Spring 2015
PSO Consumer Newsletter
Connie’s Corner
Happy Spring! I hope you are enjoying our beautiful City this time of year with all
of the beautiful trees, bushes and flowers blooming. Of course if you suffer from
allergies, this may be your least favorite time of the year. Many of you have heard
the saying about Spring being a time of change; well the PSO is going through its
own Spring in the coming months.
The PSO will no longer exist as a Mecklenburg County Department. Substance
Use Disorder treatment programs at the Jail and Shelters will be transferred to
the Community Support Services Department. The Children’s Developmental
Services and the Trauma and Justice Partnerships Divisions are being transitioned
to the Health Department. The Substance Abuse Services Center will be divested
to a private provider. The County is in discussion with Anuvia at this time about
taking over the operation of the Substance Abuse Services Center. So lots of
changes are going on. The plan is for all of these changes to take place July 1,
2015.
Change is never easy. But that is a given in this day and time. Some look at
change as a bad thing others look at it a good thing. I tend to be one who looks at
it as a good thing. If we didn’t have change, imagine how boring our lives would
be. Of course we would all prefer that the change happen in our timeframe but it
doesn’t always work out that way. I can tell you that for me, when I have been
forced to change; most times it has worked out for the best. I may not have been
able to see it at the time, but with time, as I look back, I realize it was exactly what
needed to happen. I believe everything happens for a reason and if we have faith,
we know it will work out the way it is supposed to. If you think about the words in
the Serenity Prayer,”….accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change
the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference,” I believe it is the perfect
prescription for living with change. As human beings we have control over two
things every day, what we do (our actions, words, thoughts etc.) and how we
respond to what happens to us. That’s it. So I choose to embrace change and look
for the positive, what do you choose?
Have patience.
All things are
difficult before
they become
easy.
Inside this issue
Substance Abuse Services Go Tobacco-Free
Consumer Satisfaction .......... 2
Effective March 18, 2015, a Board of Health Rule prohibits smoking in all
government-owned buildings in Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and
surrounding Mecklenburg County towns, as well as any City, County or Town
vehicles, grounds, parks, greenways, or parklands. The tobacco-free designation
includes electronic-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, water pipes, etc., as well as
traditional cigarettes, cigars and pipes.
Alcohol Awareness Month ..... 3
This includes a ban on tobacco use at the Substance Abuse Services Center
where Detox and Residential consumers previously used tobacco products in the
facility courtyard. Consumers will be given options to help kick the habit.
HIP Week .............................. 2
SA Programs Accredited ....... 3
Stakeholder Survey ............... 4
Consumer Satisfaction
Consumer Satisfaction with Mecklenburg County PSO Substance Abuse
Services programs is shown in this table. All Substance Abuse Services
consumers are given opportunity to complete a satisfaction survey during or
at the end of receiving services. Overall, our consumers respond to the
survey questions that they ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that the services we
provide are meeting expectations. We review these results and the written
feedback that’s given to us and look for opportunities to improve. We
appreciate our consumers and the input we receive from you!
Progress is
impossible
without change,
and those who
cannot change
their minds
cannot change
anything.
Consumer Satisfaction Survey Results
Percent of Consumers Satisfied with Services
Substance Abuse Services Program
2012
2013 2014
Jail Central Substance Abuse Program
93%
91%
95%
Substance Abuse Treatment at the Men’s Shelter
90%
85%
95%
Substance Abuse Treatment at the Women’s Shelter
96%
92%
96%
Substance Abuse Services Center - Detox
90%
96%
96%
Substance Abuse Services Center - Residential
94%
95%
97%
Health Information Professionals Week
The Health Information Services (HIS) Team celebrated Health Information
Professionals (HIP) week March 23-27. They hosted a small celebration with
light refreshments for the PSO to come and celebrate HIP week with HIS
staff. They had a fun fact game and had 6 winners. Thanks for helping
celebrate HIP Week!
HIS Staff members: Robin Smith, Ana Francisco, Connie Cureton,
Summer Varalli, Olethea Scott and taking the picture Pam Idol
Alcohol Awareness Month
Each April since 1987, the National Council on
Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has
sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to increase
public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma
and encourage local communities to focus on
alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.
With this year's theme, "For the Health of It: Early
Education on Alcoholism and Addiction," the month
of April 2015 will be filled with local, state, and national
events aimed at educating people about the treatment
and prevention of alcoholism, particularly among our
youth, and the benefits of providing early education to
give kids a better understanding of the impact that
alcohol can have on their lives.
Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous both to themselves and to society, and is directly
associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide,
educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex and
other problem behaviors, even for those who may
never develop a dependence or addiction.
Adolescence is a time of heightened risk taking and
young people may not be fully prepared to anticipate
all the consequences of drinking alcohol, such as
swigging drinks to "celebrate" a special occasion, or
being in a car with a driver who has been drinking.
Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for America's
youth, and is more likely to kill young people than all
illegal drugs combined.
Reducing underage drinking is critical to securing a
healthy future for America's youth and requires a
cooperative effort from parents, schools, community
organizations, business leaders, government agencies,
the entertainment industry, alcohol manufacturers/
retailers and young people themselves.
For more information about NCADD, underage
drinking, Alcohol Awareness Month and Alcohol-Free
Weekend, visit the NCADD website at: www.ncadd.org
The information was taken from the NCADD website.
Substance Abuse Programs Accredited for 3 Years
The Provided Services Organization reached an
important milestone in October. Jonathan Myers,
Department Operations Manager, proudly announced
that the PSO’s Substance Abuse Program was
accredited for a period of three years by CARF
International with no recommendations. This "seal of
approval" was awarded for the following services:




Day Treatment: Alcohol and other Drugs/
Addictions (Adults)
Day Treatment: Alcohol and other Drugs/
Addictions (Criminal Justice)
Detoxification: Alcohol and other Drugs/
Addictions (Adults)
Residential Treatment: Integrated (Adults)
This represents the highest level of accreditation
that can be awarded to an organization and shows
the organization's substantial conformance to the
CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three
Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous
peer review process and has demonstrated to a
team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its
programs and services are of the highest quality,
measurable, and accountable. Receiving no
recommendations places the SAS in the top 3% of
programs surveyed this year.
The Substance Abuse Services staff have successfully
provided Mecklenburg County with treatment and
recovery services for 40 years. By addressing the needs
of each consumer with evidence-based,
compassionate treatment, we have saved lives, kept
families intact, and strengthened our community.
Stakeholder Survey
Correction does
much, but
encouragement
does more.
The PSO gathers data from various sources to determine how we are
providing services. We ask our consumers on a regular basis (external
consumers) and we ask our employees (internal consumers). A third type of
survey we do annually is to ask the providers and others in the community
about how we are doing, and this is called our Stakeholder Survey. We ask
nine specific questions to try and find out where our strengths and
weaknesses are. Unfortunately, in the past, we have had few people to
respond to our survey. This year, we had even less, as we had 8% of
respondents to complete their survey. Sixty surveys were sent and 5
individuals participated by completing the survey. Below you will see the
questions we ask as well as what our scores have been over the last three
years. Our goal is to have a score of 85% or higher for each question. The
scores that are highlighted for 2014 will be the questions that our programs
will focus on by providing training to staff and discussing these issues during
staff meetings on how we can improve these scores.
Comparison Grid
Response Rates for SA Services Only
2012
11/41
27%
91%
2013
19/41
46%
79%
2014
5/60
8%
80%
91%
89%
80%
82%
84%
100%
Q4. Staff accept responsibility
82%
79%
100%
Q5. Information provided to me is useful
100%
90%
100%
Q6. Staff act in a professional manner
91%
89%
100%
Q7. Staff follow proper channels for
communication
Q8. There is appropriate follow-through
73%
74%
60%
91%
84%
100%
Q9. Staff demonstrate initiative and flexibility in
responding to my needs
73%
68%
68%
Q1. Staff respond to calls/emails no later than the
next business day
Q2. I am able to connect with the person who can
best respond to my needs
Q3. I am treated with courtesy and respect
Mecklenburg County Provided
Services Organization
3500 Ellington Street
Charlotte, NC 28211
704-336-7100