Guilford agency, employee win statewide awards
The Guilford Center Behavioral Health & Disability Services and one of its staff members won two statewide awards given by a consortium of agencies in recognition of Mental Health Evidence-Based Practice.
The Center received the Award of Excellence in the category of Outstanding Local Management Entity. The Award of Excellence in the Individual category went to Tara Hodge, Team Leader, Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), for the Guilford Center. The awards were presented in Pinehurst and were sponsored by the N.C. Science to Service Project, the N.C. Evidence-Based Practice Center, the N.C. Council of Community Programs, the State Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, and by the Governor's Institute.
“ During this time of mental health reform in North Carolina, it is critical that exemplary organizations and individuals be recognized for their progressive attitudes and implementation of best practices,” said Steve Gill, Project Director, N.C. Evidence Based Practices Center. “The Guilford Center and Tara Hodge and her team are a wonderful example for others to follow. Their commitment to excellence is truly an inspiration to others across the state.”
“ We are delighted with our selection for this prestigious
award and are also proud of Tara’s accomplishments in implementing
Evidence-Based Practices in her work here,” said Billie
Pierce, Guilford Center Director. “Even more important than
these awards is the improved quality of services that we can offer
our consumers and community through these initiatives and accomplishments.”
Hodge joined the Guilford Center in 1998 as a Case Manager and
Recreation Therapist for the PACT Team. In 1999, she began supervising
the team. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
(CTRS) and, in May, will be completing a MS in Information Technology
and Management from UNCG.
The 2003 State Mental Health Reform Plan requires agencies such as the Guilford Center to apply the best and emerging best practices that result in positive outcomes for individuals affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse. Evidence-based practices are practices which have consistently demonstrated positive outcomes in multiple research studies. In the mental health field, evidence-based practices are specific clinical interventions or services that produce benefits to consumers and their quality of life (e.g., employment, reduced hospitalization, etc.), as established by scientific studies.
Over the past 15 years, researchers of mental health practices have gathered extensive data showing benefit for certain mental health services and interventions. A joint project by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has recently identified six treatments that are considered "evidence-based practices" due to consistent research findings that they help consumers recover. These six practices are:
- Assertive Community Treatment,
- Illness Management and Recovery,
- Medication Management,
- Family Psychoeducation,
- Supported Employment,
- Co-occurring Disorders: Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment
For consumers, a commitment to Evidence-Based Practices means they can be confident that the services they receive through the Guilford Center and agencies with whom it contracts meet the guidelines of best practices and are outcome-focused. Most visible in the Guilford Center’s commitment to Evidence-Based Practices are hiring of a Best Practices Manager for Substance Abuse Services and a Best Practices Manager for Adult Mental Health Services. These individuals provide consultation to agency staff and staff at contract agencies to ensure services comply with these measures. In addition, the Guilford Center plans to add new staff members in other practice areas in the future. Evidence-Based Practices are also heavily emphasized in the State Mental Health Reform Plan.
If you or a family member has a problem with substance abuse, call our ACCESS to Care line, 1 (800) 853-5163, any time 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
| Kevin Koket, Manager, Best Practices for Adult Services, accepts the LME award from Steve Gill, Project Director, N.C. Evidence Based Practices Center, and Christina Rausch, of the North Carolina Science to Service Project. | Tara Hodge, Team Leader, PACT, Bellemeade, accepts her award from Steve Gill, Project Director, N.C. Evidence Based Practices Center and Christina Rausch from North Carolina Science to Service Project. |