24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support
(877) 882-5122

24/7 Medical Support
(877) 882-5122

Safe Place for Youth
(317) 275-8840

Adult & Child Mental Health & Medical Concerns Support Information
(877) 882-5122

NEWS

ADULT & CHILD HEALTH EMBEDS ONSITE SERVICES FOR PENN PLACE APARTMENTS RESIDENTS

Share This Post

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 27, 2019) – Adult & Child Health (A&C) recently implemented an innovative onsite Resident Services Program at Penn Place Apartments, 1415 N. Pennsylvania St., to provide onsite social and behavioral services to supportive housing apartment residents.

The Resident Services Program, which is part of A&C’s Supportive Housing Services, began in July and is funded through a grant from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA).

RELATED CONTENT: Adult & Child Health Receives Kendrick Foundation Grant to Expand Behavioral Health Programming in Mooresville Schools

Penn Place Apartments is a 38-unit complex dedicated to serving the chronically homeless and special-needs populations. A&C has full-time staff available at the apartments Monday through Friday, to facilitate residents’ access to health care, social services, community resources and educational opportunities, which in turn improves their overall health and wellness.

“By locating access to social services and resources just steps from their home, our belief is that this approach will give individuals the best possible chance for success and assist them in maintaining a stable environment,” said Skills Development Specialist Emily Snipes. “Our initial goal has been to establish rapport
with the residents and apartment management team. As we learn more about their individual needs and concerns, we will tailor our services to meet them where they are.”

Emily Snipes

In collaboration with apartment management staff from BWI (Black White Investments), A&C launched the program to reduce health disparities among underserved populations and to increase the residents’ engagement in treatment for mental health and co-occurring disorders. A&C has strategically invested in community-based programs like Penn Place to improve outcomes for adults who are often reluctant to seek such services in a traditional setting.

Penn Place is a “Housing First” model, which focuses on quickly moving people who are experiencing homelessness into independent and permanent supportive housing, then continuing to support people with additional services and resources as needed to keep them safe, stable, and housed. “One of the biggest objectives is to assist the individual in not just obtaining housing, but successfully maintaining that residence,” Snipes said. “Everyone’s needs are different, and our role is to help identify ways that we can assist them in this environment.”

A&C has stationed a full-time Skills Development Specialist and a part-time Community Health Worker at Penn Place to help meet the residents’ needs. To promote consistent engagement, they have established an incentive store for residents who earn the opportunity to shop at the store by attending a health education class or participating in health and wellness programs.

Adult & Child Health (www.adultandchild.org) strives for caring communities, where every child, adult and family have the opportunities they need to live healthy, happy, productive lives. For more information about Adult & Child Health services, please contact Adam Wire, marketing and communications specialist, at 317-882-5122 or awire@adultandchild.org.

RELATED CONTENT: Why Adult & Child Health is an Ideal Agency to Utilize Medication Assisted Treatment

More To Explore

Sarah Miller, PMHNP-BC

Sarah Miller works with the addictions team, general psychiatry for adolescents and adults, and the competency restoration team. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her specialties are working in addictions and with people who experience serious mental illness.

Miller graduated from Indiana University with a psychology degree and went back to school for nursing. She received her nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and worked in a nursing home and also spent time working in a group home with adolescents. She received her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

She enjoys hanging out with her family and her two dogs, and going to sporting events.

Joanna Chambers, MD

Dr. Joanna Chambers is a psychiatrist who began seeing Adult & Child Health patients in November 2021. She graduated from Medical College of Georgia with her Doctorate of Medicine in 1996 and completed her residency in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to bringing a wealth of experience, she currently serves as an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine where she teaches Clinical Psychiatry. She is certified in Addiction Medicine and has a special interest in treating pregnant and postpartum women. She is President of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry Organization as well as a sitting member of many medical association boards. Recently, she has won the Residents’ Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 from Indiana University and has received “Best Doctors Award” in 2010, 2011, and 2014. Dr. Chambers is incredibly active in the medical, academic, and research realms of medicine. She is currently accepting new patients on Wednesdays.