Highlights from Your Comp Care Center:
Regional Community Mental Health, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

May 2008

Our Mission: To build healthy communities by helping individuals and families who are affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, addictions and abuse realize their potential.

Meeting our Mission

April was Child Abuse Prevention Month. Seven Counties' staff at the children's Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) exceeded all expectations to ensure that a crisis situation did not escalate into an abusive situation. In a collaborative effort with Developmental Services and other SCS units, CSU staff provided treatment and care to a 4-year old child with autism who displays aggressive behavior, is unable to speak and is not toilet trained.

As one might imagine, this tot's mother (who has been in recovery from substance abuse for about a year), was overwhelmed with the demands of caring for him. She suffered increased anxiety, frustration and exhaustion. There was significant risk that Mom would have to relinquish custody.

Seven Counties' CSU staff rose to the occasion, working with and learning from the tot and the challenges he presented. A very affectionate and warm little boy, he elicited a warm and caring response from fellow CSU clients.

In the end, treatment was successful without inpatient care or medication. He returned home to his mother.
This type of intervention embodies the nature of our mission: to stretch the boundaries to provide quality care to all clients in the least restrictive setting, with the least restrictive treatment, allowing families to stay together.

Prevention: The Best Medicine

Seven Counties Services, in addition to providing mental health, developmental disabilities and addiction services, is also the Regional Prevention Center (RPC) for our counties. Staff of the SCS Prevention Division create and deliver a variety of community-based programs aimed at preventing illnesses - both mental and physical. Here are just two examples:

Stay Connected with Your Teen!, a three-part series - free to parents, grandparents and their teens - will be offered in May at the Northwest Neighborhood Place on W. Market Street in Louisville. Topics include managing anger and developing refusal skills to effectively resist negative peer pressure.

A Healthy Journey for Two, an educational baby shower for pregnant women, teaches the dos and don'ts of a healthy pregnancy in a casual, fun setting (complete with baby shower goodies and prizes) at several locations throughout the area in the month of May.

For more information, please call Jackie Engle, Seven Counties Prevention Specialist at 502-439-4591.

Bridgehaven's 50th Anniversary

Bridgehaven, one of Seven Counties' community affiliates, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on June 10.

The Art & Soul Event - a reception, art show and dinner at the Mellwood Art Center - is the centerpiece of the celebration. Special guest at the event will be Joe Pantoliano - a cast member of the HBO series "The Sopranos", star of the movie Canvas - a motion picture that tells a moving and beautiful story of a families' struggle with schizophrenia and an outspoken advocate for individuals with mental illness. A special screening of Canvas at the Village 8 Theaters will take place the week prior to the event.

Seven Counties Services, Inc., a private, non-profit corporation, is the state-designated regional behavioral health center for Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties of Kentucky. The mission of Seven Counties is to build healthy communities by helping individuals and families who are affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, addictions and abuse realize their potential. Seven Counties is nationally recognized for its innovative and effective programming and fully accredited by the Joint Commission. The organization is the largest non-profit, non-hospital organization and one of the top forty employers in the Louisville metro area. More than 1,400 clinical and administrative staff members and 400 volunteers create and deliver quality services to approximately 32,000 persons each year. For more information, visit www.sevencounties.org.