NEWhorizons

July 2013

Nation of Patriot Tour 2013

On Friday July 12th, 2013 the Nation of Patriot Tour will pass through Parsons carrying the American Flag. LCMHS invites area residents to join us in welcoming the Nation of Patriot Tour to Parsons by lining the sidewalks of Main Street. LCMHS employees will be located at the corner of 16th and Main to hand out flags to participants. Through the tour, which travels the continental United States over 100 days, the group honors all of Americas Armed Forces, past, present and fallen, as well as their families. The group passes through Parsons on their way from Joplin, MO to Wichita, KS. This is the 4th year Labette Center has welcomed the riders as they pass through Parsons. They should be arriving in Parsons at approximately 10:45am with plans to arrive at Ernestos, 200 North Central Avenue, at 11:00am to stop for lunch. The riders will enter town on Main Street and drive through to the corner of Central and Main, turning on Central to arrive at Ernestos. It is an honor for the people of Parsons and Labette County to have this opportunity to show our gratitude and respect to those who are serving, or have served us in the Armed Forces, LCMHS Executive Director Matthew Atteberry added. Labette Center for Mental Health Services is proud to welcome the Nation of Patriot riders as they travel through the area. The Nation of Patriots was formed to provide financial support to the families of wounded men and women that volunteered their lives in the preservation, protection and future of The United States. The organization was formed under the idea that the people must honor service men and women, especially those wounded in their servitude to our country. An independent, non partisan, 501(c)3 non profit organization that draws strength from patriotic Americans from all over the country, the Nation of Patriots strives to launch major campaigns on a national level to promote the awareness of the physical, emotional, and economic misfortune that wounded veterans and their families are living with today and everyday. For more information on the Nation of Patriots tour, visit www.nationofpatriots.org.
For more information about Labette Center for Mental Health Services call 620-421-3770, check out our website at www.lcmhs.com, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter! Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit. M. Scott Peck

Finding Recovery, A 36 Year Journey . . . . . .

(The name of the individual in this story has been changed to protect their identity. The name Mary is a fictitious name, with no connection to the individual discussed.) In the 70s, it was fairly common for teenagers to experiment with substances. Combined with the peer pressures that go hand in hand with high school and the events taking place during the 70s, Mary was no different than many other teenagers and found herself experimenting with drugs. She could typically find opportunities to participate in drug use after school functions, or even during them. By her early 20s, experimentation had begun turning into addiction which would prove to change her life in more ways than she could imagine. Mary was raised in a strong Christian home, in which the dangers of drug use had been heavily discussed. Yet, there always seemed to be ways to justify using. She had been able to find bible passages that she felt, at that time, gave permission to use marijuana, and other substances. During the height of her 36 year addiction, she recalled using a wide variety of substances, including marijuana, opium, hash, and LSD. The drug use had impacted the lives of her four children as well as her own. They became challenged by her continued habit. They were unable to invite friends over because there would be too high a risk of them finding out about the drug use and smelling the odor of the drugs in the home. During this period, there became a time when a new home was purchased. This home represented a new start and a new surrondings. Before the children were taken to see the home, Mary and her then husband spent time constructing a secret room off the master bedroom in order to grow marijuana. There, in the secret room, they were able to grow their own marijuana for many years. The children were constantly reminded not to tell anyone about the drug use taking place or the events in the home. To this day, Mary reported, her daughter suffers from anxiety attacks when she hears police sirens. At one point, during a search with drug dogs at her sons high school, his locker was targeted because the dogs found the smell of marijuana on his coat. As adults, and parents themselves, her children utilize the stories of their mothers addiction to influence their own teenage children to avoid substance use. Mary first began considering the need to quit using substances during her second marriage, when her and her husband would argue over the monetary cost of the drugs. She would feel that the money would be better spent taking care of the four children she was responsible for. Arguments would inevitably ensue. He would, from time to time, attempt to quit, however when he would relapse, so would she. Through the years she suffered multiple health issues due to the drug use. Her veins became unusable for medical staff, due to the needles used to inject narcotics into her system. Because of that, she had to have a permanent port placed in her chest. She began to need regular physician care for her medical needs. At her medical office, her physician created a contract which stated they were able to randomly drug test her due to being on prescription narcotic substance. Because of her history of usage, the physician needed to try to ensure a level of safety for her while under his care and being prescribed these medications. During a routine office visit, she was tested, and failed. In light of discovering the drug use, he advised her that she would have to stop using the substances or he would have to stop treating her. At this point in her life, she had returned to church. Finding strength in her faith and her church family, she used the substance that had held her prisoner for 36 years for the last time. On December 31st, 2012 at the stroke of midnight, armed with a picture of her recently deceased husband and the will power to move on, she smoked her last joint. Today Mary celebrates her sobriety. Being clean for over 180 days has been able to give her a new outlook on life, her family and her surroundings. For the first time in 36 years she was able to entertain house guests, a womens group from her church. This was something she had never been able to do for fear of someone finding out about her life style. She no longer has to worry about putting up items associated with her drug use and is now freely able to enjoy time with her grandchildren without the fear of them finding items that were drug related. Mary does have times where she becomes lonely. By stopping her substance use, she had also lost all of the friends she had made through using. However, she feels the rewards of being sober, are far better. She attributes her recovery success to having access to a finding the way back to her faith, a good recovery plan, and the support she has received through Labette Center for Mental Health Services.

Labette Center Sends Staff to Knoxville TN for Integrated Care Training

On May 2nd and 3rd, Executive Director Matthew Atteberry, Medical Director Dr. Mark Haslett, and Director of Business and Financial Services Sandra Dickerson attended meetings in Knoxville, TN in response to being awarded a planning grant from the Sunflower Foundation. The purpose of this planning grant is that it will be used toward establishing an integrated care model to Labette Center in order to provide integrated care treatment to individuals who suffer from sever and persistent mental illness. The meetings which were held at Cherokee Health Systems, one of the innovators in the field of integrated care, provided a unique experience for the three managers which will help guide them through the process of planning and establishing integrated care at Labette Center. Dr. Haslett, who is very much an advocate of enhancing communication and improving medical treatment for patients, was excited to attend the meetings. He feels that integrating behavioral health care with regular medical care is . . . much more than just having each side of the equation know what the other side is doing. It is a philosophy of treatment that views the patient as a whole person and not just as a group of behaviors or symptoms. Labette Center is excited to continue toward the goal of implementing integrated care and providing the best possible services to the clients we serve.

Leadership Labette is now taking applications for the 2013-14 Program Session. Leadership Labette is an eight-month community leadership develoment program with a strong focus on Kansas Leadership Centers Kansas Community Leadership Initiative (KCLI) curriculum and Competencies for Civic Leadership. Participants have an opportunity to learn more about themselves and their communities and is designed to provide an atmosphere in which participants develop leadership skills useful at business, community, and personal levels. Leadership Labette began in 1989 as Leadership Parsons and has evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of our community. Leadership Labette is open to all adult community participants of greater Labette County. Applications must be submitted by August 22, 2013. Nomination is not required, but suggestions are appreciated. Class size is limited to 20, and participants will be accepted at the discretion of the Leadership Labette board. Program applications are available from Labette Center for Mental Health Services at 1730 Belmont, PO Box 258, Parsons, Kansas, 67357. Request yours by email at monica@lcmhs.com or call 620-421-3770 or 800-3033770. You may also download the information from the LCMHS website at www.lcmhs.com. For detailed information about the program, class sessions and activities, and other leadership development opportunities, check out Leadership Labette on Facebook, or our website, www.leadershiplabette.org. Now bette ter, And find us in even more places on the web! LaCenter can be found on Facebook, TwitLinkedIn, Google+, and Google Blogspot. dont forget to check our website as well!

Update and Report February 2013 to June 21, 2013 The My Family Labette Program has completed 61 out of 68 referrals to services. Below is an overview of the program demographics for February to June 21, 2013.

For more information on Labette Centers My Family Labette program, visit www.lcmhs.com or call 620-421-3770.

Mental Health First Aid Course August 8th & 9th

Labette Center for Mental Health Services will be holding an Adult Mental Health First Aid course on Thursday August 8th and Friday August 9th from 8:00am to 12:15pm each day. The course will be held at Labette Centers main facility located at 1730 Belmont Parsons KS in the multi-purpose room. To register for the August Mental Health First Aid Training, individuals can visit our website at http://www.lcmhs.com/Mental-Health-First-Aid-65456.asp or call 620-421-3770 800-303-3770. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a ground breaking program, which has been endorsed by President Obama. Through an 8 hour interactive public education program, individuals are able to learn how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. Labette Center is proud to be able to provide both the adult and youth versions of this course. For more information about the Mental Health First Aid program, visit: http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org

Labette Center for Mental Health Services, Inc. PO Box 258 1730 Belmont Parsons, KS 67357 www.lcmhs.com

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