2018 Spring Newsletter

Vol. 1

SPRING 2018 NEWSLETTER

Issue 5

Dear Friends, If you take the word “spring” as a verb it is synonymous with rise, leap, move, act swiftly, or thrust forward. It is exactly what is happening at Horizon thanks to the work of our amazing team of medical providers, clinicians, case managers, administrative support teams, and community partners during the Spring of 2018.

I think of the Opioid Epidemic Conference in March hosted by Horizon’s Prevention Team where 200 community members in Central Virginia heard from a subject matter expert and a multidisciplinary panel on the impact of Opioids in Central Virginia. As I left the conference I met Crystal who temporarily resides at Horizon’s Recovery Residence for Women. She gave thanks for the development of the Recovery Residence and explained that the Horizon Recovery Residence is helping her achieve her recovery goals. She said that before the Recovery Residence she attended Horizon’s Residential Crisis Stabilization and Outpatient programs which helped her tremendously but she needed more structure and stable housing. The Recovery Residence provides the structure and stable housing she needs to achieve her goals. She now looks forward to getting back to school and working again. We need more courageous people like Crystal to remind us that treatment works and recovery is real. I think about our re-entry efforts at the Regional Jails in Lynchburg and Amherst, and how our amazing team with assistance from our partners in the jails, are able to prevent rearrests by 85% in the first year due to the work with inmates before their release date. I think about our amazing case management team that links people to much needed services like primary care, education, and employment. I also think about finally providing integrated behavioral health and primary care on site in Lynchburg and Amherst through a strong partnership with Johnson Health Center, Blue Ridge Medical Center, and the Community Access Network (CANS). Thank you for reading this issue of our newsletter, we have a lot of good news to share.

I’m incredibly grateful and consistently impressed by the talent and expertise at Horizon and throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. I’m very proud and privileged to work alongside all of you.

With every best wish and kind regard, Damien Cabezas, CEO, Horizon Behavioral Health Board President, Horizon Opportunities, Inc.

Treatment works. Recovery is real.

CEO WELLNESS CHALLENGE Horizon’s Wellness Fair

At the beginning of this year employees at Horizon rose to a challenge from Horizon – let’s improve our health. For several years, the CEO Wellness Challenge, has helped employees to “think healthy” but January’s Wellness Fair turned those good intentions into action. The Super Bowl Themed event, saw more than 130 Horizon Employees receive biometric screenings by the nursing staff of Optima Health. It is thanks to these screenings that, more than half a year later, our employees are expressing excitement about the improvement in their overall health. The health fair also provided the opportunity for staff members to visit nearly twenty vendors, including Optima, Virginia Retirement System, BOST, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (VALIC), Standard, AFLAC, Voya Financial, Guardian, Minnesota Life, Lynchburg Salsa, Sam’s Club, Lynchburg Chiro, YMCA, Virginia 211, Lynchburg Parks and Recreation, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Complete Nutrition and Health Nut. Horizon knows it is important to invest in events like the Health Fair, to ensure our employees are living the best life possible.

LYNCHBURG HEART WALK

Horizon Sponsors Lynchburg’s Second Annual Heart Walk!

COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS JOHNSON HEALTH CENTER COLLABORATION Communities in Central Virginia are already seeing the benefit of Horizon’s collaborations with local medical offices.

Integrating Primary Care into the treatment plans of our consumers creates positive outcomes that last and demonstrates Horizon’s commitment to whole person health.

Recently, a Horizon Consumer was dismayed after she received a notice that her Primary Care Physician was retiring. However, Horizon’s team members quickly connected this consumer to the Johnson Health’s Primary Care Nurse Practitioner now on site at Horizon’s Wellness Center at Court Street. The Horizon Consumer was able to get an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner on the same day as her Horizon behavioral health appointment, saving time and reducing her anxiety about finding a new doctor.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FORUM Medical insurance is not getting any easier to “translate.” But Horizon is making major strides to bridge the gap between consumers, providers and insurance carriers. Recently, Horizon hosted its third Strategic Alliance Forum – inviting insurance carriers to meet with our team. The goal was to enhance integration, care coordination, and ultimately improve health outcomes. By aligning our goals, we are advancing value based services.

MTM SERVICES Paperwork, documentation and processes can make the experience of receiving mental health services challenging for both the clinician and the consumer. Horizon is working with MTM to greatly improve consumer satisfaction and engagement, while also eradicating no shows in the assessment process. Horizon will also ensure the implementation of Same Day Access is sustainable. Other improvements include: Collaborative Documentation, Just In Time Prescriber Scheduling, Centralized Scheduling, and Integrated Care Implementations.

Opioids: The State of Our Community In an effort to educate the community and “ramp up” the fight against opioid abuse, Horizon hosted an addiction expert and a panel discussion on opioid abuse in Virginia. Nearly 200 people from the Lynchburg area gathered at Horizon’s Therapeutic Day Treatment Center in Lynchburg to hear Dr. Mishka Terplan, Associate Director of Addiction Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. He discussed the history of opioids and it’s effects on society today. After his address, community leaders led a discussion on the problem on a local level and efforts being taken to address this devastating and deadly addiction.

Horizon’s Therapeutic Day Treatment Graduation For the third year, Horizon hosted a graduation ceremony for the children of it’s Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT) program. This program is an alternative to regular school for children who were not initially successful in that setting. TDT is proven to keep children out of residential treatment. The goal is to create a happier and healthier child who will be successful at transitioning back into a regular school setting.

This year, as the children received their diplomas, their families cheered and beamed with pride. Former Therapeutic Day Treatment student, Frankie Haynes and Shana Harvey, gave motivational, touching speeches to the graduates. Horizon also honored Principal of the Year, Ryan White, Teacher of the Year, Brittany Bell, and Advocate of the Year, Marie Petrone, for their outstanding work with our children.

“I have been through a lot of things in my life and lost family members who I loved very much. By talking with Day Treatment I learned to express my emotions appropriately and not hold it all in.” ~Frankie

“Today I am here to tell you that you can achieve good things in life and I encourage you to keep working to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.” ~Frankie

Horizon’s Got Talent 2018 Horizon’s Got Talent was yet again, a great success. For the fourth year in a row the local talent blew the judges and the audience away. More than 200 guests enjoyed dinner, a show and a wonderful silent auction to support the Horizon Behavioral Health and Horizon Opportunities Inc. mission. Horizon is unique in that 100% of the proceeds go to support its mission and current services.

Our Mission Horizon Behavioral Health is the premier provider of mental health, substance use and intellectual disability services in Central Virginia. Horizon’s mission is to support and promote the health, independence and self-worth of individuals and families in Central Virginia by providing a continuum of community-based prevention, early intervention, aftercare, and psychosocial rehabilitation services for persons affected by mental health, intellectual disabilities, substance use and co-occurring disorders. Our vision is to provide behavioral healthcare services that are accessible, consumer-centered, cost effective, and quality outcome-based.