Lead Story

Harnett PSR is Helping Delores Moore Build Life-Changing Connections

Delores Moore isn’t much for words upon first meeting her. She’s reserved, quiet, but observant. All it takes is one simple question to get her talking: Why do you like attending Monarch’s Harnett Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR)?

“For me, PSR is all I have,” said Moore. “We’re family here, we’re not friends or peers, we’re family. This is a unique program here. We laugh together, we cry together.”

When Moore first arrived at Monarch’s Harnett PSR more than a year ago, she was struggling with taking her medication consistently and she was overwhelmed with the judgment she faced living with a mental illness.

Her symptoms from anxiety, depression and schizophrenia forced her to withdraw from college courses and eventually put her in a hospital for a month-long stay.

Now, Moore is back on track working toward a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Independence University. Ann Glenn, lead behavioral specialist at Harnett PSR, said Moore has greatly improved over the last several months and is even maintaining a 4.3 (weighted) grade point average.

“Her GPA is awesome. She has progressed greatly,” said Glenn. “She’s in an assisted living home now where everyone does their cleaning, shopping, and they take their medications. She has learned how to cope with her symptoms better when she does experience them. She’s doing very well. She’s very responsible.”

Michelle Ibrahim is the Monarch program manager who also works with Moore to help her develop a plan and reach her goals. She said she had also noticed Moore taking on more of a leadership role at Harnett PSR with keeping track of break schedules and managing the program’s canteen.

“She’s opening up more. When she meets new people, she goes back to being quiet, but then when you ask her about things she’s passionate about, it just flows out. She’s a great speaker and writes wonderful poetry,” said Ibrahim. Moore recently wrote a poem called Still I Rise, inspired by Maya Angelou, detailing her life experiences with abuse and mental illness.

Moore attributes her success to the connections she’s made while attending Harnett PSR. Her closest relationships are the ones she’s developed with the other program participants. Many of them have exchanged phone numbers and can rely on each other for calls on tough days.

“If we’re hurting or the voices are bothering us or we feel like we just want to give up, we can pick the phone up and call. That wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for us coming here. How many times have I been in public and got a person’s phone number and started a life-changing relationship? ‘Never,’” said Moore.

Inside the walls of Harnett PSR, there is a sense of safety for Moore physically, mentally and emotionally. The fear of being judged diminishes and the sense of community is something that provides a sense of relief.

“This is what we look forward to every day. When Saturday comes, we’re counting down the hours until Monday,” said Moore.

Moore continues to attend PSR four days a week and plans to graduate with her bachelor’s degree within the next three years.

Headlines

Bryan Scott is a Whiz Behind the Computer and Changing Lives on the Dance Floor

When Bryan Scott first stepped on a studio dance floor more than a decade ago, he had never danced a day in his life.

Neither had his wife Hollie, but she had always wanted to learn the tango. It was a year into their marriage when Scott decided to get her lessons as a Christmas gift.

“We thought it was the coolest idea, but most people who knew us before would never think in a million years that we would do this,” said Scott.

If you’ve ever put in an Information Technology (IT) Help Desk ticket for a technical issue that sprung up during the work day, it’s likely Bryan Scott was behind the speedy resolution. He’s been working as an IT Engineer at Monarch for the last four years.

After that first dance lesson, they fell in love with ballroom dancing and have been doing it ever since. From the tango and salsa to the waltz and jive and even more health and fitness focused dancing. They started as students and about a year later, dancing grew into a full-blown passion. They are both certified professionals and instructors at Planet Ballroom. But then their hobby came to a halt. Scott was working fulltime at Monarch in addition to putting in 20 hours each week teaching ballroom.

“Between life and two jobs and kids, we decided it was too much. We decided we needed to resign, but we really didn’t want to give it up completely,” said Scott.

Not long after putting in their resignation, the company made them an offer to join their corporate team. With his degree in Business Administration, his IT experience at Monarch and passion for ballroom dancing, it was an easy decision. Bryan is now vice president of operations and Hollie is vice president of image and branding on a part-time basis.

“We love it. We love the company, the people, and what it’s all about,” said Scott.

Bryan and Hollie coach in-studio once or twice a week and practice more leading up to a competition. But it’s not just about dancing, it’s about offering a life-changing experience.

“We always used it as a date night. It’s a great way for us to connect as a couple. But as a company, we try to create an environment for our members where they can leave whatever baggage they have from the outside world at the door. It’s just a time of fun and relaxation and energy that’s different,” said Scott.

The classes Scott teaches now have not only changed the way people dance and move, but have also changed their health and their perception of themselves.

“It really does build confidence. Most people aren’t accustomed to stepping out on a dance floor in front of a room full of people. That can be intimidating. For me, it gave me extra self-confidence. It was nerve-wracking when we first started, but now it’s exciting. It’s very self-empowering,” said Scott. “And as a couple, we communicate differently now. It’s one of the best things we’ve ever done together.”

Scott said being able to share his passion with others as an instructor is just as gratifying. He recalled a student he worked with who had a turning point in her life through dance as well.

“She came to me for some personal lessons and said to me, ‘I can’t do that,’ and that broke my heart for her to say,” said Scott. He noticed this was something she said often and knew he had to help her put an end to the negative self-talk.

“I looked at her one day and I said, ‘You’re not allowed to tell me that anymore. You are you. Who you are tomorrow will be different than who you were yesterday.’ I noticed after that day she would say instead, ‘I’m working on it,’ ‘I’m trying harder,’ ‘I have to do it differently.’ That

little switch changed her whole outlook on the way she viewed herself, the way she danced, the way she danced with other people and she’s a completely different person today than she was when she started. The time it took me to help her get there; that’s worth it,” said Scott.

When Scott isn’t working with other professional dancers, he and his wife are preparing for the next performance. Their next event is DanceAway Cabaret on August 26th at the Palmer Building in Charlotte. They will be performing a showdance routine and competing in both standard and latin categories.

If you’re curious to know more about ballroom dancing, you can contact Bryan at Bryan.Scott@planetballroom.com or visit PlanetBallroom.com to find the nearest studio.

Inside Monarch

Joint Commission Accreditation Confirmed: August 7 – 17

While we continue to prepare for Joint Commission Accreditation now that we've received our offical 30-day notice, we want to take this opportunity to emphasize why this gold seal is important to Monarch.

Accreditation is the process of inviting outside experts to conduct a review of an organization to validate and/or improve the care, treatment or services it provides. In our case, the accreditation will be conducted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, an independent agency known for setting quality standards in health care across the United States.

It has been a significant undertaking but over the last year that we have conducted mock surveys, and the Joint Commission Prep Team has seen employees and teams from all areas truly make great strides.

In today’s changing health care landscape, Monarch’s goal is for this accreditation to solidify our commitment to excellence and it will:

• enhance Monarch’s reputation. • show our commitment to our vision, ensuring that we are supporting, educating, and

empowering people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorders we support across to state to choose and achieve what is important to them.

• open new doors for private insurance companies and providers to trust that Monarch provides the highest quality care.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the Joint Commission Prep team will continue to share news about the agenda process during the nine days surveyors will be visiting our sites.

At the moment, we know that five surveyors will visit Monarch sites from August 7 – 17, ranging from professional backgrounds in psychiatry, therapy, social work and healthcare administration. They will evaluate the people we support rights’ methods, infection control and medication management processes as well as how we prevent process errors, prepare for emergencies, and look to see how we collect information about performance and how we make recommendations for improvement. All the same things we’ve all been preparing for.

We encourage you to start communicating these dates with the people we support and educating them on the process so they feel empowered and prepared, too.

If you have immediate questions for the Joint Commission Prep Team, please contact Angie Bjorklund at angie.bjorklund@monarchnc.org.

Monarch Receives $150,000 Grant From The Cannon Foundation to Increase Mental Health Crisis Services in Lumberton

Monarch has received a $150,000 grant from The Cannon Foundation to support the renovation and expansion of its Tanglewood Arbor Facility-Based Crisis Center in Lumberton.

The Center provides the first step in life-changing treatment for adults who are experiencing a mental health crisis or who are in need of non-hospital substance use detoxification services.

The extensive renovation and expansion of Tanglewood Arbor will grow the facility from 11 beds to 16, increasing Monarch’s capacity to care for those struggling with a mental health crisis. The capital project is a partnership between Monarch and Eastpointe, the region’s managed care organization. The Center is designed as an appropriate, time-limited alternative to emergency department visits and hospitalization for an individual in crisis.

“We are grateful to The Cannon Foundation for its support of this project. The renovation and expansion of Tanglewood Arbor will enhance the region’s mental health care continuum and allow us to provide critical services as we help people on their road to recovery,” said Monarch CEO Dr. Peggy Terhune. “We are excited about the impact this additional space will have on our ability to meet the needs of this community and we are thankful for The Cannon Foundation’s investment in it.”

The renovation and expansion project will be completed by the end of this summer. Tanglewood Arbor Facility-Based Crisis Center is located at 207 West 29th St. in Lumberton, adjacent to Southeastern Regional Medical Center.

The Cannon Foundation is an independent foundation established in 1943 by Charles A. Cannon, President and Chairman of Cannon Mills Company for 50 years. Focused predominately on North Carolina, the endowed funds support healthcare, higher education, human services and community programs through grants primarily for capital projects and equipment.

MERAC Honors the Latest Dream Maker Award Winners

Monarch’s Employee Recognition and Appreciation Committee (MERAC) selected and honored its latest group of exceptional employees earlier this month.

Each winner was notified by their supervisor and awarded a plaque known as “The Dream Maker Award.” Over the course of six years, the latest award winners join more than 247 Dream Maker Award winners who continue to go above and beyond for the people we support.

Congratulations to the following Monarch employees who were selected as Dream Maker Award winners for the past quarter:

Gwenetta Blane – Developmental Specialist Vocational / Forsyth Daniel Moreadith – Developmental Specialist Vocational / New Bern Gloria Hunder – Support Coordinator / Winston-Salem

MERAC is made up of employees from across the state who are nominated by peers and appointed to serve two-year terms by CEO Dr. Peggy Terhune. The committee meets each quarter to review exceptional staff member nominations submitted by colleagues from all of Monarch’s sites and the committee votes on the winners.

Many thanks to our “Dream Makers” for ensuring that dreams come true for the individuals they serve and support.

If you know an employee who should be nominated before the next MERAC meeting, please contact Channel Brewington at channel.brewington@monarchnc.org.

Pictured above l-r: Gwenetta Blane, Gloria Hunder, and Daniel Moreadith.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Stacy Blankenship

Stacy Blankenship, who works in Wake County, has been a Behavioral Health Therapist V at Monarch for four years this month. She travels to three different Wake offices: Wake Forest, Zebulon and Fuquay-Varina. Being assigned to three offices can be daunting, but Stacy thrives on the challenge.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

There’s a such thing as a typical workday? Just kidding! Every day is new and exciting. I usually have back-to-back appointments with people, either working on therapy or completing assessments. I work with people living with a variety of diagnoses, from I/DD to mental health concerns and some people just needing extra support. I also work with interns so that I can give back to my profession. When I’m not completing assessments or in a therapy session, I’m facilitating group therapy, providing referrals, collaborating with other professionals and supports, conducting treatment team consultations, writing letters to advocate and support people, talking with lawyers or prescribers or anyone else calling to support people. Oh, and completing paperwork so that all of this is documented and paid for.

What is the most important aspect of your role, and why?

The most important aspect of my role is just being there. I think that the most important thing that we do as therapists is to sit with someone in a space where they feel comfortable enough to express, vent and just be with their emotions. All the other things we do are to be able to make this one thing possible. Most people just want to be heard, validated and understood. That is the most important thing that we do.

What has been your most rewarding, or proudest moment, while working here?

My most rewarding moments are the bittersweet ones. I feel most accomplished when someone terminates therapy. I tell people when they first come to see me that my job is to work myself out of a job. When someone no longer needs me, that means that they are at the peak of their wellness. I love when people tell me that they are doing so well that they no longer need me. It never gets easy saying goodbye, but I love that we say goodbye for a good reason.

What do you enjoy when you aren’t working?

When I am not working, I love to play eight-ball and nine-ball on a pool league, hang out with friends and family, love my kitties, watch Masterpiece on PBS and volunteer at a local food bank on the weekends.

What movie or song best describes you?

I think I am a mash up between Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper and What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. Oh Yeah!!! (Maybe a little Breakfast Club in there too; showing my age).

MONARCH IN THE NEWS

The Charlotte Observer - Monarch plans to open mental health center for children, teenagers by end of year

KLTV - The University of North Carolina at Greensboro selects Monarch

The Huffington Post - Observations From Below: Covfefe

The News Reporter - Special Olympics have been revived

NC Council Newsletter - Page 20