Building on community partnerships, the Mental Health Center of North Iowa has a number of initiatives starting this coming year:

 

• The Mental Health Center will be engaging community participants, consumers and allied providers in exploring effective use of evidence-based practices to, in particular, building closer and more integrated linkages between the Mental Health Center and supported employment resources in our service area, including NIVC Services.

 

• Beginning in July 2005, Project MASS is set to begin offering services.  This partnership effort between the Mental Health Center and Prairie Ridge Addiction Treatment Center will develop core service elements that will better integrate Mental health And Substance abuse Services (MASS) and resources to advance recovery and assist with sustainable community living for adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

 

• Also beginning during the summer of 2005, will be the SED Wraparound Program, a similar project targeted towards children with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED) and their families.  In this Program, the Mental Health Center will joing other organizations to form an across-organizational consulting resource team for families interested in exploring options and resources available to SED children and adolescents.

 

• The focus on recovery continues as a part of the Mental Health Center’s mission in the north Iowa area and the Center conducted WRAP training earlier this year.  The Center will expand the use of this Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) model in its services to consumers and encourage its wider use in the community it serves.

 

• Person-centered planning through Family Team Conferencing will be implemented as a resource available at the Mental Health Center to enhance individual service programming through family team-decision making.  The Center views these models as important tools in further empowering consumers and participants in services at the Center in their own recovery through the use of natural supports and their families.

 

• The Mental Health Center will continue to expand the availability of its emergency Consult Clinic.  This program (available by appointment) allows for urgent consumer questions regarding medications and their impact between scheduled appointments with an attending psychiatrist.

 

• During the coming year, the Mental Health Center’s psychiatric and nursing staff will be actively exploring and field testing expanded psycho-educational programs and materials to support and assist consumers in their better understanding and use of prescribed psychotropic medications.

 

• The Mental Health Center has always recognized and encouraged the fullest possible use of natural supports, families and support groups in a consumer’s recovery.  Information is available in the Center’s lobby regarding the North Iowa Chapter for the Alliance for the Mentally Ill.  NAMI (as it is known) has two fully operational training and support programs:  Family-to-Family for friends, family and caretakers of adults with brain disorders and Visions for Tomorrow geared towards parents with SED children.

 

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