Albany Mental Health Care
Friday, September 26, 2008
If you are new to mental illness or if you are needing services and new to Albany, it is important to know what is available to you and your family. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill gives the states a “D” average for America’s health care system for serious mental illness. The report released in February, 2006 http://www.nami.org/content/navigationmenu/grading_the_states/NAMIs_Grading_the_States_2006_Report.htm Albany Mental Health has established resources and programs for citizens in every area of behavioral health. Their service’s range from counseling at the family level all the way to forensic services for the seriously mentally ill.
Albany Mental Health offers counseling and treatment for families who are suffering from mental illness. This includes offering support services for the family members of those who are ill, a critical tool to help keep the entire family healthy. This is also available for drug and alcohol counseling and rehabilitation services. Their recovery program includes the supervision of a medical staff. Their services cover drugs, alcohol and other addictions. They will address all areas of substance abuse with the patient, not just how to stop the addiction. They have a trained medical staff experienced in behavioral health and psychology, and dual-diagnosis for those who suffer from an addiction and a mental illness. Support groups from 12-Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-anon are also available.
The adult treatment clinic provided by Albany Mental Health offers services to those who are mentally ill. This includes psychiatric services and family support. The Children’s Services department focuses on the special needs of a child in a crisis situation. The department states that the typical intake patient is a child who is suicidal or displaying some sort of psychotic behavior. This specialized department is able to perform an evaluation on mentally ill children. A unique program to Albany Mental Health from others in the country is their intensive ACT treatment program for high need mentally ill individuals. They offer intensive case management and care to these special needs adults and children.
Albany Mental Health has integrated a great emergency and crisis line. This is one of the most important tools in mental illness crisis situations. Not only is there a 24 hour crisis line, but they also have a 24 hour mobile crisis unit. The unit will be able to provide the person in crisis with the right facility or persons who are trained to handle the emergency situation. The number is (518) 447-9650. Albany is invested in it’s community and so is the community invested in Albany. Albany Mental Health has a Community Services Board with positions held by members of the community. Members who care about our mentally ill citizens and want to help. If you are interested please call (518) 482-5744 to confirm meeting dates.
The local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI, can be found right in Albany. They may be contacted at NAMI 260 Washington AVE Albany, NY 12210-1312 or www.nami.org. NAMI can locate support groups specifically for your illness; like Depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, or support groups for family members of the mentally ill. Remember to stay informed.
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posted by Healthy Life @ 2:52 AM,
Denver Mental Health Care Services
Friday, September 19, 2008
Colorado was not responsive in request for information when NAMI was gathering data for the recent report that let to the United States getting a “D“ average in mental health care systems http://www.nami.org/content/navigationmenu/grading_the_states/NAMIs_Grading_the_States_2006_Report.htm. If you or a loved one is mentally ill it is important that you know the services available to you in your area. Denver Mental Health gets more than $25 million in federal state and private health care research funding annually. This is one reason why Denver has Behavioral Health services; ample facilities to evaluate, diagnosis and treat patients with over forty adult beds and thirteen adolescent beds. They have the capacity for the mentally ill, substance abuse disorders and dual diagnosis disorders. This is a key factor when so many mentally ill patients tend to have a second diagnosis. Many of the staff are physicians but there are also board certified social workers and nurses who are trained to work with the mentally ill and trained in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. Each program supervised by attending psychiatrists. Students work with the patients in different occupational therapy programs. There is an additional off campus facility that holds 100 beds for patient detoxification from substance abuse. The detoxification facility works at motivating and counseling patients to getting them back on their feet again. The program also has an emergency service patrol. Denver mental health operates this patrol (ESP) for public safety to pick up belligerent individuals, or persons in crisis, off the streets and bring them to a safe facility.
A sister to Denver Health and providing easier access to those that have more severe needs is Denver Health Family Health Center. This center was opened to serve the needs of the poor and the severely mentally ill. They also help with substance abuse, suicide prevention and domestic violence. The Denver Health Center has been serving Denver , Colorado since 1860. The Denver Health Center is part of Colorado’s Community Health Centers. These CHC’S are non profit organizations that have been strategically placed in low income areas where many people do not have access to health care. Health care providers make medical visits to the community. Some of these centers are in the community and others are placed at school sites. Visits to Denver mental health patients who may never have had the opportunity to see a doctor. Denver Health can be reached at 777 Bannock Street Denver, CO 80204 (303) 436-6000 or www.denverhealth.org .
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill can be reached locally in Denver at 1100 Fillmore Street Suite 201 Denver, CO 80206-3334 or at www.namicolorado.org. NAMI can help you find local support group meetings and help find resources about your illness. You can find information and support groups specific to your illness.
Serving Denver Mental Health 24 hours a day/7days a week is also the Lis’n Crisis Hotline, a Professional Psychology Center:
Suicide / Depression Hotline (303) 860-1200
Youth Support Line (303) 894-9000
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posted by Healthy Life @ 2:52 AM,
Oakland Mental Health Services
Monday, September 8, 2008
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill gives the states a “D” average for America’s health care system for serious mental illness. The report released in February, 2006 http://www.nami.org/content/navigationmenu/grading_the_states/NAMIs_Grading_the_States_2006_Report.htm also gave California a “D” for services and an overall “C“. If you or someone you love is mentally ill, it is important to stay informed of the services available in your community. Let’s take a look at Oakland Mental Health Services.
Assessing the needs of a troubled child or an adult can be very difficult. Whether your loved one is suffering from the pain of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from a traumatic event in his our her life or perhaps he or she is in need of a psychiatric evaluation, Oakland’s Department of Human Services has the resources available. Through Oakland Mental Health the support for children can be found through their Shining Stars program. They also offer complete psychiatric services for adults and seniors on an outpatient basis. Oakland Mental Health has the staff and facilities to help in the recovery of substance abuse or a mental health crisis through counseling, opiate replacement, and medication. They have experienced staff trained to deal with sexual abuse, PTSD and mental illness.
Shining Stars is an outpatient program for children and adolescents. Shining Stars works on site at some of the local elementary schools like Oakland and Emeryville. In addition to help for the children, Oakland Mental Health offers the necessary support and education for the parents and family members as well. It is important that the entire family be involved in the recovery process. They offer workshops in parenting, social skills and anger management. There are support groups for teenage girls and an intense learning center for the upper grades. West Oakland Mental Health is located at 2730 Adeline Street Oakland, CA 94607.
Oakland does not have inpatient hospitals exculsive to mental health. The following are a few of Oakland’s outpatient resources:
Oakland Mental Health Clinic on the
Oakland Army Base(510) 587-3400
Alameda County Behavioral Health
568 W Grand Ave
Oakland, CA 94621
Phone: (800) 491-9099
Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services
2000 Embarcadero Ste 400
Oakland, CA 94606-5300
Phone: (510) 567-8100
Alameda County Behavioral Health Care
Services - Vocational Rehab Program
333 Hegenberger Rd
Oakland, CA 94621
Phone: (510) 383-1600
Asian Community Mental Health Services
310 8th St Ste 201
Oakland, CA 94607-6527
Phone: (510) 451-6729
Center for Family Counseling
9925 International Blvd Ste 6
Oakland, CA 94603-2558 Phone: (510) 562-3731
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI, offers meetings, education, and support groups for the mentally ill and their family’s in cities all across America. Oakland Mental Health has a local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and they be contacted for information and support groups at (510)835-5010 or (510)835-0188, www.nami.-alamedacounty.org/.
Oakland’s shelter hotline number is 1-800-774-3583. The Oakland Homeless Project operates their own shelter specifically for the mentally ill, but they are limited to twenty four beds. Their number is, 510-465-0881. These emergency numbers are useful and should be kept in an easy location you are dealing with mental illness in your home. In the event of an emergency and you feel that you may be at risk of harming yourself or another person call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately.
posted by Healthy Life @ 2:52 AM,
Cleveland Mental Health Services
Monday, September 1, 2008
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill gives the states a “D” average for America’s health care system for serious mental illness. The report released in February, 2006 http://www.nami.org/content/navigationmenu/grading_the_states/NAMIs_Grading_the_States_2006_Report.htm gave the state of Ohio a “B”, with an “A” for information access. Ohio was only 1 of 5 states to get a “B”. Kudos to Governor Bob Taft and all the mental health advocates in Ohio. Taft announced in October, 2005 that Ohio has been awarded more than 14 million dollars by SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Organization; www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov Ohio’s goal is to transform the quality of health for their mentally ill citizens. With Governor Taft’s and SAMHSA’s help Cleveland and the rest of the state of Ohio will be able to start filling in any holes in their system and be sure they are reaching out to all of their mentally ill citizens and making all their services available to the entire community. This will hopefully allow every patient in Cleveland have the opportunity to seek mental health care, something many other states could follow lead from.
The mental health of our children is one of the first priorities the Governor has in improving Cleveland mental health. Aside from the wide known Head Start program, the state wants to make sure they are observing students for red flags of any mental illness or problems emotionally early in the classroom. The idea is prevention, intervention and treatment early on with the main goal to always keep a child placed in their home as long as her or she is safe. With Governor Taft’s prevention program he wants every child to succeed whether it be in a traditional school setting or in one of Cleveland’s alternative schools.
One program in place is the Ohio Advocates for Mental Health. This group helps educate the community and officials. They help bring changes through advocacy, leadership, and education. The Cleveland mental health community can reach at oamh@ohioadvocates.com. In 1988 when the hospitals downsized Ohio implemented a staff of qualified personnel to treat the mentally ill in their Community Support Networks throughout the County. Cleveland Mental Health has multiple hotlines from a variety of independent centers. If you or a family member suffers from a mental illness it is important you know what the resources are in your community. The following are just a few of the resources available:
*First Call For Help 216-436-2000
24 hours/day. Call with any problem for referral to an agency near you.
*Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Emergency Hotline 216-623-6888.
Mobile Crisis for the Cleveland Mental Health Community; providing assessment, intervention, consultation, and referral.
*Cleveland's Clinic Department of Psychiatry
Adult 216-444-7756
Children / Adolescent 216- 444-6142
Comprehensive behavioral health services. Inpatient adult and adolescent units.
**The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI. NAMI provide education and resources for all types of mental illness. NAMI can refer patients and their family members to support groups in your area and also help you find valuable resources for medical and legal information. Cleveland mental health has local NAMI chapters and they can be reached at:
Nami (National Alliance of Mentally Ill )
Education support and referrals for families of persons with mental illness.
Nami Cuyahoga County 440-333-9944
4402 West 215th St, Fairview Park, OH 44126
Nami Metro Cleveland 216-491-1616
3645 Warrenville Center Rd #328, Cleveland , OH 44122
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posted by Healthy Life @ 2:52 AM,