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Telecare Opens New ACT Program in Yolo County: Yolo STRIDES
August 03, 2007
Contact:
Shea McGuier
510 337 7952, x159
Comprehensive Assertive Community Treatment Program Opens for Yolo County Residents with Serious Mental Illness
Telecare to Operate Yolo STRIDES Assertive Community Treatment program for the Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Services
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- August 2, 2007 -- Telecare Corporation and the Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Services announced today that a new Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program for persons with serious mental illness will be offered at 1250 Harbor Blvd, Suite 600 in the city of West Sacramento starting Monday, August 6.
According to Richard DeLiberty, interim director for the Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Services, ACT programs have been proven over the past 26 years to be highly effective alternatives to the costly institutionalization of patients with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Often these individuals have other complications such as substance abuse, homelessness, or criminal backgrounds that make treatment complex and require a more comprehensive treatment program.
"The mental health system in Yolo County is undergoing a redesign," said DeLiberty. "The demand for services has outpaced our resources and we must find more cost effective and evidence-based models of treatment, particularly for those with serious mental illness. ACT programs are state-of-the art."
Following an extensive review of the county's mental health system in 2004, it was recommended that an ACT program would be the best solution for clients who are in the community, or transitioning to the community, from institutes for mental disease (IMDs), state hospitals, or acute care hospitals.
Managed by Telecare, the new "Yolo STRIDES" program will serve up to 50 Yolo County residents and will offer a comprehensive range of services and supports to help clients live successfully in the community. Individuals eligible for the program will be identified and referred by county adult mental health program managers.
"ACT programs are community-centered, as opposed to facility-centered, and focus on self-sufficiency, living successfully in the community, and recovery," said Christina Hill-Coillot, Yolo County's deputy director of clinical services. "Telecare was selected as our provider through a competitive procurement process because of their experience and the specific range and depth of their ACT services and expertise."
Telecare manages over 30 ACT programs in California and in several other states. According to on-site program administrator, Barbara Brown, elements of an ACT program include: risk assessments, individual care planning, medication management, psychiatric services, drug and alcohol counseling, family and peer support, and linkages to community-based programs that support client needs for housing, education or vocational training, and employment. Yolo County's program will provide crisis services and will be accessible to clients 24-hours a day, every day of the year.
"Because of the severity of their symptoms and impairments these clients have not benefited from other outpatient programs," said Brown. "Basically Yolo STRIDES staff will do whatever it takes to help clients recover and live successfully."
The county estimates that care for clients through Yolo STRIDES will not only be more effective, but cost less than half the estimated $30,000 to $60,000 annually required to provide care for a client in a locked, inpatient setting, such as acute care or IMDs. Funding sources for Yolo STRIDES include the county, the California Mental Health Services Act (MHSA - Proposition 63), and the federally financed portion of Medi-Cal. Yolo STRIDES is an expansion of the MHSA Adult Wellness Program.
Telecare Corporation (www.telecarecorp.com), based in Alameda, California, is one of the largest providers of mental health services in the country. Telecare works in partnership with local, county, state, and other behavioral health organizations to design and provide recovery-focused services for high-risk individuals. Founded in 1965, Telecare is employee- and family-owned with over 2,000 employees and more than 50 programs in California, Texas, Oregon, Nebraska, and North Carolina.
Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services provides a range of alcohol, drug and mental health services to community members of all ages, including adults, older adults, children, and youth. Services are aimed at helping individuals with serious mental illness live as contributing and successful members of their families and communities. Services are provided to clients through outpatient clinics in the cities of Woodland, West Sacramento, and Davis, at school-based sites, and through a network of community agencies and independent providers. The department also provides a range of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment services. The Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Services strives to honor diversity and to ensure the provision of culturally and linguistically competent services.
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