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Telecare ACT 7 Honored with Award!
June 14, 2004
ACT 7 Award TeamOn May 20, 2004, Telecare ACT 7 received the "2004 Mental Health Commission Special Award" from the Los Angeles Mental Health Commission and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. The award was presented to the program by actress Tyne Daly "in recognition of the program's mission to enhance the quality of life for older adults with severe mental health illnesses."
Telecare ACT 7 is a full-fidelity PACT program specializing in working with adults age 50 and above. ACT 7 has a multidisciplinary team that serves as the single fixed point of responsibility and primary provider of services. The team is led by a licensed clinical social worker, and includes three nurses, two social workers, a Masters-level Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist, two (half-time) psychiatrists, a Personal Service Coordinator who is a person in psychiatric recovery, a substance abuse specialist and an employment specialist. The staff to member ratio is 1:10. The program is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekend and holiday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After hours, a team member is always available by phone, and will go out into the community to see a member when necessary.
The team meets every morning to talk about the members seen the day before, discuss any crises that have occurred, and plan for the coming day. There are no assigned caseloads; instead, the entire team is available to work with each member based on his/her needs. Members are seen in a combination of appointments and on an "as needed" basis.
Services are provided "in-vivo" with over 95% of face-to-face services provided in the community where members live, work and socialize. This includes visits by the psychiatrists. Services are highly individualized. The content, amount, timing and types of rehabilitation and support vary across members and time. Members are seen by the team an average of three times per week, although multiple contacts per day can be provided, when necessary.
Services are directed by a "Personal Service Plan" written by the team and the member together. Plans are reviewed no less than twice a year. All plans contain growth goals (as opposed to maintenance goals) and focus on psychosocial functioning rather than illness and disability.
The geographic area covered by the program is approximately 160 square miles. There are 14 cities located in the service area, each with their own governmental structures such as housing authorities, police departments and senior citizens centers.
