Support available for those coping with mental health issues
LEWISTOWN–Mental illness can impact anybody, said Kendra McKee, outpatient Licensed Clinical Social Worker for Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital, “from any area of life, at any stage of life.” As the final week of National Mental Health Awareness month approaches, McKee said she hopes Mifflin and Juniata county residents who have been diagnosed with mental illness, as well as their loved ones, know “you’re not alone” and that “a diagnosis is just a word–it’s not a death sentence.”
The most common mental health diagnoses in Mifflin and Juniata County, according to McKee, are addiction, depression and anxiety. Treatment options for these issues depend on the patient, said McKee, but often include one-on-one psychotherapy, group therapy, medication or a combination of the three. The two most difficult aspects of day-to-day life facing those with mental illness, McKee said, are occupational and relational.
Community support systems are in place, however, for those living their lives with a mental health diagnosis. The Square One Clubhouse, one of 23 of its kind in the Pennsylvania Clubhouse Coalition, “has two units that members can choose to work in as part of the work-ordered day,” according to www.paclubhouse.org. “Square One provides the membership a full range of employment opportunities in the community (and) has a social program that provides holiday, evening and weekend’s activities.” Peer support services, such as Community Services Group, Peer Stars and Keystone Service, are also available, as is Keystone Service’s supported living program and Community Services Group mobile psychiatric rehabilitation. Juniata River Center/NHS, Service Access and Management, and Universal Community Behavioral Health offer blended case management and Juniata County Friendship Club as well as Sunshine Connection, Inc. offer social rehabilitation services. There are also various mental health support groups, such as New Ray of Hope, Clear Concepts and Brighter Visions.
Sometimes, outpatient and community support services are not sufficient for mental health issues. At Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital, unit 7A has a 14-bed capacity, offering four to six group therapy options daily and visiting hours from 1 to 1:30 p.m. as well as 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Patients can wear and launder their own clothing and are encouraged to spend the majority of their days out of their rooms. The average stay for a patient at 7A is five to seven days, but those numbers vary greatly depending on the reason for admission, according to Suzanne Ward, registered nurse/case manager.
To date, 20 nurses, two case managers, one activities director, and a unit director serve the patients on 7A, which often has a minimum of eight patients admitted at one time. “We have a really great staff here,” said Ward. Two psychiatrists, Dr. Nalin Patel and Dr. Sayed Alamy, rotate responsibilities at 7A.
Outpatient, a total of four psychiatrists, each with a Physicians Assistant or Nurse Practioner, practice privately between Mifflin and Juniata counties, according to Ward. “There are a lot of (outpatient) community support services,” said Ward, “just not a lot of clinical resources.”
More information about what clinical and support resources are available can be found on www.mentalhealth.gov using the Treatment Locator feature. For loved ones of those diagnosed with mental illness, there’s NAMI–National Alliance on Mental Illness. According to the NAMI website, the organization “shapes national public policy for people with mental illness and their families and provides volunteer leaders with the tools, resources and skills necessary to save mental health in all states” as well as offers educational programs, support groups, a toll-free help-line, and public awareness events in all fifty states, as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C.
Local contacts for NAMI are James W. Lewis, jwlcare@embarqmail.com, (717) 483-6510, and Deborah Ormsby, (814) 641-7581.
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