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Ionia mental health service adjusts during COVID-19

Sentinel-Standard - 7/17/2020

Jul. 17--IONIA -- A mental health services program based in Ionia County is continuing to serve clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Executive Officer Kerry Possehn provided the fiscal year 2019 report for the Right Door For Hope, Recovery and Wellness to the Ionia County Board of Commissioners at its meeting Tuesday, July 14.

The agency, which is headquartered at 375 Apple Tree Drive, in Ionia, is a community mental health services program.

"We provide and coordinate high quality responsive behavioral health care for approximately 2,400 individuals in our county," Possehn said.

The agency in 2019 responded to 300 crisis interventions for psychiatric hospitalization and answered more than 1,800 crisis phone calls for children and adults.

There were 98.61 percent of those served with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and were on an anti-psychotic medication were screened for diabetes, and 100 percent were screened for cardiovascular. Possehn said that 88.75 percent of people who call are seen within seven days for a request.

Of the people who have been served by the Right Door, 85 percent have reported that treatment has been effective.

The Right Door has spent more than $4 million on community living supports/training -- the mental health program with the highest spending.

"This is the service that allows people to remain in their home or to have their own apartment and have an integrated lifestyle with their community," Possehn said.

The Right Door has a full-time child psychiatrist, two full-time nurse practitioners and a part-time psychiatrist that starts in October in its medication services program.

"We have more psychiatric time available to the people that we serve in Ionia County than Clinton, Eaton, Ingham (counties) and Lansing," Possehn said.

The Right Door spends more than $945,000 on autism services and has an autism center in Belding and services in Ionia.

Possehn said the Right Door follows up with children and adults within seven days after they are discharged from a psychiatric hospital. There is a readmission rate of zero percent within 30 days after a discharge.

The Right Door has also established a food pantry for people served and holds various events throughout the year.

The agency has had to adjust its services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melissa McKinstry is not only the chairperson on the Right Door Board of Directors, but has also served at the agency for 20 years. She called the pandemic "very frightening" for people in her situation.

"A lot of the people served have no transportation," McKinstry said. "We require a lot of structure and then all of a sudden the classes and groups that we go to weren't going to be there anymore. We weren't going to be able to go to the office for our appointments. We weren't going to be able to see our therapists."

The Right Door had a plan in place and "didn't miss a beat," McKinstry said. Peers case managers and outpatient therapists were calling clients twice a week to check on them. People in targeted case management were getting called every day.

Staff also provided videos with relaxation techniques and ways to deal with anxiety. Doctors have called on the phone for appointments. Some groups have reopened and are meeting outside, McKinstry said.

"We have some groups open now and people are being taken care of," she said.

Ionia County District Seven Commissioner Georgia Sharp, who serves on the Right Door Board of Directors, credited Possehn for her work with the agency.

"Since Kerry has come on board at the helm of the Right Door, she's been doing a fabulous job," Sharp said. "Things have been running very smoothly and very well."

-- Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@sentinel-standard.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.

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