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The CEO Speaks
At the start of the new
year, it’s a perfect time to talk about new
beginnings. So I’d like to start with some of the
new initiatives currently underway at the Community
Guidance Center:
The
Center has recently implemented a same day intake
process for consumers. Most new consumers can
receive an intake appointment on the same day that
they call and have their next appointment scheduled
at that intake regardless of the service. This is
part of our strategic plan to consistently improve
access and services.
For existing
consumers that have prescriptions, a medication
walk-in clinic was established, so that individuals
with medication questions or problems can walk in
without an appointment during clinic hours and see
the psychiatrist within one hour.
In January, Genoa
Healthcare Pharmacy will begin operating at the
Center’s main office. Genoa will be able to fill
all health care prescriptions for Center consumers
on site, not just prescription issued by the
Center. We are the first community mental health
center in Pennsylvania to have an in-house pharmacy.
We believe that this will be another popular
convenience for our consumers and we are every
excited to welcome Genoa to Indiana.
The Center was the
first organization to implement strength-based
services and is still the only organization offering
this unique and specialized children’s service in
Indiana County.
The Center recently
began a consumer advisory council to directly
involve consumers and other community members in
Center planning and operations. If you are
interested in joining the council, please contact us
via this website. We are currently looking for more
working members to assist with council activities.
HealthChoices,
Pennsylvania’s mandatory Medicaid managed care
program is being implemented in all other counties
in the state beginning January 1. This is a major
change for most community mental health centers. To
assist with this transition, the Center hosted a one
day seminar to help other agencies prepare them for
managed care.
Value Behavioral
Health of Western Pennsylvania recognized these
efforts this past year when they named the Community
Guidance Center “best in class” for their outpatient
services.
We are very pleased
with our accomplishments but have many new
initiatives planned for 2007.
Recently, there has been
some discussion about whether there is a waiting
list for services in Indiana County. Although
appointment times can vary based on the client’s
wishes and the willingness of other agencies to
transfer medical records in a timely manner, the
Center meets the current requirements for
appointment times. However, we hope our new intake
process will provide even faster access to
services. As such, we will be posting our most
recent statistics regarding the average length of
time to obtain appointments at the Center on our
website for all to see.
In addition, the
Center currently has three full-time board-certified
psychiatrists and a full-time physician’s assistant.
However, we are currently accepting applications to
add another psychiatrist to our staff to improve
access for the community.
The Center has been
in operation since 1959 and we are committed to
Indiana County. In addition to our commitment to
continuous quality improvement for our services, we
are also committed to community service. The
majority of our 150 employees are involved with
voluntary efforts throughout the community. We
hosted a holiday skating party at the Indiana Roller
Rink on December 13 for over 200 children. Our
employees also donated goods for a holiday give-away
to adult and child consumers at the Center.
Clothing, coats, toys and household goods were
provided to any consumer that needed the items.
We have many more
plans for improvements and community involvement in
2007. I will be sharing new initiatives with you on
an on-going basis. |
