ADULT & CHILD HEALTH RECEIVES KENDRICK FOUNDATION GRANT TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO MORGAN COUNTY STUDENTS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 21, 2020) – Adult & Child Health (A&C) was awarded a $145,570 grant from the Kendrick Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports education and initiatives that improve the health of Morgan County residents. A&C was one of only eight nonprofit agencies awarded this year’s Kendrick Foundation Grant, which identified grantees based on their ability to shift their service and care models to meet the emerging needs of Morgan County residents in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our grantees have really stepped up to meet the needs of our community,” said Keylee Wright, Executive Director of the Kendrick Foundation. “Their efforts are inspiring, and we want to continue to support their work to improve the physical and mental health of Morgan County residents, especially during this unprecedented public health crisis.” RELATED CONTENT: Adult & Child Health Awarded $3.2 Million Grant to Expand Mental Health Services for the Homeless A&C has partnered with Mooresville Schools since 2013 to enhance on-site programming that supports a healthy environment for students and teachers. Since the onset of COVID-19, A&C has effectively transitioned from a 100% face-to-face model of care to a model in which 95% of services are provided via telephone or telehealth. Since March 13, when most Indiana schools transitioned to e-Learning, the A&C school-based team has provided over 2,000 hours of direct or indirect care to Morgan County students and their families. The grant award will support the expansion of services available to Mooresville staff and students, which includes evidence-based behavioral health training and curriculum titled Second Steps. In addition to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), A&C will continue to provide training for Mooresville Schools students and staff to help them learn new strategies to help students achieve better health outcomes. Specifically, this award will fund a newly created Emotional Learning Coordinator position to provide professional development for staff and administration. This effort will strengthen our partnership with the district and enhance our school-based program. The award will also assist A&C to expand telehealth services to Mooresville Schools that will help eliminate the barriers students are experiencing because of COVID-19. “We are beyond excited to expand our services to both A&C clients and caregivers along with offering additional supportive services to students in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Liz Stirn, A&C Assistant Director of School-Based Services. RELATED CONTENT: Adult & Child Health Receives Kendrick Foundation Grant to Expand Behavioral Health Programming in Mooresville Schools Thousands of schools around the world, and more than 15 million children, benefit from Second Steps SEL each year. The program aims to increase students’ knowledge about social-emotional skills, improve prosocial behavior, decrease observed relational and physical aggression, increase academic achievement, and decrease bullying, substance abuse and misuse. A&C’s School-Based programs, which have helped 2,287 students excel in 120 central Indiana schools during the last fiscal year, places specialists in schools who are trained to help students experiencing behavioral health issues, delayed development or other life stressors that interfere with their ability to learn. 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 [email protected].
A&C Launches Telehealth to Serve Wheeler Mission Guests
Take away the walker, and Steve Dycus looks like a relatively healthy man who doesn’t need telehealth services. But as he lifts his right shorts to expose his leg, you can see the scar from the surgery that took place 20 years ago, after four gunshot wounds penetrated his leg. What you don’t see are the struggles he’s endured since. The medication side effects brought on mental health challenges. He’s bounced from one doctor to the next, from one hospital to the next, from one prescription to another, seeking answers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Steve’s predicament worsened. He contracted the virus. He endured serious, but not life-threatening, symptoms, so Steve couldn’t see doctors for his previous conditions. Because of the virus, he couldn’t stay with his girlfriend any longer. He went to Wheeler Mission. There, Quedawnta Clemons, a case manager at the Mission, knew how to address Steve’s health concerns. She knew Wheeler recently partnered with Adult & Child Health to provide telehealth services for Wheeler residents. She knew A&C was a perfect one-stop shop for residents like Steve, who needed physical and mental health care, and until now, couldn’t get it in one place. “It really puts a smile on my face to know I’m getting the help that I need,” Steve said. “I’m not getting any rejections or being put on the back burner about what’s good for me, and I can also have someone that listens and can get me the best feedback without the medications, without “try this, try that,” and the complications and the side effects are very real.” How the telehealth partnership works Adult & Child Health recently provided Wheeler Mission with iPads, where residents could register for health care services via telehealth. The resident registers while a Wheeler Mission case manager assists. Then Reba Chapple, A&C’s Certified Medical Assistant who serves as a liaison between the agencies, helps residents arrange appointments, fill out paperwork, and assist clients as they apply for insurance. A&C has already helped about 35 Wheeler residents address their health concerns. The relationship began as A&C sought new ways to offer patients convenient access to services. COVID-19 forced so many changes in how health care providers limit in-person contact, and it kept lots of patients from making their appointments. “Back in mid-May, we started having discussion about how to get more patients in the door and get more people access to care,” Chapple said. “Shirl (Demmings, Director of Practice Management) had talked to Wheeler, and they had patients that needed primary care and wanted behavioral health (services). I said I’d love to help with this in any way I can. We’re an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center), that’s our job. We devised a plan to do telehealth and get people seen.” Chapple said most Wheeler residents who utilize the iPads for their health concerns seek several different health care services. “Because of COVID, not being able to go see doctors, not having insurance, social distancing, we have a lot of guests here in the shelter who have mental problems that we have to deal with,” Clemons said. “We can still get the guests online, so that first interview with the iPad is letting them know what’s going on, since we couldn’t see them face-to-face.” RELATED CONTENT: How Blue Triangle Helped a Homeless Man Recover Who we’ve helped with telehealth Steve Dycus isn’t the only one who’s benefited from the partnership. “One guy had diabetes for 10 years, was homeless and didn’t have any insurance,” Clemons said. “He came in due to COVID, and we were able to get him on insulin and we were able to save his life.” Since Chapple talks to every Wheeler client, she’s familiar with all of the stories. One stands out. “There was a younger gentleman who had a long, complex medical history (heart failure), behavioral health issues … the list was epic,” Chapple said. “We were able to get him in a telehealth appointment and ordered labs for him. When he came in, he wanted to know which one of us was Reba. He hadn’t been on his heart meds, he had an eczema breakout. He said he had energy again. His case manager was elated. Actually seeing him in the clinic was my favorite moment.” As for Steve, his gunshot wounds eventually gave him Peripheral Artery Disease, and the resulting plaque buildup in his arteries necessitated his walker. Steve is just starting his journey with Adult & Child Health, but he’s excited about the possibilities. “I just want to get lowered down to where I’m OK,” Steve said. “There’s just some things I have problems with; some issues mentally that I would like to speak to someone. I’ve been speaking to someone on the virtual camera because of COVID and it works to talk to somebody that listens, but I know I can have more dealing with Adult & Child.” RELATED CONTENT: Why Adult & Child Health is an Ideal Agency to Offer Medication Assisted Treatment How else A&C is addressing your health concerns Adult & Child Health isn’t stopping with iPads at Wheeler Mission. We’re also offering Virtual Primary Care for those clients who aren’t comfortable making in-person appointments for their health concerns. All initial appointments, except those involving lab work and injections, will take place via Telehealth. Clients can call 1-877-882-5122 to make an appointment or learn more.
June is Men’s Health Month. Our Clinical Nursing Team Shares a Few Facts and Tips.
June is Men’s Health Month, but our Clinical Nursing Team works year-round with its clients on improving their daily health habits. From diabetes education to nutritional information and more, our staff helps men and women reach their goals and live healthier, happier lives. This month, they’d like to share several men’s health related tips and facts they’ve gleaned from a variety of sources and their own expertise. Let’s take a look: Did You Know? Men’s Health Facts Genetics only determines 30% of a men’s health. Men can control the other 70% through their lifestyles. Males who climb 50 stairs or walk five city blocks a day may lower their risk of a heart attack by 25%. Men who consume four to 10 drinks a week (at most) have a lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Drinking more than 10 drinks a week almost doubles your Type 2 Diabetes risk. Inactive men are 60% more likely to suffer from depression than their active counterparts. Men who sleep seven to eight hours per night are 60% less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack than those who sleep 5 hours or less. Males live about five years less than females, on average. Men have a higher death rate for most of the leading causes of death, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and suicide. Half of men will develop cancer in their lifetimes. Men make half as many preventive doctor’s visits as women. RELATED CONTENT: Garfield Park Primary Care Clinic Continues Tradition on Indy’s Southside What You Can Do Try these suggestions that sources say improve men’s health: Getting five to seven servings of fruit and vegetables each day might seem impossible. It isn’t! Try this: 1. A glass of orange juice. 2. One potato. 3. One big carrot. 4. Half of an avocado. 5. A pear. Add at least one fruit and vegetable to every meal. Say no to super-sizing. Eat a variety of foods. Keep comfortable walking shoes handy at work and in the car can improve men’s health. Play with your kids or grandkids. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Do yard work. Choose activities that you enjoy to stay motivated. Make prevention a priority. You can detect most health conditions early with regular checkups. Quitting smoking and drinking less can also prevent chronic conditions. Do you want to talk to one of our health professionals about improving your health? Schedule an appointment today. Check out our primary care clinics and services. Sources: Consumer Health Digest, Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, menshealthmonth.org, Military Health System.
ADULT & CHILD HEALTH AWARDED $3.2 MILLION GRANT TO EXPAND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE HOMELESS
Participants to receive mental health treatment combined with supportive housing INDIANAPOLIS – Adult & Child Health, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit, has announced it has received a $3.2 million grant to serve homeless adults with severe and persistent mental illness who are high utilizers of the Marion County Jail, local hospitals, emergency rooms, and psychiatric facilities. The grant, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides roughly $650,000 per year for each of the five years. Adult and Child Health will use the funds to provide Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), an evidence-based practice that improves outcomes for people with severe mental illness who are at risk of psychiatric crisis and involvement in the criminal justice system. The Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) has been a critical partner in supporting A&C’s development of this program and is adding additional funding to the program to assure programmatic goals are met. As one of the oldest and most widely researched evidence-based practices for people with severe mental illness, ACT is a multidisciplinary team approach that combines behavioral health and addictions treatment with assertive outreach to persons in the community. This project is unique, in that it proactively braids supported housing units into the project to quickly house participants and engage them with a mix of mental health, primary care, employment, and other supportive services. This marriage of safe, affordable, housing and community-based services will break the cycle of homelessness, psychiatric hospitalization, and arrest. Adult and Child Health was assisted by multiple community stakeholders and partners in developing the ACT proposal. In addition to CICF, planning and program development partners include the City of Indianapolis, the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), and the IUPUI School of Psychology. Launched on April 30, the ACT program will empower persons in Marion County who are experiencing serious mental illness, substance use, and homelessness to stabilize their lives, gain affordable housing, sustain gainful employment, and better manage their illnesses. “Thank you to the dozens of people who worked hard to bring this opportunity to the Indianapolis area” said Dan Arens, Chief Operating Officer of Adult and Child Health. “We’re excited to see the positive impact we believe we’ll see on the lives of those we serve. This project presents a life-changing opportunity for some of our community’s most marginalized people.” A&C CEO Allen Brown noted, “This project intensifies the services we’re able to offer high-risk persons out living in the streets. Adding supportive housing to round-the-clock, mobile psychiatric services will get us closer to the goal of zero homelessness. We’re confident this is the right approach and grateful to CICF and SAMHSA for their support.” Adult & Child Health, accredited by the Joint Commission, is a nonprofit primary care, behavioral health and social services provider in central Indiana. Contact information: Adult and Child Health, 222 E. Ohio Street, Suite 600, Indianapolis, IN 46204; 317-893-0252.
