October 2008


	CENTER UPDATE
	Monthly Newsletter for The Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes Counties
	Edition: October 2008

WAITING LIST APPROACHES 200
Perhaps as a result of the current economic uncertainty, the Counseling Center is experiencing significant service demand. During the month of September, the Center admitted 180 new clients and worked with a waiting list for specialized services that totaled 192. Specific services with a current waiting list include: counseling, home-based intervention for children and youth, adult community psychiatric support (i.e. case management), community psychiatric support for children, employment services, residential services, and psychiatric services. The largest waiting list is in the psychiatric services program where there are 78 persons who have been screened and identified as needing psychiatric intervention -- but there are no appointments available. Since the appropriate use of medications is a key part to the recovery from mental illness, this wait is especially problematic.
STATE WIDE PROJECT	RETIREMENT ANNOUNCED
The Counseling Center, along with the local Community Mental Health Board, has been selected to participate in an Ohio Department of Mental Health project designed to improve outcomes for severely mentally disabled adults by evaluating the effect of different service patterns on different types of consumers.	The Counseling Center regretfully announces the retirement of Raju Reddy, M.D., consulting psychiatrist. Dr. Reddy, who has been a member of the Center’s psychiatric services department for seven years, will be leaving employment at the end of the month. Best Wishes Dr. Reddy!
MENTAL HEALTH COURT DOCKET	NATIONAL DEPRESSION SCREENING DAY
Sue Massaro and Emily Gaul, social workers in the Center’s Community Psychiatric Support program will be attending the Ohio Supreme Court training program on Specialized Mental Health Court dockets in November. Both staff members are currently involved in service coordination with the Wayne County municipal court and common pleas court – both of which are currently running specialized dockets for offenders who are also suffering from mental illness. The municipal court program currently has 5 defendants who are involved in the program.	As part of national Depression Screening Day earlier this month, the staff of the Center’s Community Education and Prevention unit provided free depression screenings at the Wayne County Public library. Many of the persons who participated in the screening were identified as depressed and were linked by staff to appropriate community resources.