Organization provides residential mental health care closer to home

Ohio is one of 11 states in the United States to have a “critical” public hospital bed shortage for individuals with severe mental illnesses, according to the national nonprofit, Treatment Advocacy Center. This means there are less than 12 beds per 100,000 people in the state of Ohio.

It’s problematic. More people are seeking treatment as they gain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion, and unfortunately for individuals with severe mental illnesses, being covered doesn’t mean access to care.

Great Miami Services, part of Community Behavioral Health, is a 15-bed, short-term residential facility for mentally ill patients from Butler County. Often, it’s a step-down program from psychiatric hospitalization.

“Our goal is to get individuals to the least-restrictive setting and highest level of independence possible to prepare them for a safe return to the community,” Tara Cunningham, a Licensed Practical Nurse at Great Miami Services said.

Beyond a step-down from psychiatric hospitalization, Great Miami Services serves anyone with a mental illness before or after hospitalization who may need a medication adjustment, individuals who are not psychotic enough for hospital admission but not safe at home and families who may need a temporary respite location for an adult child with a severe mental illness.

Cunningham added that Great Miami Services allows Butler County residents to receive the treatment they need closer to their home, their family and their community support system.

“We get pretty close to some of the families. They come in for holidays and visits, and will come take their family member out for the day to lunch or shopping,” Cunningham said. “We also involve them in care meetings twice a month, where we discuss what the best treatment plan is and really allow them a chance to participate in their loved one’s care.”

Located inside Ft. Hamilton Hospital, Great Miami Services does much more than getting individuals stabilized on their medications. They teach the residents important life skills and stress management, they work with Ohio Means Jobs to help them get GEDs and jobs, they take them to the dentist, to eye appointments, and make sure that they are getting all medical care that they need.

“We want patients to be healthy medically as well as psychiatrically,” Cunningham said. “We connect people to the services they need—whether it’s employment, housing, Alcohol and Drug Counseling, or therapy.”

For Cunningham, the most rewarding part of working at Great Miami Services, is seeing people maintain their highest level of independence and maintain it.

“We had one woman who came in fresh after losing everything—her job, her husband, her kids and her home. She got here, we got her stabilized on medications, helped connect her to the outpatient services she needed, and worked with Children’s Services and Ohio Means Jobs,” Cunningham said. “Now she has fully regained custody of her children, she has a job and a home, and she still calls us from time to time to let us know that she is doing well. Stories like that are very rewarding, and I feel like I have found my calling.”

For more information on Great Miami Services, contact Tara Cunningham at tcunningham@community-first.org, visit our website, or call 513-867-3160.

Jodi Fritsch June 8th, 2015

Posted In: Uncategorized

Tags: Butler County, Community Behavioral Health, mental health, residential mental health