Ouachita Behavioral Health And Wellness

Thu, 01/18/2018
Ouachita Behavioral Health And Wellness
125 Wellness Way
Hot Springs
AR
71913
Same
501-624-7111
www.obhaw.org
710401764
CEO's Information
Rob
Gershon, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
robg@obhaw.org
501-463-8248
Applicant's Contact Information
Kaylee
Fox
kaylee@obhaw.org
501-620-5279

Part II

CLIMB Child and Adolescent Center

Key program activities include Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Medication Management, Academic Periods and Kindergarten Readiness, Indoor and Outdoor Day-Treatment Activities to enhance social/emotional/physical functioning, Parenting Education, and Wrap Around Services.The goal and focus of the CLIMB program is to stabilize emotional and behavioral deficits in children ages 3-18 in order to successfully transition these children into or back to a public school environment or ALE.
 
$7,500 (this year's request)
$7,500.00 (last year)
Education

OBHAW Mission: We are committed to bringing hope and health to our communities, one life at a time.
CLIMB Child and Adolescent Center provides support to strengthen family units and to improve the emotional, behavioral, and academic well-being of children and adolescents in our community.

Children are referred to CLIMB due to an inability to maintain their presence in a regular childcare program, public elementary/middle/high school classroom, or Alternative Learning Environment (ALE). These children struggle in the areas of disruptive behavior, poor anger control, aggression, emotional instability, poor social functioning, and family dysfunction which all correlate to poor academic performance. Simply put, once a child has been expelled or referred out of their current childcare or school due to their behaviors, their only options are inpatient hospitalization, residential treatment facilities, being placed on home-bound, or CLIMB. In Garland, and surrounding counties, the CLIMB Center is a one-of-a-kind program. Through intensive individual/family counseling, group counseling, psychiatric are, academics, and life skills activities, children are able to get the intensive help they need. Our program’s goal is to treat these areas in order to improve their quality of life and successfully transition them back to their public school or ALE environments. Once back in their regular classroom environment, the skills they learned at CLIMB will help them thrive.

Many children suffering from mental illness do not have the resources or the funds to get the help that they need. In any given year, only 20% of children with mental health disorders are identified and treated. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 children have, or will have a serious mental illness. 20% of youth ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition. 11% of youth have a mood disorder. 10% of youth have a behavior or conduct disorder. 8% of youth have an anxiety disorder. 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and the average delay between onset of symptoms and interventions is 8-10 years. 37% of students with a mental health condition drop out of school between the ages of 14 and 17. Mental illness is the HIGHEST drop out rate for of any disability group. 70% of youth in state and juvenile justice systems have a diagnosed mental illness. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth ages 10-24. 90% of those who have died by suicide had an underlying mental illness. Programs and services like CLIMB are greatly needed and can help to be proactive in treating the mental illness so the children we serve can function at their highest level possible. Without day-treatment programs like CLIMB, children are placed in and out of residential and acute facilities due to their chronic illness, placed in juvenile detention centers because the behaviors aren't being treated as symptoms of their mental illness, can be overly-medicated, placed on home-bound status receiving no positive social interactions, drop out of school, or are expelled with difficult futures lying ahead of them.

Through intensive individual/family counseling, group counseling, academics, psychiatric care, and life skills activities, children are able to get the help and support they need. Our program’s goal is to treat these areas in order to improve their quality of life and successfully transition them back to their public school or ALE environments.

The need has been identified by the number of referrals we receive for preschool through GED ages. Referrals come from the the court system, inpatient and residential facilities, surrounding school districts, childcare centers, and group homes. We also receive referrals from parents who have no where else to turn for daily care of their children who cannot maintain in a normal childcare center or school environment.

$10 a day provides a low-income child suffering from mental illness, a full day of intensive therapeutic and academic services in a safe, supportive environment when they have no where else to turn.

Under the new Medicaid Transformation, there will be major cuts in children's services. These cuts will drastically effect our CLIMB program due to the complete elimination of children's day-treatment services. Day Treatment Services currently provide our program an average of $10 per day, per child. Over the past fiscal year, CLIMB provided approximately $20,000 in day treatment services that assisted in funding our program and its high overhead. With the knowledge that we will no longer have this income, we are desperately searching for other funding opportunities so we can continue to provide this level of needed care. Medicaid does not provide for any of our supply needs or our academic component.

We will be specifically utilizing United Way grant funds for our academic and activity supplies, online and workbook curriculum costs, snacks and water bottles, craft supplies, evidence based therapeutic group workbooks, preschool center toys and hands on learning tools so we can support them in their Kindergarten Readiness, preschool cubbies and coat racks, educational field trips, outdoor recreational equipment, parent education nights, and construction for a composure room when clients are in a state of crisis and need added safety measures and calm down strategies. Running a combination of both a school program and intensive therapeutic day treatment center is very costly and impossible without grants and donations for important items such as these.


Without outside income from grants sources and fundraising, it is likely we will not be able to continue daily treatment for these children. We may have to reduce the amount of services we provide to our preschool and school age children due to Medicaid Transformation. Medicaid will be cutting children day-treatment services entirely. Currently we provide daily day-treatment services that equals the amount of ten dollars per day for each child. This seems small but when added together as a whole, it is hundreds of dollars of operating costs we will be losing daily.

Over the past few years, the program has suffered the gradual cuts in our day-treatment funds due to Medicaid reducing authorized units per child; but we never imagined that Arkansas would lose the service entirely. We are looking diligently to find means to offset these costs for the upcoming year so we can continue to provide these desperately needed services to children who may not have any other alternatives for this level of care.


This program is not sustainable when factoring in the upcoming Medicaid cuts in services and our high overhead without finding means to offset the loss. Our program is strictly funded through Medicaid reimbursements and a great deal of our services are already written off and considered pro-bono. Programs such as CLIMB carry a great deal of overhead due to needing highly qualified treatment staff, educational services, building space, and the amount of daily supplies needed to be successful. We are constantly brainstorming possibilities that will allow us to continue our mission in helping these children with their intense needs.

CLIMB has never requested weekly childcare payments from our preschool parents/guardians but it has been recently discussed to create a sliding scale fee based on parent income for weekly childcare payments. CLIMB has never requested payments for childcare due to the extreme poverty of the vast majority of our clients. We will avoid doing so if we can find other means to afford the overhead costs for the childcare component. We never want to limit the services we provide due to inability to afford weekly childcare. In turn, we are also aware that if these children do not receive care from us, they will regress back to referral behaviors and be unable to attend elsewhere.

CLIMB is currently in discussion with an educational coop regarding a partnership for the 2018-2019 school year. If this is successful, the coop will cover our teaching staff salaries and core curriculum. It will not cover the day-treatment activities or preschool curriculum needs, but it will provide some financial relief in our K-12 programs.

We are working on fundraising plans such as an upcoming OBHAW yard sale to assist in food and activity costs of this years summer program. Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness employees donate items to our program such as books, clothing, toys, and snack food as well as donate funds so we can take the children on special field trips. In November 2017, OBHAW employee donations paid for the entire preschool and K-3rd grade classrooms to go to the pumpkin patch. OBHAW employees also donated gifts so that every child received something from Santa at our Christmas party.

 


The CLIMB program accepts children and adolescents who are not able to attend regular school or childcare centers due their behavioral and emotional issues. Not only do we offer a safe haven that accepts these challenges, but it is our daily mission to reduce negative symptoms, stabilize emotional functioning, increase social functioning, and improve their ability to function in structured and academic settings. Our program gives this population a chance they would otherwise not have. In turn, it lowers the risk for out of home, residential placements, keeps families unified, and improves their chances at success versus falling through the cracks and never reaching their full potential.

No, unfortunately we are unaware at this time how we will fully supplement the losses we are facing with the upcoming Medicaid cuts in our children's day treatment services.

CLIMB works with Ouachita Children’s Center and Compact Family Services (formerly Hillcrest Children’s Home) to provide services to their residents who find it too difficult to attend large school schools during their times of crisis and adjustment to frequent moves through the foster care system. The children that CLIMB helps are those who are in and out of foster care, group living, in and out of inpatient hospitalization, or who are not able to be successful in regular school and childcare settings. CLIMB collaborates with surrounding school districts to assist with students they refer as well as their transition back to their home campuses after treatment. CLIMB also collaborates with Garland County Juvenile Court and provides services to adolescents in the detention center.

The CLIMB Center tries to accept all referrals for enrollment into our program, but if placement is not an option, other supports such as outpatient treatment, referrals to other centers, or wrap around services will be given. Often times, it is not just the child who is struggling and needs care. CLIMB staff will seek supports for caregivers or other family members as needs arise.

One of our CLIMB mental health professional spends two hours each day at the Juvenile Detention Center and two hours each evening at Ouachita Children's Center providing crisis services, individual therapy, family therapy, assist with discharge planning, and facilitate group activities. CLIMB also has a partnership with UAMS for a program called Project Play. A CLIMB mental health professional spends up to three days each week at referred childcare centers as a consultant to improve the center's overall functioning or assist with referrals for children suffering with trauma or displaying disruptive behaviors that the center is not equipped to handle on their own.

Part III


Staffing (Mental Health Professionals, Mental Health Paraprofessionals, Teacher, Cook, Van Driver, Janitorial Services, Nurse, Psychiatrist), Volunteers (Garland County Library, Lion's Club, Other OBHAW Department Staff Members), Food Costs, Building/Utility Costs, Educational Curriculum, Electronic Devices for Educational Curriculum, Vans, Daily Supplies (day-treatment activities, skill building, crafts), general equipment.

DEFINITION: The CLIMB center focuses on improving behavioral, emotional, and academic stability. By improving in these areas, children and families grow more confident in their abilities, display more positive attitudes towards natural challenges, and are more motivated to continue self improvement as they transition out of the program. Each client enters the program with an individualized treatment plan and are given DLA20 assessments. Treatment plans include their problem areas based on priority, goals, and objectives that will be promoted daily in the program. DLA20 scores rate their overall functioning across several indicators. Treatment plans are reviewed between the clients, parents, treatment team, and assigned doctor every 90 days. The DLA20 assessment is given every 90 days to track improvements or regressions. Achievements in their goals and objectives as well as increased DLA20 scores determine their length of stay and how soon they can transition back to a regular school environment. Our goal for the upcoming year is to relocate our preschool in order to increase space and our ability to serve all referred clients in need. We also in the process of partnering with an educational coop in order to improve our academic component and provide more teaching staff.

Clients attend the program Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. Each classroom has a set daily schedule based on age group. The program schedules include breakfast/lunch/snack, class-times, indoor and outdoor social-emotional learning activities, group therapy, individual therapy, and family therapy. Psychiatric and nursing services are also provided including evaluations and medication management. The more compliant and motivated towards treatment that our clients and families are, the more successful the outcomes.

All clients participate in the same program offerings listed above. For example, on January 24,2018, we have 62 clients in attendance; therefore, 62 clients participated in the daily schedule of breakfast/lunch/snack, class-times, indoor and outdoor social-emotional learning activities, group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, and medication management services. Our goal if for at least 80% of our clients will complete successful transitions back into a classroom environment within one fiscal year of their entry. We also have a goal that 90% of clients will complete program semesters with passing grades. Successful transition means the client is able to step down to a lower level of care by returning to an ALE or regular classroom environment without the need to return to our program with in the following school year.

Annual enrollment and transition numbers are a clear indicator of the program’s successful outcomes. The treatment team will continue to follow up with the client, family, and school personnel after the transition to assure that the client remains stable and successfully adjusts to the lower level of care setting. All follow up contacts will be documented in the client’s electronic chart.

The Mental Health Professionals, Family, Psychiatrist, and Program Director are responsible for determining when a client is ready for transition out of the CLIMB program. Success with enrollment and transition numbers will be measured annually. The Special Education Teacher is responsible for measuring Academic Outcomes. Screening and assessment tools will be used to determine placement at the time of acceptance into the program, and will be administered periodically to assist with their transition. These assessment scores also assist the main campuses to place once the clients has returned. Quarter grades are recorded into client's charts and sent home with parents.

Direct quotes from classroom staff about current clients: Stories have been taken from each classroom including preschool, K-3rd grade, and 4-8th grade.

"She used to cry often and throw temper tantrums when upset rather than cope effectively and use her words to express herself. She is now able to not only tell us how she is feeling and talk it through, but also listens well in class and is engaged in activities and Smart Start/breathing exercises. Her smile brightens everyone’s day which used to be seldom seen."

"He has fewer outbursts in the last few weeks than he has in the past and lately has been more open about his home life and how he feels throughout the day. He has been more interactive with peers and staff, smiling and engaging in activities without saying “no” and losing his temper.At first, he had a hard time connecting and opening up. He has only had one incident where I had to call parents due to threats and anger towards peers in over two months. He has been able to manage anger or come to me and we work together on helping him to calm down."

"He is much more social than he used to be. He smiles, makes moderate eye contact, and interacts with both staff and peers throughout the day. He joins in group activities with peers on the playground and seems to have made some friends. He has demonstrated fewer outbursts and trauma reactions recently and is better able to verbalize his thoughts and feelings."

"She is taking her medication without having explosive tantrums and doing her classwork without daily refusing and falling asleep". I see her blossoming into a more confident child as she is slowly learning to write and understand basic learning concepts. She still has her moments where she has difficulty listening, but is often willing to cope one-on-one with a staff member and come to a solution versus becoming aggressive or eloping like she did when she first arrived".

In the beginning, he would say “no” to everything and refuse to do any academic work. He was confrontational and worried way more about his peers behaviors than his own. Though he still tattles (he is 5 haha), he is better able to control his impulses with assistance and does his work as instructed.

"I had a family session with a Matthew and his grandmother. She has been struggling with finding ways to discipline/incorporate consequences and find out what will help him to reason with her and stop being so angry. We discussed letting him use his alarm clock to wake up on his own and making a checklist for what he has to do in the mornings to decrease his tantrums. We also talked about a rewards chart that he can use at home. She said that it has been working and that he even told her that he noticed he has not been as angry. She was very happy and thanked me. Hearing that made me feel so happy! That day felt like a success".

"She used to be extremely shy and nervous around people when she first began attending the program and had difficulties in public school due to high anxiety and withdrawal. After being at our program for a of couple months, she now feels comfortable dancing, singing, and expressing herself in other artistic ways in front of the classroom – something she had significant difficulties with before, despite being very interested in the arts.

"He previously had significant difficulties with managing anger, even choosing to throw a chair into a wall over not getting a juice box. Although he continues to have difficulties with management of anger at times, he has not engaged in destructive or aggressive behaviors in over six months.

“He use to be defiant, very impulsive and aggressive daily. His parents would have to come almost weekly to address his negative behavior. Now he is doing very well and has not had any aggression in over a month. He was even able to move up to a next level class since his behavior has improved so much.”

"A sibling preschool boy and girl were both apprehensive about speaking must less engaging with staff/ peers when they entered into our program last year. At our May 2017 preschool graduation, their bright interactive smiles while watching their graduation video was healing to see, They are now a healthy sibling pair. One Life at a time."

Geographical Area Served & Target Population
Yes
154
1
0
13
0
0
0
Client Totals
July 2017-Jan 2018: 1 1,003 events of service; Projected events by June 2018: 2,5150
We are proposing 55,000 events of service for the upcoming year due to partnership with Arch Ford and ALE programs.
July 2017-Jan 2018: 168 unduplicated clients. We project by June 2018: 180 unduplicated clients
200 Preschool through 12th grade unduplicated clients
Client Population Conditions (1).docx

Part IV

CLIMB Budget for United Way Grant.pdf

All budgeted figures (with the exception of salaries, wages, and benefits) are calculated from the previous year’s actual expense:
Salary and Wages: Each CLIMB employee’s salary in addition to administrative overhead to support the program
Benefits and Payroll Taxes: Paid time off, health benefits, 401-k contributions, and voluntary deductions for taxes
Consultant and professional fees: Fees paid to doctors contracting to provide medical services to children in the CLIMB Program
Office Supplies and Materials: Cost of supplies needed to support operations, the previous year’s actual expense of office supplies with a 5% increase every year.
Rent/Occupancy: Percentage of total occupancy expense based on the square footage occupied by the CLIMB Day Treatment program
Utilities: Percentage of total utility expenses based on the square footage occupied by the CLIMB Day Treatment program.
Marketing: Marketing, advertising, printing costs, graphic design, etc. Number budgeted based on the previous year’s actual budget
Other: Training, Audit Fees, Accreditation Fees, Interest, Food Costs, Legal Fees, Miscellaneous Program Expenses, Curriculum, Outings

The OBHAW Board has specific responsibilities in policy planning and support. These functions may be performed by the Board as a whole or committees may be appointed by the Board Chairman.
The following are areas of Board responsibility:
Finance
1. Work with the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer in the development of a long-range financial plan.
A. Study the long-term financial needs of the Center.
B. Study the anticipated and potential financial resources on a long-range basis.
C. Establish goals and objectives for the Corporation's long-term financial stability and self-sufficiency.
2. Work with the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer in annual budget planning.
A. Review proposed budget based on program planning requirements.
B. Approve an Annual Budget Summary to be recommended to the Board.
C. Review and recommend to the Board the allocation of Corporation assets, property management, and insurance programs.
Personnel
1. Work with the Executive Director and Human Resources Director in the development and periodic review all Corporation personnel, compensation, and staff development policies.
2. Members appointed by the Chairman serve as a grievance review committee for any employee of the Corporation who desires to appeal a management decision in accordance with the Grievance Policy. In this capacity, the Board’s sole responsibility shall be to assure that Board policy was followed in the management action.
Planning and Evaluation
1. Work with the Executive Director to gather professional staff recommendations regarding program planning.
2. Prioritize and rank programs and services.
3. Review the implementation of the annual plan.
4. Work with the Board Chairman in coordinating the Board's evaluation of the performance and function of the Executive Director.
5. Conduct the Board of Directors' annual self-evaluation.
Membership
A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board Chairman prior to the last meeting of odd-numbered fiscal years (generally June of even numbered calendar years). Their term of office shall be until a new Nomination Committee is appointed. The duties shall consist of the following:

1. Selection and recommendations of new members to the Board, assuring that its membership includes individuals who have interests and/or capabilities in the fields of mental health and who reside in Clark, Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery, or Pike Counties, the service areas as defined in the BY-LAWS of Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness, Inc.
2. Recommending officers to oversee the operation of the Board.
3. Development of a recruitment process that will educate, attract, and motivate a broad range of community members to the purposes of OBHAW and development of a commitment to the responsibilities of OBHAW Board membership.
4. Development of an orientation and training process that will inform members of the functions of Board membership and develop the skills needed to carry out these functions

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Board
1. Regularly reviewing all Board responsibilities.
2. Responding to staff recommendations.

Executive Director
1. Assisting the Board Chairman in coordination of the total operation of the Board.
2. Delegating responsibility for providing staff support for Board functions.
 


Twelve times: Our board meets monthly including a day long retreat onsite annually for strategic planning.

  • Were you able to pay all regular operational expenses within 60 days of the due date?
  • Have you been able to maintain your 501 (c) 3 Tax Exempt Status?
  • Did you hold any fundraising events in which expenses exceeded 50% of the revenue?
  • Were any major revenue sources either non-recurrent or known to be uncertain for continuation?
  • Did your agency operate in a deficit within the past fiscal year?
ORCMHC_IRS 501 (c) (3) Determination Letter.pdf
IRS Determination Letter feb2010.pdf
OBHAW - Audit 06.30.17.pdf
Board Roster FY2017.doc
Non Discrimination Policy Client and Employee.docx
02020000 By-Laws Pol 090816.doc
Kaylee Fox, LCSW

Part V

Agency Information
Kaylee Fox
501-620-5279
Project Information
(If agency has more than one project to be completed, please email the rest of the projects in detail to sarah.fowler@unitedway.org)
125 Wellness Way
2-4-- estimating time 9am-3pm for the day.
9:00 am
Yard Sale Prep: Fundraiser to help cover food and activity costs for our summer program.

  Yes No
Do you have a "project leader" with the skills needed? X  
(or) Do you need a leader?   X
Could the above "project leader" direct a group of average volunteers in completing this project? X  
(or) Are more volunteers needed with special skills?   X
0
sorting, pricing, moving tables, bringing in/picking up donated items, organizing set up
none

Part VI


Please list event detail:

April 28, 2018 OBHAW Yard Sale to raise money for our 2018 children's summer programs for CLIMB and School Based Services. We are seeking funds to cover food and activity costs for our upcoming summer programs.

Part VII

Preschool and K-3rd grade toys: blocks, puzzles, craft supplies, hands-on learning, dolls, board games, outdoor play equip.