2013 Annual Report PDF - Connections • Health • Wellness

Locations
Connections in Beachwood
24200 Chagrin Boulevard
Beachwood, OH 44122
216-831-6466
Connections in Cleveland Heights
Rockefeller Pointe
2490 Lee Boulevard
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
216-831-6466
Connections in Cleveland - West
3104 West 25th, 2nd floor
Cleveland, OH 44109
216-831-6466
Connections at North Ridge Commons
10426 Detroit Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44102
216-221-1241
Connect with Connections
Connections: Health•Wellness•Advocacy is a contract Agency of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction
and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County, certified by Ohio Department
of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), and accredited by the Commission on
Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
2013 Annual Report
“Collaboration, it turns out, is not a gift from the gods
but a skill that requires effort and practice.”
-Douglas B. Reeves
Our Mission
Connections is committed, in a spirit of partnership, to enhancing
individual and community health through the delivery of a comprehensive,
cost effective, integrated system of behavioral health care that promotes,
in a culturally competent manner, wellness, healing and quality of life.
Annual Report 2013 | 1
A Message from our Leadership
Alone we can do so little; together we can
do so much. - Helen Keller
Recently, while attending a Leadership Retreat in Historic
Gettysburg, I took a guided tour of the battlefield. The tour
guide, while discussing the precipitating factors of the
Civil War, made a very thought provoking statement. I am
paraphrasing, but he said that the issues that were prevalent
at the time of the Civil War are present today. He also noted
that we have lost our ability to compromise. Then he said:
“Our children must be taught about this war because if
we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.”
Sobering words, but within there was a song of hope and a
sense of opportunity. We can learn, but the choice lies within
each of us!
The opportunity to learn from our history in health care lies in
our past experiences with hospital system partnerships and
mergers. It lies in remembering the onset of managed care
and our need to rapidly step up and change how the system
coordinated care. We in Community Behavioral Health find
ourselves on the precipice of these changes. We must look
at all possible opportunities to become more efficient, more
patient focused, and responsive to our human resource and
community needs.
I reflect on our first understanding of community – in our
individual families. From the day we are born, we experience
the importance of receiving help and experiencing love. As
2 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
we grow, we learn the importance of giving and sharing our
love. We learn how critical our individuality is as we learn
to cooperate within our families and later, our schools,
our places of worship, neighborhoods, and our workplace.
The ability to effectively cooperate is the precursor to our
ability to collaborate. The definitions of both words are
remarkably similar. The dictionary defines cooperation as:
to work together; to work with another person or group to
do something. Collaborate is defined as: to work jointly with
others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.
Connections has had another very successful year, made
possible by a dedicated staff, Board of Directors, patients
and families, funders, and supporters . It has been a busy
year, spent in reaching out to other agencies and hospital
systems to discuss collaboration opportunities. For a
number of years we have talked about the changing face
of health care. The changes continue and as we continue to
move in our internal transformation, we look at ways we can
do so much more together.
We have been able to develop work options for our patients
in our Urban Farm (Urban Goodness) Project, which is a
collaboration with Hitchcock Center for Women (HCFW),
Famicos, and NEO Restoration Alliance. There is opportunity
in the development of a state of the art EMR, a collaboration
with Ex3, ORCA House and HCFW; and the generous support
of The Cleveland Foundation, Saint Luke’s Foundation and
O’Neill Foundation. We see potential in cooperating with
the hospital systems through Hospital Liaisons to ensure
patients have discharge plans and care is coordinated.
We find opportunities in our work with The Best Practices
in Schizophrenia Treatment (BeST) Center, Northeast Ohio
Medical University (NEOMED) and The Mt. Sinai Healthcare
Foundation to ensure that Cognitive Behavior Therapy for
Persistent Psychosis (CBT-p) is available to our patients.
There is possibility in the continued effort to provide AoD
services at all of our locations and continued work with Ohio
Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Coordinating Center
of Excellence (Ohio SAMI CCOE). We find opportunity in
our reaching out to Scranton Road Ministries to reach our
neighbors on the near west side. There is strength in our
advocacy and collaboration with National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI)-Greater Cleveland, The Mental Health &
Addiction Advocacy Coalition (MHAC), The Alcohol, Drug
Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board
of Cuyahoga County, and The Ohio Department of Mental
Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS).
community health through the delivery of a comprehensive,
cost effective, integrated system of behavioral health care
that promotes, in a culturally competent manner, wellness,
healing and quality of life.
Partnership is our mission. It is in the core of our values. We
have proven time and time again that together we can do
so much. We look forward to your continued support in the
months and years ahead.
Esther Pla, R.N., BC
President & CEO
Ethel Robitson
Board Chair
Connections: Health · Wellness · Advocacy is committed,
in a spirit of partnership, to enhancing individual and
Annual Report 2013 | 3
A Year in Review: Achievements
Liam Galla Spotlight
Urban Farming Comes to Connections!
Liam has been a consumer of mental health services for most
of his life. To him it seems as if he has always been struggling
with depression and anxiety. Hospitalized for the first time at
the age of 15, he quickly became accustomed to the stigma
attached to mental illness. Later in life he sustained two
major head injuries, one of which included brain damage and
broke his back and neck. As a result, he came to identify
himself by his mental and physical health issues. As a result,
others did as well.
This year, with the support of a generous grant from the ADAMHSBCC,
Connections began Urban Goodness, an urban gardening project
located in the City of Cleveland on the campus of the Hitchcock Center.
The project, a partnership with Hitchcock Center for Women, North East
Ohio Restoration Alliance and Famicos Foundation, is designed to serve
individuals with severe mental illness receiving services from Cuyahoga
County’s adult mental health treatment agencies. It provides a unique
opportunity to learn marketable job skills through the integration of handson farm-related activities into their individual treatment plans. Some of
the vocational skills that Urban Goodness participants gain include:
appropriate crop selection; plant propagation; recognition of plant pests
and weeds; use and maintenance of plant-growing structures; how to
market farm produce; farm tool maintenance and operation; and record keeping. Simultaneously, participating consumers have the
opportunity to work on the following mental health objectives: getting along with associates; being adaptable; listening well; analyzing
and assessing situations clearly and logically; and learning to be cooperative with and understanding of others.
Through personal dedication, and with the help and support
of Connections, he has learned to identify himself as a person
again. Liam claims Connections’ approach to mental health
is very different. He says: “Sometimes it just takes someone
treating you with respect to help overcome an obstacle and
this is exactly what they do.”
Through the Urban Garden program, Liam has done more
work than he has in the last seven years, giving him a sense
of purpose. Previous to finding the program, he complained
“I never really had the opportunity to be a part of something
like this, where the work is voluntary and it is acceptable, and
encouraged, to honestly state, ‘I am overwhelmed’ or whatever
else you may be feeling. It has been very personally validating.”
Liam states: “It was as though I was living in a fog. Through
case management and peer support the fog has lifted.”
4 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
Liam Galla
In the middle of the first growing season, Connections is happy to report that Urban Goodness is a big success! Under the leadership
of Mark Colella, a Connections Peer Support Specialist, Urban Goodness is flourishing. To date,
Urban Goodness has the following crops to market: parsley, sage; marjoram; lavender; basil;
kale; collard greens; sweet peppers; cabbage; eggplant; Swiss chard; tiny hot peppers; snap
beans; bush beans; radishes; zucchini; arugula; and turnip greens. In addition, over the next
few weeks, Urban Goodness will be ready to add corn, okra, cherry tomatoes, garlic and regular
chives, habañeros, tomatoes, onions, beets and yellow crookneck squash to its market list.
Keep an eye out for Urban Goodness in the years to come as it grows and expands to bring fresh
fruits and vegetables to the Greater Cleveland markets all year around.
Annual Report 2013 | 5
A Year in Review: Achievements
The First Annual Cuyahoga
County Mental Health
Summit
On Saturday, October 27, 2012, Connections, and partner
Signature Health, Inc. hosted the First Annual Cuyahoga
County Mental Health Summit at the Bertram Inn and
Conference Center in Aurora, Ohio. This event marked
Northeast Ohio’s first ever free public forum dedicated to
bringing together leading experts and authorities in the
mental health field to share their views and expertise in the
area of mental health treatment. Attendance at this inaugural
event was impressive. Over one hundred mental health
professionals, as well as consumers and family members,
gathered to attend lectures and presentations. Groundbreaking information was communicated on the latest mental
health prevention discoveries in the areas of schizophrenia,
bi-polar disorders (Types I and II), severe depression,
depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and PTSD.
Highlights from the day include talks delivered by area mental
health experts Dr. Fredrick Frese, III, Dr. Mark Munetz,
and Dr. Sylvester Smarty. These professionals provided
informative talks about the importance of mental health
prevention activities in the treatment of both youth and adults.
6 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
Adding to the excitement of the day were presentations from
two nationally renowned medical researchers, Dr. Kevin
Rosenblatt and Dr. Herbert Meltzer. Dr. Rosenblatt spoke
on the importance of the use of pharmacogenomics testing
in the treatment of patients diagnosed with mental illness.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Herbert Meltzer, provided great
insights into improved approaches to therapies for individuals
with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Rounding out the
day were updates from Yvonne Oliver, NE Ohio Advocacy
Coordinator for UHCAN, Tracy J. Plouck, Director of Ohio
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and
William Denihan, Director of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and
Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County. They
discussed relevant issues regarding mental health legislation
on the national, state and regional level respectively. Finally,
a truly memorable portion of the agenda was the opening and
closing of the day’s events by two consumers who eloquently
communicated their own life experiences of living with severe
mental illness.
Due to the success of the First Annual Cuyahoga County
Mental Health Summit, Connections and its partner Signature
Health, Inc. are in the process of planning the Second Annual
Cuyahoga County Mental Health Summit to be held on
Friday, October 11, 2013, at the newly renovated Cleveland
Convention Center.
Hospital Liaisons
When individuals come together, the results can be amazing. Our Hospital Liaisons collaborate with the various community
hospital systems to ensure comprehensive and immediate sharing of treatment information critical to effective care.
This year, Michele Javorek, LISW-S and Nadira Bartlebaugh, LSW were positioned as Agency clinicians embedded in Lutheran
Hospital’s Emergency Department and Inpatient Psychiatric Unit respectively to reduce unnecessary admissions, decrease
consumer length of stay and to provide point-of-admission discharge planning. Kristine Sovich, LSW and Maria Davidson, LSW
attend the weekly Discharge Planning Meeting at Northcoast Behavioral Health to ensure continuity of care and outpatient follow
up post discharge. Anne Donohoe-Safko, LSW and Kim Howell have collaborated with University Hospital Richmond and Geauga
locations and Windsor-Laurelwood Center for Behavioral Medicine. Natalie Wise, LISW-S represents Connections as one of only
two community behavioral health agencies on the Collaborative Treatment Plans Committee of the ADAMHS Board working with
the hospital systems and managed care organizations to coordinate care for patients identified with significantly high admissions
and complex needs.
We are grateful for our partnerships with The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, University Hospitals Health Systems, MetroHealth
Medical Center, Northcoast Behavioral Health, the Visiting Nurse Association and Windsor-Laurelwood Center for Behavioral
Medicine. Whenever possible, inpatient admission is avoided, but when necessary, the team works together to develop appropriate
discharge planning and follow up care to return our clients to stability and reduce the need for hospitalization.
Annual Report 2013 | 7
Programs and Services
Connections
Our commitment to enhancing individual and community
health through the delivery of a comprehensive, cost
effective and integrated system of behavioral health care is
evidenced through our programs and services. It is through
this system that Connections promotes wellness, healing
and quality of life. We currently serve just under 6,000
individuals of all diagnoses, across all ages in the lifespan
in numerous unique programs.Consumers of Connections
receive experienced, evidence based, and best practice
treatment, across several levels of outpatient care
customized to meet their unique needs. Our programs are
staffed with a multidisciplinary team of professionals who
provide a holistic and collaborative approach to care. Each
program offers the following core services: comprehensive
behavioral health assessment, community psychiatric
supportive treatment (CPST), counseling, peer support, and
pharmacological management.
improvement and maintenance of optimal personal, social
and community functioning of persons with severe and
persistent mental illness.
Comprehensive Assessment for all new referrals
and returning consumers includes financial information, a
medical/physical screen, psychosocial history, presenting
problems, treatment history, alcohol and drug history, and
provisional diagnosis.
Peer Support Services, conducted by staff members
who are in recovery themselves, bridge the gap between
traditional mental health services and areas critical to
recovery through self-help groups, peer mentoring and
peer advocacy.
Community Psychiatric Supportive Treatment
(CPST) includes a wide range of interventions with
consumers, families and caregivers that promote the
Geriatric Program provides individualized treatment for
older consumers with unique needs within the context of a
safe environment.
8 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
Behavioral Health Counseling Services offered on
an individual or group basis are designed to address a wide
range of psychiatric and emotional issues.
Pharmacological Management Services provide
comprehensive medical psychiatric management and
treatment of consumers by the collaborative treatment
team of professionals involved in an individual’s care.
Child & Adolescent Program assists children and
adolescents regain and/or develop the emotional wellbeing
and behavioral control necessary for successful school,
family and peer experiences.
Dual Diagnosis/IDDT Program recognizes the
special needs of the dually diagnosed adult challenged
with both chemical dependency and mental illness through
treatment that concurrently addresses consumers’ needs
to maintain abstinence from alcohol and other drugs and
stabilize mental illness.
Intensive Outpatient Behavioral Health provides a
higher intensity of treatment services for those individuals
living with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and
bipolar disorder who are seeking to reduce hospitalization.
Assertive Community Treatment Program is
Connections’ most intensive level of interdisciplinary
services and assists adults with severe and persistent
mental illness to live more successfully in the community,
reduce inpatient hospitalizations, better manage their
illness and promote an improved overall quality of life.
Services for Persons Who are Deaf & Hard
of Hearing treatment program for children, adults and
families who are deaf or hard of hearing provided by staff
proficient in American Sign Language.
Forensic Outpatient Behavioral Health coordinates
with the Mental Health Developmental Disability Court,
MHDD Probation, and the ODRC to ensure consumers with
criminal justice issues and Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective,
Bipolar and Major Depressive Disorders receive services
that address their unique needs.
Adult SMD provides a multidisciplinary approach to
helping adult consumers with severe mental illness
eliminate barriers to living independently, improve quality of
life, and reduce hospitalizations.
North Ridge Commons, in collaboration with Eden,
Inc., is based on the ‘Housing First’ model and designed
for homeless, older adults and seniors age 50 and over,
who have experienced severe and persistent mental health
disabilities and chronic homelessness.
Women’s Mental Health and Perinatal Clinic
provides care to both pregnant and postpartum women
who struggle with depression, anxiety, substance use, and
other mental health issues.
Home Choice program helps Medicaid eligible persons
of any age with the transition from long-term facility settings
to home and community settings by assisting individuals
locate housing and connecting them with other important
community resources (e.g., health care and personal
assistance).
Annual Report 2013 | 9
Summary Financial Statements
FY 2013
CONNECTIONS
SUMMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FY 2013
Revenues:
Medicaid
Medicare
Cuyahoga County
Pharmacy
Third Party and Self Pay
Contributuions and Grants
Other
TOTAL REVENUE
$5,610,865
$300,000
$2,365,371
$6,803,339
$148,785
$1,193,566
$323,675
$16,745,602
Wages, Taxes & Benefits
Contracted Services
Occupancy
Pharmaceuticals
Depreciation
Interest
Bad Debts
Other
TOTAL EXPENSES
$6,982,365
$1,603,062
$899,290
$5,402,848
$51,025
$5,544
$78,732
$808,986
$16,278,574
MEDICAID FY 2013
REVENUES:
MEDICAID
MEDICARE
CUYAHOGA COUNTY
PHARMACY
THIRD PARTY & SELF PAY
CONTRIBUTIONS & GRANTS
OTHER $ 5,610,865
$ 300,000
$ 2,365,371
$ 6,803,339
$ 148,785
$ 1,193,566
$ 323,675
TOTAL REVENUE
Expenses:
REVENUES MEDICARE CUYAHOGA COUNTY PHARMACY THIRD PARTY & SELF PAY CONTRIBUTIONS & GRANTS OTHER $ 16,745,602
EXPENSES EXPENSES:
WAGES, TAXES & BENEFITS
CONTRACTED SERVICES
OCCUPANCY
PHARMACEUTICALS
DEPRECIATION
INTEREST
BAD DEBTS
OTHER
$ 6,982,365
$ 1,603,062
$ 899,290
$ 5,402,848
$ 51,025
$ 5,544
$ 78,732
$ 808,986
Unaudited
TOTAL EXPENSES
$ 15,831,852
EXPENSES WAGES, TAXES & BENEFITS CONTRACTED SERVICES WAGES, TAXES & BENEFITS OCCUPANCY CONTRACTED SERVICES PHARMACEUTICALS OCCUPANCY DEPRECIATION PHARMACEUTICALS INTEREST DEPRECIATION BAD DEBTS INTEREST OTHER BAD DEBTS OTHER 10 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
Unaudited
Annual Report 2013 | 11
Donors
$250,000 and Above
Cleveland Foundation
$100,000 and Above
Saint Luke’s Foundation
Over $1,000
B & I Hotel Management
Cleveland Clinic
EX3
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Gustavo and Esther Pla
Dr. Rakesh Ranjan
William J. & Dorothy K. O’Neill
Foundation
Woodruff Foundation
$501 - $1,000
American Copier Solutions
Jay Brzoska
Donald Dalton
Groupon
Barbara Krasner
David M. Kribel
David Lasecki
Rochelle Lipson
MHS, Inc.
Ethel Robitson
Dr. Miriam & Melvin Rosenthal
William Stevens
Dr. Jackson & Molly Wright
12 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
$101 - $500
ADAMHS Board
Herburck Alder
Carolyn Watts Allen
Dr. Jaina Amin
Randy Bradford
Saroj Brar MD
Karen Butler
Dr. Katherine Clegg
Jonnie M Cooper
Thom Craig
David Crawford
David M. Dobranic
William Fikter
Carmel Fosh
Gallagher Benefit Service
Dr. Gretchen Gardner
Nathan R Giles
Dr. Manuel E. Gordillo
Dr. Eleanor J. Gottesman
Kathleen Gustafson
Ronald Harris
Shura Hegde
Ahmed Ibrahim
Deborah Johnson
Mark Johnson
KeyBank
Spence Kline
Marilyn Litvene
Jim & Sandy Kimble
Kurt Leeper
Ryan Marblestone
May Lee Building
Stephen Morse
Murtis Taylor
James Nagle
NAMI Greater Cleveland
Caren Nowak
Obiageli Oragwu
ORCA House
Miriam & Martin Plax
Dr. Elaine Psarras
Louis H Pumphrey
Robb F. Reinker
Charlotte Rerko
Charles & Maxine Rosenbaum
Ivette Ruch
Anne Safko
Donna Schmittgen
Allen Waddel
James & Judy Wolen
Zito Insurance Agency
Up to $100
Rashaba Abd-Fatir
Dr. Adityanjee
Charleen Allar
Lainie Allen
Anonymous
Rimvydas Augis
Nancy Bennett
Patricia Bennett
Dawn Bellis
Sue Boehringer
Adam Borland
Shelda Brantley
Hilary Brotzman
Joyce Browning
Buxton Roofing, LLC
Hope Callahan
Rachel Cole
Maria Davidson
Chasidy Dean
Jackie De French
Donna Ellison
Maria Foschia
Richard Foss
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Fuerst
Dorothea Galloway
Alyse Gerbick
Murray A. Goldstone, MD
Lauren Goodnow
Jodi Gump
Theresa Hagarman
Jennifer Harden
Lisa Hayes
Joseph Hengesbaugh
Earnese Hill
Hitchcock Center for Women
Betty Holdstein
Pamela Holmes
Linette Hoover
Kimberly Howell
Dazel Johnson
Susan Johnson
Kristal Kent
Hope Latiak
Norman S. Leavitt
Patricia Leebove
Jennifer Ludwig
Marsha A. Maire
Marilyn Marblestone
Margolius, Margolius LPA
Stacey Markovitz
Janet T. Matz
Marlinda McKeller
Susan McLaren
Melanie Muller
Dr. Sara Nagle-Yang
Jessica Pece
Latissha Perry
Gavin Plesic
Procomp Software
Tanisha Ramsey
Tyrone Robinson
Jerilyn Rogers
Roose & Ressler
Dr. Amal S. Rubai
Laura Scott
Erin Simonson
Jennifer Slattery
Steven Sosa
Joseph Steiner
Michele Sulak
Ann Sylvester
Linda Taylor
Dr. Eduardo Vazquez
James Vernon
Ada Vowell
Bridget Walker
Rochelle Walzman
Francses Watts
Myta Weisberg
Don Williams
Natalie Wise
Emily S. Yen
Thank you for your
commitment to Connections.
Annual Report 2013 | 13
Administration, Board of Trustees and Staff
Sylvester Smarty, MD
Fawzia Toor, MD
Eduardo Vasquez, MD
Program Directors
Executive Team: Mark Johnson, Gretchen
Gardner, M.D., Esther Pla, James Nagle
Administration
Esther Pla, RN, BC, President & CEO
James Nagle, MBA, Chief Financial Officer
Mark R. Johnson, LISW-S,
Chief Operating Officer
Gretchen Gardner, MD, Medical Director
Pamela L. Holmes, BS,
Business Operations Director
Jennifer Harden, MBA
Human Resources Director
Barbara Krasner, Ph.D., Development Manager
Ivette Ruch, Executive Assistant
Physicians/Advanced
Practice Nurses
Jaina Amin, MD
Jera Barrett, MD
Saroj Brar, MD
Elaine Campbell-Psarras, MD
Kathleen Clegg, MD
Gretchen Gardner, MD
Eleanor Gottesman, MD
Deborah Gould, MD
Grace Herwig, MSN, RN, CS, LCDCIII, MBA
Rim Ibrahim, MD
Sandra L. Kimble, CRNP
Linda Kimble, MSN, RN, CNP
Sunita Kumar, MD.
Sarah Nagle-Yang, MD
14 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
Suzanne Boehringer, PCC-S
Dorothea Galloway, LISW-S
Jan Matz, RN
Program Managers
Ronald E. Harris, LSW, LCDCIII
Angela Ivancic, LISW-S
Jennifer Ludwig, PCC-S
Ryan Marblestone, LISW-S
Rebecca Roberts-Martin, PhD, PCC-S
Natalie Wise, LISW-S
James D. Wolen, LISW-S
Admin Supervisors
Monica Letterman, LSW
Stacey Markovitz
Jill Martin
Latissha Perry
Nursing
Charleen Allar, RN
Kathy Bednar, RN
Maria Colon, LPN
Jonnie Mae Cooper, RN
Jodi Gump, LPN
Linda Hribar, RN
Diane O’Brien, RN
Ashley Ragland, RN
Michele Sulak, LPN
Linda Taylor, RN
Clinicians
Rimvydas Augis PhD
Adam Borland. PsyD
Brittany Carbaugh, MA
Ranada Cooper, LSW
Caroline Coreno, PCC
Octavia Durst, LISW-S
Judith Gogolen, PCC-S
Cassandra Goodman, LPCC
Kristin Hykes, PC-CR
Marilyn C. Litvene, LISW
Jane Martinez, LSW
Thomas McDonald, PCC-S
Caren Nowak, LISW-S
Shannan Pusateri, LSW
Lisa Rodgers, PCC-S
Jerilyn Rogers, LPC, LCDCIII
Kristine Sovich, MA, SWA, LPCC
Joseph Steiner, PhD, LISW-S
Ann Sylvester, LISW
Frances J. Watts, LISW
Roxana Yactayo, MSW, LSW
Client Rights Officer
James Vernon MPA, PCC-S
Home Choice
Joseph Hengesbaugh, LSW
Tyrone Robinson, LSW
Qualified Mental
Health Specialists
Rashaba Abd Fatir
Shelda Brantley
Hillary Brotzman, MSSA
Hope Callahan, LSW
Jerome Cash
Lashonda Chillous
Eric S. Chmielewski, MSSA, LSW
Olga Christou
Edith Davis
Sharisse Edwards, LPCC
Carmel Fosh, CDCA
Kamelah Ganaway
Alyse Gerbick
Erica Gibson-Cook
Theresa Hagarman
Calvin Hall
Monica Henderson
Earnese Hill
Kimberly Howell
Gohnnie Jackson
Sonja Johnson
Dazel Johnson
Anita Jones
Corinne Kacmarek
Kristal Kent
Bernardo Lee
Jesse Maddox
Katherine Martin
Anjelica Morris
Nathan Mosley, CDCA
Casey Nygord, LSW
Obiageli Oragwu, CDCA
Shanna Owensby
Mario Parrilla Rodriguez
Daniel Pastel
Tanisha Ramsey
Tamika Rhodes
Esther Sackey, LSW
Cynthia Schartman
Edward Settles
Sandra Simcox, CDCA
Ivy Stubbs
Mark C. Tandy
Tenesha Teasley
Ana Villalobos
Ann Marie Webster
Piccola Williams, LSW, CDCA
Ryan Zymler
Peer Support Specialists
Mark Colella
Richard Foss
Alberto Martir
Service Coordinator
Rita Robinson
Performance Improvement
Anne M. Donohoe-Safko, LSW
James Vernon, MPA, PCC-S
Access
Nadira Bartlebaugh, PC
Lily Cunningham, PC-CR
Maria Davidson, LSW
Linette Hoover
Michele Javorek, LPCC-S
Melanie Muller, LSW
Rachelle Spitz, LISW
Isis Torres
Rochelle Walzman, RN
Kathryn Webb, RN
Fiscal
Lainie Allen, CPC
Kathleen Gustafson, CPA
Linda J. Hite
Hildred Morris
Juanita Sefsic
IT
Randall Bradford
James Klann
Pharmacy
Medical Records
Sylvia Davis
Yvette Harris
Susan Johnson
Support Staff
Frances Byrd
Emilia Cruz-Rivera
Mary Dean
Donna Lynn Ellison
Lisa Hayes
Kathy Helton
Vernon E. Long
Marlinda McKellar
Board of Directors
Hinda T. Apple
Jeanette Brzoska, Vice Chair
Joanne E. Cooke
Donald S. Dalton, MBA
Giovanni DiLalla, Secretary
David M. Dobranic, BS
Ewald Horwath, M.D.
David M. Kribel, MA, PCC-S
David W. Lasecki, BA
Shelley Lipson, BA, CPA, Treasurer
Robb F. Reinker, J.D.
Ethel Robitson, MBA, Chair
Miriam B. Rosenthal, M.D.
William H. Stevens, BA
Molly Wright, MSW, LISW, CCM
Shanay Dixon
Shamyra Duncan
Arnnetta Garner
Ahmed Hossam Said Ibrahim, RPH
Donna Schmittgen, RPH
Shelley Spain, RPH
Chavauna Wallace
Annual Report 2013 | 15
Spotlight on Connections: SCALE Program
SCALE – Providing the Front Door for Cuyahoga County
The Screening, Centralized Assessment, Level of Care and Engagement (SCALE) Program was developed in 2010,
following our involvement in piloting centralized assessment with the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County. This
program has improved access to care for those without insurance and serves as a catalyst for continued transformation
of coordinated care.
As the lead SCALE agency, Connections provides a single point of entry across Cuyahoga County for six adult Providers,
while working in collaboration with many more. Our commitment to ensuring the quickest access to the behavioral health
system is exemplified by our collaboration with the ADAMHS Board for continuous quality improvement, as well as
ongoing communication with alcohol and drug addiction Providers, Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
In Calendar Year 2012, Connections’ staff completed 1,296 SCALE screenings as well as managing 152 referrals from
the State Hospital. 425 callers were deemed ineligible, but linked with appropriate care elsewhere. This represents an
estimated savings to the community behavioral health system of nearly $83,000. Additionally, at the average CY12
Non-Medicaid Consumer cost of $1,200, this represents a savings of over $500,000 in ongoing treatment costs for just
one year.
Efficiencies, such as centralized intake, were developed to include reduction of duplicated assessments. Savings to the
system will ultimately result in the ability to increase capacity in a very timely manner. These concepts have benefitted
all Connections clients, enabling same day access for care.
16 | Connections: Health • Wellness • Advocacy
Annual Report 2013 | 17