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www.nedeltahsa.org                                                                       Volume 2, Edition 3, December 2015
Message from the Executive Director
 
In the midst of the busy 2015 Holiday Season, we want to bring you some highlights of NE Delta HSA activity since our last newsletter. We continually strive to find innovative ways to positively address the challenges that impact our citizens' daily lives. Following are a couple of examples.
 
We successfully implemented the Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit in October, which helped deepen the understanding of how mental health stigma, cultural norms and coordination of resources affect a community's ability to treat illness and support recovery. 
 
Additionally, our Faith-Based Mental Health Summit last month brought together members of clergy and mental health leaders to help bridge gaps in mental health treatment. We know how much hope our regional clergy bring to our communities, which in turn brings strength to our mental health services. We will keep you posted about the additional work we'll be conducting on this front.
 
Through our ongoing work in the Developmental Disability arena, we meet with advocates and clients to better understand their greatest concerns. In our continuing discussions with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, we hope to collaborate to provide more job opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, and also improve the quality of the workforce who care for people with developmental disabilities - which translates into improved quality of care for our citizens.
 
We have ceaseless dedication to fulfill the initiatives we have begun since I joined NE Delta HSA in 2013. As we work toward solutions within our defined initiatives and our strategic plan, we always keep in mind the importance of collaboration to help catalyze solutions to our region's issues - with the goal toward even better lives for our citizens. We are deeply committed to ensuring our citizens have greater access to the mental health, addictive disorder and developmental disabilities services they may need, delivered by competent providers with excellent customer service.

 
Dr. Monteic A. Sizer
Executive Director
 
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NE Delta HSA Faith-Based  Mental Health Summit Helps Bridge the Gap
 





Last month's Summit brought together mental health and faith-based leadership to  better understand how to assist citizens who need help with mental health issues, addictive disorders and developmental  disabilities.
 
The Summit was well-attended by members of the clergy, mental health professionals and regional leadership. 

Pastors Danny and Carolyn Hunt of the H.E.A.R.T.S. Coalition facilitated the Summit, which included clergy and mental health expert-led panel discussions about:

o Mental health prevention programs and techniques through faith-based organizations
o How mental illness affects children and families
o Mental health issues that affect clergy
o How to avoid Pastoral and congregational burn-out and disengagement
o Faith-based community support resources
  
"Societal issues of mental & primary healthcare and substance abuse affect people of diverse race, class and religious denominationa l beliefs," said Dr. Sizer. "Since last month's Summit, clergy members have asked NE Delta HSA to continue this important work toward bridging the gap between mental health issues and the clergy. We will continue to catalyze these efforts to ensure our citizens have access to quality, competent mental health care delivered with excellent customer service."
 
Click here to see more photos from the Summit!

Northeast Delta

HSA Board Members

____________

 

Ouachita Parish

E.H. Baker

Thelma Merrells

 

Morehouse Parish

Chuck Halley

Lorraine Reed

 

Lincoln Parish

Joyce Brazzel

Michael Shipp

 

Caldwell Parish

James Mobley

 

East Carroll Parish

Lekeisha Powell

 

West Carroll Parish

Melba Sandifer

 

Madison Parish

Charlie Trimble

 

Tensas Parish

 

Franklin Parish

Terri Spence

 

Union Parish

Alisa Lear

 

Jackson Parish

 

Richland Parish

Kathy Waxman

NE Delta HSA Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit

Features Solution-Based Resources

 





In October, NE Delta HSA hosted its Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit: From Theory to Practice for regional healthcare and social services leadership. 

The Summit program included solution-based discussions including:

o How a rural community can identify its individual capacities, abilities and assets to identify resources and create a plan to help solve its problems
o How to address and deepen the understanding of diversity, cultural norms and stigma in rural behavioral healthcare settings
o The importance of support services and integrated healthcare to improve recovery, sustainability and the continuum of care

Deepening the understanding of stigma, cultural norms, ethnic challenges, fragmented systems and coordination of resources helps communities, especially rural areas, develop a holistic approach to treating and supporting recovery. 

NE Delta HSA collected data from the Summit's activities, which will enable us to identify areas for improvement.  This Summit was possible through a 2015 Seed Grant award from Magellan of Louisiana. 

We wish to thank each of the outstanding speakers, panelists and participants who made the Delta Summit meaningful: 

Lynn Clark - The Children's Coalition of NE Louisiana
Mary Barrios - Union Parish Alliance for Community Transformation
Pamela Saulsberry - University of Louisiana Monroe
Jane Brandon - The Wellspring
David Alvarez -Jefferson Parish Alliance of Concerned Citizens
Alisa Lear - NE Delta HSA Board Chair
Brian Byrd - Volunteers of America North Louisiana
Felicia Downs - NE Delta HSA Clinic Manager
Naomi Grayson - Monroe Housing Authority
Kerry J. Scott - Horizon Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
Mark Thomas - The Extra Mile of NE Louisiana

And thanks to Avius Zimmerman, NE Delta HSA Director of Corporate Compliance, who earned the seed grant award, planned and implemented the Summit. 
  
Click here  to see more photos from the Rural Health Summit!
UACT (Union Parish Alliance for Transformation) Celebrates Red Ribbon Week in October





Activities were held throughout Union Parish October 26-30  in celebration of Red Ribbon Week.  More than 2,000 students signed a pledge to be Safe, Healthy and Drug-Free, and  local businesses showed support for students by signing their own pledge cards and wearing red ribbons on Friday, October 30.
 
Activities included poster contests, door decorating contests and a balloon release at Union Parish Elementary School.  The balloon release was attended by local sheriff Dusty Gates, the Farmerville Mayor's office and UACT coalition members from Union General Hospital, Southern Ag Center, the Union Parish School Board, and employees from Sonic and Brookshire's. More than 600 balloons were released by the elementary school students. 

The UACT Coalition is a NE Delta HSA initiative assisted by staff at The Children's Coalition of NE LA and Louisiana Tech. 

- Mary Barrios, UACT Coordinator

Click here to read more about the Union Parish Collaborative, and visit the UACT Facebook page here.
 
  
   
Grass Roots Prevention Campaigns: an Effective Tool for Positive Influence

Campaigns save lives. Before Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, campaign buttons were our "posts."  People were walking testimonials to their beliefs. There's no way to count the number of people who took special precautions because they read a message on someone's lapel. Worn close to their heart, a button spoke to a cause near and dear to the messenger. 

The field of prevention has long held the belief that campaigns can be an effective way to influence others to make better choices. The holiday tree located in my office may be a blast from the past with messages like Just Say No, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, Stop Stigma, and Be Smart Don't Start, but messages like these have made a difference.  NE Delta HSA wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season.

- Jean Hartzog, NE Delta HSA Prevention Coordinator

Click here to learn  more about NE Delta HSA Prevention Services.

 
 
 
NE Delta HSA Staff Enjoys "Conversations" Sessions




Dr. Sizer and staff held "Conversations" in Fall 2015. These Conversations sessions are informal monthly opportunities to meet one-on-one with a small group of NE Delta HSA colleagues and share information and experiences!
 
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NE Delta HSA Staff Generously Helps Those in Need




Led by Human Resources Director Dee Roberts, NE Delta HSA conducted many activities to support the Louisiana State Combined Charitable Campaign and Breast Cancer Awareness this fall. 

NE Delta HSA staff wore pink clothing and donated to our agency's Breast Cancer Awareness Fund throughout October. Dee implemented a "Pennies for the Girls" fundraiser and the NE Delta HSA Regional Office earned a Pink Pizza lunch by donating the most pennies among all NE Delta HSA facilities.

Teresa Duke (pictured above, left), an Administrative Coordinator at the NE Delta HSA Ruston Behavioral Health Clinic and long-time member of the NE Delta HSA family, won the Pink Basket raffle. Theresa has three family members who are breast cancer survivors, one of whom is her mother.  The proceeds from the Pink Basket raffle were donated to the Statewide Combined Charitable Campaign to fight breast cancer.  

Dee also led a Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive and donated a turkey and all proceeds to two Columbia families and to the DeSiard Shelter in Monroe. Pictured (above center) with a Columbia family are NE Delta HSA Columbia Clinic staff members  Bo Smith and Pam Esters.

Thanks to all who donated and participated in these fall fundraising activities. 
We are extremely proud of our staff members and their ceaseless generosity.

Monroe Kiwanis Club Welcomes Dr. Sizer as Guest Speaker




Dr. Sizer was the guest speaker at the Monroe Kiwanis Club meeting in August. He gave an overview of NE Delta HSA programs and services and talked about the importance of working collaboratively to positively affect the citizens living in our region. 

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."
 
~Norman B. Rice 

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