Case Study: Drucilla Nesmith-Barker

To say the correctional system is overwhelmed with the needs and care of the special needs population is an understatement. Nonetheless, jail and prisons officials have

CCIB received correspondence from reporting party (RP) stated that he has been investing the owner of this Independent Living facility, Elvira Ferreria, who currently has a hospice resident who requires 24 hour care. Ms. Ferreria has billed the resident's family for her services (2 checks have been written on the resident's account by Ms. Ferreria). When interviewed last week by RP, Ms. Ferreria acknowledge she was acting as an unlicensed facility back in 2015. Ms. Ferreria also currently has another hospice resident in this home (no names provided for either resident). RP stated that Ms. Ferreria stated that she regularly receives resident from UCSD.

The three health officials will also be required to critique the social worker's form of being an assistance to the top three health care officials in the program as well as the patients who are receiving treatment. With the social workers being trained by the top three health care officials. The social workers in the facility will be taught to have passion for the rehabilitation of the inmates and are strongly encouraged to have a positive influence on the inmates as they help the mentally ill inmates cope with their internal issues. Social workers will be required to train the correctional officers as to recognizing any suspicious actions. Also the correctional officers will be trained by the correctional facility on how resolve most conflicts involving an inmate and the staff by use of his or her voice rather than using physical violence which could worsen the mental status of the inmate. Any suspicious actions or mood swings should be monitored by any part of the staff, much of the prison population dealing with mental health issues end up committing

Quality improvement is defined by Kelly (2012) as “a systematic process of organization wide participation and partnership in planning and implementing continuous improvement methods to understand, meet, or exceed customer needs and expectations and improve patient outcomes” (p.477). The women’ unit can receive thirty patients from age eighteen to late adulthood. The unit is a receiving facility for everyone Baker acted in the state of Florida. Like any other organization, change is always happening in the women’s unit. One of the areas that need improvement on the unit is a reduction in the number of seclusion and restraint that we do every month. Patients that are violent and present a danger to either

I had the opportunity to interview Rebekah Bohannon, NCC, LPC- MHSP, Regional Clinical Director of East Tennessee for The Next Door. This facility functions as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for currently incarcerated women. Services such as work force development, medical treatment, drug and alcohol treatment, clinical mental health services and a family enrichment program are just some of the services this facility provides. Rebekah currently provides clinical supervision to me, both at the graduate student internship level and at an employment level. In describing her role as a supervisor, she state, “working as a clinician is a wild ride, but working as a supervisor is an even wilder ride” (Bohannon, 2016). This provides an accurate description of the picture of clinical supervision I acquired from this personal interview, as well as, my experience with Rebekah operating as my supervisor.

The change occurred when North Carolina received a grant for their mental health systems to help them run more independently. State Auditor’s 2000 report Study of the State Psychiatric Hospitals and the Area Mental Health Programs, was the most important factor in helping these facilities. The State Auditor’s report was used as in attempt to put forth a blueprint for transforming the system. By setting out a number of new directions, innovative ideas, changes in structure and a process for bringing together the key elements of the system in an implementation process over five years. The significance of using this report to

Most of my nursing career has been in clinics that serve patients who rely on government assisted programs and who have limited funding and resources. The last four years I have been dedicated to serving patients within the correctional settings. While this field of nursing can be very challenging at times it is also very rewarding knowing that I am a patient advocate for individuals who often get over looked do to some of their choices and their current situations. I am very passionate about providing healthcare and education to patients who are often times misunderstood due to learning differences. I have a very strong belief that our mental health is affecting the correctional population. Many patients are placed in correctional settings because they cannot conform to society or because they are unable to express and understand the reason they make some of the poor choices which lead them into a life behind

To begin, the main problem running amuck at the Dade Correctional Institution is the systematic abuse of the inmates by the security guards in the Transitional Care Unit. This problem exists at many different levels, ranging from individual to possibly system-wide levels. For example, many counselors and technicians witnessed first hand the abuse given out by the guards and very few came forward to offer their testimony. Also, many officials and higher ranking superiors would actively advise those who did come forward to remain silent, out of possibly retaliation from the guards.

The Puerto Rican Family Institute clinic in Brooklyn is currently undergoing a new organizational structure due to a high turnover of recent employees. The previous director for the clinic had been in the same position for 25 years, and once she left, the structure started to decline. The new director, James Chavez, has been overseeing the clinic for a year now, and the clinic has been evolving ever since. Due to such a drastic change in roles, the clinic has been using a lateral organizational structure to help the director and keep the flow going. Since the clinic in Brooklyn is smaller, there is a lot of cohesiveness that happens within various departments. The director always has the final say, but many times, the staff will work together to help one another. I have received a lot of guidance due to the lateral structure, and I am thankful for that. The clinic has many full-time staff clinicians and the majority have a background in social work. Since the director comes from a social work background also, there is a strong social work presence. The social worker’s role is to provide one-on-one psychotherapy, give a pre-diagnostic impression, and complete treatment plans. They also assess for strengths, goals, and triggers to provide clients with a strong therapeutic experience.

The provision of adequate health care services to the inmate population is essential in the effective management of a correctional facility. The organizational structure in which a correctional health care delivery system operates, directly impacts the agency’s ability

Tara informed me that she has over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Tara stated she started out working at a home health agency that worked with the geriatric population. Tara is a Behavioral Health Technician, and holds a High Needs Case Manager position with Southwest Network. Tara explained that Southwest Network provided counseling services, medication management, and various behavioral health services to adults and children. In Tara’s role she works primary with children with high behavioral needs. Tara main role as a case manager is to be the liaison for the agency in regards to the behavioral health services with the child’s team or family. Tara explains although she does not do the initial assessments she with the clients she does complete annual assessments to determine if the services the child is receiving are appropriate; while making changes if necessary. Tara explained Southwest Network is funded by Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care (MMIC). MMIC makes the determination on if and when a client will receive services. If there is a case where a child is having major behaviors Tara can complete an assessment and request for a behavioral coach. MMIC is able to approve or deny the request based off the data Tara provides to them. Subsequently, if a child is not doing well in their home and the family or team is looking at a high level of inpatient care this too has to be approve. Tara would submitted a packet with supporting documentation to MMIC. MMIC again as the ability to approve or deny this request. Tara is also responsible for filing appeals when cases are denied for services. Tara would work with the child’s family or team to ensure the child is getting the services they need to be able to function within their daily

This past week, two failed cases occurred days in between each other. Eight-year-old Michelle Moore was found in what has been deemed a homicide in her Newark home and twelve-year-old, Genesis Rincon was arrested for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute. These two clients were both supposed to be under the supervision of our case managers. Upon the conduction of an internal review from our Inspector General, it was found that not only did these caseworkers have a higher amount of absenteeism regarding client check-ups but one of the caseworkers is romantically involved with her superior - an Assistant Commissioner who was recently transferred from a different department.

Presenting one example of many, Washington reveals that there does exist treatment programs; however, it does not resolve the conflict that there is only a limited access to behavioral health services (Steadman). The Department of Corrections in Washington claims that the state of Washington requires Chemical Dependency Treatment Programs with licensed and/or certified staff members. With this program, convicts receive on site, essential health care services that include dental, medical and mental health care. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the jail provides essential medical, dental, mental health and psychiatric services care. But, further down the line in the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ article, it mentions that the essential health care only lies within lines of the community standards for a

Miss Kessler’s main focus is improving Three Quarter Housing Policies that are impacting individuals who are returning from prison. Most of these individuals are placed in overcrowded rooms in buildings with hazardous conditions. In addition,

Mentally ill, elderly, and female inmates are faced with more than normal circumstances in the correctional facilities that they are housed in. These circumstances add more stress on to the administrators’ job. The administrators are faced with challenges such as the following: failing health, aggression, strict monitoring and observation, counseling services, and providing the proper health care inmates. They have to ensure that the accommodations and adjustments that are enforced are aligned with the