Human Service Agency Interview Date:July 11, 2010 To:Shelley Kerr, LCSW From: RE:Deaconess Cross Pointe I conducted an in person interview at Deaconess Cross Pointe, 7200 East Indiana Street; Evansville, Indiana 47715. I interviewed Natalie Goffinett, who has achieved her Master’s Degree in Social Work, and counsel’s children and families at that facility. When setting the appointment to interview Ms. Goffinett, I offered her the option to conduct the interview either in person or over the telephone. Ms.
Goffinett and I agreed that an in person interview would be best if I wanted to have the opportunity to tour the facilities, as well as develop a sense for inpatient and outpatient environments. Deaconess Cross Pointe is a state licensed facility offering a full range of mental health services and psychiatric care which can meet the emotional and behavioral health care need of children, teen, adults, and their families. This facility meets, and exceeds my career goals and objectives; I would definitely consider working with this agency, as well as recommending others in need of the services that this facility provides.
Question 1: How did the agency start? Deaconess Hospital was founded in June 1893 by four Evansville physicians who bought a home on the corner of Mary and Iowa streets which was then converted to a 19-bed hospital. As an Institution, it began crudely, but has now become the largest hospital in Southern Indiana. The Cross Pointe facility is an extension of the hospital that provides care and treatment at all levels of mental health treatment through both outpatient programs and a fully accredited 60-bed inpatient facility.
Question 2: What is the mission of the agency? In keeping with its Christian heritage and tradition of service, the mission of Deaconess Cross Pointe Hospital is to provide quality health care services with a compassionate and caring spirit to persons, families and communities of the Tri-State. Deaconess Cross Pointe’s values are based on their commitment to quality. Ms. Goffinett stated, “We define quality as the continuous improvement of services to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of the customers we serve. Question 3: What is the nature of the practice setting? Deaconess Cross Pointe employs a “consumer directed, outcome-informed” treatment model. During a confidential assessment, a licensed mental health professional asks pertinent questions, and listens to the individual patient, as well as his or her family’s situation and needs. The mental health professional then works with one their many psychiatrists to recommend the best course of care within Deaconess Cross Pointe, and via a wide range of additional community resources.
The staff of this facility consists of psychiatrists, child psychiatrists, advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, social workers, activities therapists, mental health technicians, and chemical dependency counselor. All therapists, physicians, and psychiatrists are licensed or registered to practice within the State of Indiana. Question 4: What is the target population? Deaconess Cross Pointe is committed to increasing community awareness about behavioral health and psychiatry, thus the facility has a large target population which consists of children, teens, adults, and their families.
Mental illness and substance abuse problems affect entire families. From the beginning, Deaconess Cross Pointe focuses on treating not only the individual, but the family unit as a whole; helping them to achieve lasting changes. Question 5: What are the most common clinical issues the agency addresses? Deaconess Cross Pointe offers an extensive scope of mental health services and psychiatric care to help individuals of all ages (children, teens, adults), and their families successfully cope with life’s challenges.
Deaconess Cross Pointe offers multiple programs designed to provide patients with the appropriate level of care concerning depression, bipolar disorder, chemical dependency, anger management, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, adolescent and child behavior problems, and sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. Question 6: What services do they provide? Deaconess Cross Pointe offers an inpatient program for acutely ill adults designed to evaluate and treat adult patients with mental health and substance abuse detoxification issues.
The focus on the acute adult inpatient unit is crisis stabilization and discharge to a lower level of care, such as an outpatient program or individual therapy. An inpatient program for acutely ill children and teens which emphasizes the healthy development of self-esteem and individual responsibility with the goal of providing children, teens and their families the necessary tools to achieve lasting change. Care is provided in a safe, secure and nurturing environment with younger children treated in an area separate from adolescents.
Other services provided to patients include Chemical Dependency Treatment Services, Community Services and Programs, Employer Assistance Program, CONCERN: EAP, Special Services, and Individual Outpatient Counseling for a broad range of issues mentioned previously. Question 7: What interventions does the agency provide? Deaconess Cross Pointe offers suicide awareness and education programs for community members from teens through adults. The suicide awareness and education programs include ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), and Yellow Ribbon.
These are non-threatening, but comprehensive programs that provide simple steps attendees can understand and use to possibly help save a life. These trainings are offered at no cost as a community service. Question 8: How do they provide these services? Deaconess Cross Pointe is committed to improving the well-being of members of the community. To achieve this goal, they offer programs that provide support directly to individuals who need assistance, and sponsor events that allow community members to help others in need.
Also, by offering extensive inpatient and outpatient mental health counseling and psychiatric care for children, teens, and adults. Additionally, Deaconess Cross Pointe offers the community a Speakers’ Bureau that includes health professionals who can speak to groups about a variety of mental health and addiction-related topics. Question 9: How are services are funded? Deaconess Cross Pointe accepts Medicaid as full payment. A sliding scale fee may be applied to recipients who are ineligible for Medicaid, low-income, or have no other financial resources.
The sliding scale may be waived if the cost for service can be subsidized through agency grants, donations, or fundraising activities. Deaconess Cross Pointe also bills private insurance, and when applicable, may require collection of a co-payment. Question 10: How does the agency measure the effectiveness of services? Using the Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale (ORS/SRS) questionnaire, Deaconess Cross Pointe measures the rate of progress with the youth and his/her family members at the beginning of every session and throughout the treatment process.
This provides the clinician and family with real-time feedback. This also allows the clinician to collaborate with the family to note early signs of progress, or in some cases, the need to change direction in therapy. References Deaconess Health System. (1998-2010). Deaconess Cross Pointe. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www. deaconess. com/body. cfm? id=37 Goffinett, N. , personal communication, July 9, 2010.
