not shocking news at all

In an article in the Arizona Republic recently, they discuss the emotional and mental health toll the worsening economy is having on Americans.

This does not seem like this should be surprising news.

Or maybe I am biased in that as a crisis counselor this was apparent in the first few weeks of the economic downturn. We are a society dependent on money and when there is no money, we are going to have more stress. People are losing jobs left and right, thus not able to pay for their cars, their homes, their kids education. You name it, the economy is effecting it. And yes, our stress level is increasing which in turn will lead to an increase in depression and physical health issues.

I can only hope that we start to see a leveling off and a light at the end of the tunnel.

thankful to be a social worker

US House of Representatives passed a resolution this past week that honors the social work profession and what we as social workers strive to do. The resolution was introduced by one of the nine social workers in Congress. I hope this type of support and recognition continues as without social workers there would be a lot of people in worse off situations. We are on the front line of our society, connecting people to services, counseling families, assisting the homeless and mentally ill, supporting people through tough times. am proud to be a licensed clinical social worker and I am proud of what we accomplish. Thank you Congress for recognizing our value to society.

this should not be news

A few days ago, The Arizona Republic ran this article about spanking kids. It seems like this should be common sense. I mean really…is it that unrealistic to think that if you use violence to punish kids has the potential to create defiant children? I hope people actually take a look at what they do and start incorporating constructive forms of discipline.

denial at its best

The CEO of Magellan, the Regional Behavioral Health Authority for Maricopa County, is drinking the Kool-Aid. His level of denial is unreal. Magellan has been audited in the last few months and the results have been less than stellar. And he has the nerve to say things are moving forward? Really? Has he been reading the news? Did he look at the audit? Has he talked to consumers? or better yet, has he talked to providers? The consensus would be that the system has taken a drastic nose dive since Magellan took over from Value Options. When will we learn that a for-profit agency CAN NOT run a non-for-profit field. Mental health is not a money-making machine. I think I speak for a lot of us in the mental health arena here in Phoenix when I say that the end of this contract with Magellan can not come soon enough.

disturbing possibilities

I receive daily news updates from Social Work Today, which is THE publication for social workers. Recently a news article reported on the idea that young adults who develop PTSD after being exposed to a traumatic event may be more likely to attempt suicide than those young adults who do not develop PTSD. As a social worker and crisis counselor, this finding is very disturbing. While there is not direct cause and effect relationship, it certainly makes sense and could explain a lot. In my job, I work with all ages, but it seems more and more, we are being called out to talk to kids. And more and more, suicide is the reason. It is scary to think that so many young adults see suicide as a viable option. It definitely tells me we need to do so much more in our society to help prevent this way of thinking. Now is not the time to cut funding to social service agencies.

big brother is watching…everywhere

Working as a crisis counselor in the mental health field, I am well aware of the rampant prescription drug abuse occurring in our communities. In particular, teenagers are buying and selling drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin on school campuses to get high. Of course I want this trend to cease. But I am not sure I like the way Arizona is going about it. If you have a script for meds such as OxyContin, Amben or Vicodin, then once you fill it your name and other info is put into a tracking system. Then a doctor or pharmacist can look up patients to see when they last had a scripts filled for prescription meds such as Ambien and Vicodin to see if the patient is “doctor shopping.” I think this is a privacy issue and makes me very uncomfortable.

and this makes it ok?!

A 49 year old teacher in Phoenix says she lured a 14 year old boy to a hotel room and slept with him to prevent him from sleeping with her goddaughter.

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the ground.

Are you kidding me?

How cold we not have figured THAT one out right away? I mean isn’t that the first thought any of us would have if we thought a boy might want to sleep with a young girl?

I can’t even fathom this thought process. Hmm… I think I may ave gone to the girls parents and said something. Just an idea.

Welcome to the world of a sex offender lady!

and the hits keep coming

On azcentral today there was another negative story about the way Magellan is running the mental health system in Maricopa County. This time the focus is on the Urgent Psychiatric Care Center (UPC) at 2nd St and Roosevelt.

In my job as a crisis counselor in the county, I frequently have contact with UPC as we bring clients there for emergency mental health treatment. We have known for years that this has not been a well oiled machine but with Magellan taking over those of us in the field thought we’d see positive changes. According to the article, this is not happening.

An audit has found that UPC is not placing clients who are there for more than the initial 23 hours into inpatient beds, even when they have inpatient beds available. This is ridiculous. There is no reason to not provide proper care to clients in need of help. UPC was also found to not provide the proper documentation and treatment plans, as directed in the contract with the state.

It is disturbing that I am not shocked by the findings as, like I said, as a crisis worker I frequently have to utilize this facility in order to help clients. And it is not a facility that is customer friendly. I hope these recent audits and findings make enough waves to make REAL changes in our system. Only time will tell.

portable shelters

This is an amazing idea. It is a portable shelter for homeless people. It attaches to their shopping carts and provides a covered, weather resistant place for them to sleep, or at least stay out of the conditions. And it folds up easy enough for it to be taken wherever the person goes. This is a wonderful idea and I hope it become available every where. Phoenix could use this in the summer time when the sun is way to strong to be outside uncovered. I know some people may say that this will only promote being homeless, but I totally disagree. Just like everything else, if people want to be homeless they will be homeless regardless of a shelter. For people who want a different lifestyle this shelter will only aide in them remaining safe until they can get their life on track.

Thanks to Scott for sending me the ink to this story.

and the fiasco continues

Well, all the talk and hype was for nothing apparently. Magellan made all these promises for a better mental health system in Maricopa County and said they would be better than Value Options. According to the yearly audit released this week, the promises were for not. The findings show that the county’s mental health system has actually regressed since Magellan took over in 2007. As a social worker and crisis counselor that works within the system 4 days a week, I am very distressed by this. We had all hoped it would be better. After a year it is only getting worse so that does not bode well for the rest of Magellan’s contract with the state. The audit calls for a complete overhaul. We’ll see if anything really happens.