have NRBH as part of our provider network.  Congratulations on being our Provider of the Month for February! 

IDEA takes pride in their highly experienced and caring staff.  Today they would like to honor Marcela Paiz and Ben Montano.

Marcela Paiz, BS, CAC III is IDEA’s President/CEO and she founded IDEA in 1995.  With over 15 years of experience in the field she has expanded the reach of IDEA services by establishing offices in Aurora, Brighton and Thornton.  With a “hands on” approach, her expertise is in prevention and treatment of family violence and addictions as well as in parenting.  Her 25 years prior experience in human services, diversity and community relations have helped pave the way in her vision of providing services that are linguistically and culturally appropriate to the communities IDEA services.

Ben Montaño, CAC III is the Administrative Director for IDEA.  Ben has been part of the IDEA team for over 10 years.  As Administrative Director he focuses on insuring that IDEA is offering the highest quality services and that staff and clients alike have a positive experience when at IDEA.  He specializes in the training and developing of staff and serves as a link between all IDEA locations.

I love the internet, I love email.  Twitter, Facebook, Reddit….not so much.  I did finally get a Twitter account, mainly to follow health care reform news.  Honest!  Absolutely no Kardashian tweets!  But I keep forgetting to check my account.  Maybe increasing my Twitter consumption should be a New Year’s resolution.

I have started to listen to podcasts, mainly audio podcasts – not exactly cutting edge, I know.  Does fit better into my daily routine.  I can drive to work, putter around the house, do yard work, and listen to whatever podcast has caught my attention.  Although it really annoys my wife as it’s harder for her to yell at me from another room.

What does this have to do with addiction and Christmas?  Well, I was looking around in iTunes and discovered all of these podcasts related to addiction.  The description of one of the free podcasts in the Addicted to Addicts series starts with “What do you buy an addict for Christmas?”  A very thought provoking question that I’d never thought about.  So, I started listening and heard powerful stories of recovery and helpful advice for families of addict.  Didn’t agree with everything I heard, but worth a listen.  And then I checked out the Medical University of South Carolina, which has a series of 20 podcasts on alcohol and drug dependency.  Good interviews, good information with a research focus.  And then I decided that I needed to stop fooling around on iTunes and get back to work.  Still, I think podcasts can be a useful resource.  Books and reading are good; sometimes listening is even better.

The substance abuse treatment field is changing rapidly. Health care reform is moving the field towards insurance-based payment models; integration with primary care is a hot topic with multiple pilot projects occurring; new evidence-based practices such as medication assisted treatment and trauma informed services are becoming available.

Signal is considering hosting a conference to address the many changes to our field. This conference would be a way to help attendees learn about the emerging landscape of substance use disorder treatment and to prepare for new models of service delivery and payment.

This survey asks questions about what topics should be addressed in such a conference and your interest in attending. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. Your responses will help Signal decide whether to host such a conference and, if so, what should the conference look like. The survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LMCJTYN

Thanks in advance for completing this survey.  And please feel free to send the link to others in your organization.  We would like to get as many responses as possible! 

Signal's Provider-of-the-Month for January is

IDEA (Ideas Directed at Eliminating Abuse)!

IDEA's Mission is to guide individuals and families in addressing behaviors which impede healthy lifestyles and create generational cycles of substance abuse and family violence. 

IDEA's Values: 

·         We have a high quality therapeutic team that is responsive to the diverse communities in which we operate.

·         We value being a trusted source of behavioral health care in our communities.

·         We value empowering our clients to develop and follow through on compelling treatment plans.

·         We value meeting the needs of referring agents and collaborating in case management.

IDEA has launched a new website AND joined Facebook and Twitter!  Follow these links to their social media outlets:

Website: www.ideacares.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ideacares

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ideacares

Learn more about IDEA including the services offered and location information by clicking on this Signal Provider Showcase link:  http://www.signalbhn.org/Provider-Showcase.aspx

Signal is very proud to have IDEA as part of our network!  Congratulations for being Provider-of-the-Month for January!

In this holiday season, consider a donation to Faces and Voices of Recovery http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/.  FAVOR is the only national recovery advocacy organization and is celebrating their 10^th anniversary.  A worthy cause for your dollars.  And they are able to match all donations through December 31, so twice the bang for your bucks.  Plus they have opened a webstore.  Pretty limited so far, but perhaps you’ve been wanting a “Got recovery?” tee shirt.