The Passion to Serve
Millsboro Supervised Apartments, Delaware
Beginning July 1, 2010, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (DSAMH) in Delaware added a half million dollars to the Community Continuum of Care Program (CCCP) budget for supervised living. Through this funding, Fellowship Health Resources Delaware (FHR DE) was able to meet the needs of additional mental health service recipients through the management of Millsboro Supervised Apartments (MSA).
MSA is a small apartment complex with seven apartments, each housing ten consumers, and a staff unit. What makes this program different from some of FHR’s other supervised/supported living programs is that the staff is on the property 24 hours a day to provide support and services to the residents. This arrangement allows the residents extra support without having staff within their living space; i.e., a group home setting. The staff at MSA provides prompting for ADLs, medication monitoring, and crisis support. The staff also organizes outings and groups, which may include symptom management, healthy lifestyles, independent living skills, and therapeutic alternatives. All staff has at least an Associates Degree in a behavioral health field, and is enthusiastic about their work.
The Delaware Region is also eagerly awaiting the finalization of a purchase of a second office for The Counseling Center. The office is located in a professional park and has a beautiful view of the Nanticoke River. Teri Ysaguirre, Delaware’s Clinical Director, stated, “This site will allow us to expand services to an underserved population and make our services more convenient for those who reside on the west side of Sussex County.” She continued, “One of the obstacles to services in Sussex County is the lack of a comprehensive public transportation system, and it is our hope that this will enable more individuals to benefit from our services.”
The plan is to offer three of the offices to massage therapists, acupuncturist, or other holistic treatment providers. These offices would be closed off from the main area and have their own entrance. “We realize that there is more to treating the individual than therapy and medication,” stated Laura Marvel, Delaware Director of Program Services. “You must treat the whole person and this is what we hope the external professionals will assist us in doing. We plan on reaching out to the local medical doctors and forming strong partnerships with them as well,” she concluded.
Delaware is a small state; however, there are numerous needs in lower Delaware. Just last year the only detox center in lower Delaware closed, and there is no inpatient psychiatric treatment in Sussex County. Sadly, many of those we serve have to travel over an hour to receive inpatient services or detox, making it difficult for families to be involved once admitted for treatment.
Pam Daisey, Delaware Regional Director, stated, “We (the Delaware Region) see the needs around us, which always has us thinking of ways that we can grow and improve the services available to those in our area. There are several other ideas that we are working on at this time, and hope to bring to reality in the near future. We love a challenge and are passionate about what it is that we can bring to the area.”