Facilities Update:
Crucial Workspace for Crisis Services Crisis Services will soon have its own home, in the space at 230 North Main Street in Rutland City vacated by InterAge Adult Day Program. It’s a silver lining in the cloud of this pandemic-related closure. “The loss of InterAge was an unfortunate casualty of Covid-19,” says Chief Financial Officer Jim DiCosimo. “You can’t provide in-person services to seniors and high-risk individuals during a pandemic. When the decision was made to close permanently, we started looking around at the best use of the space.” “When one door closes, another one opens,” says Chief Services Officer Laura Kass. “We’re very sad that the agency had to close InterAge – it was a wonderful, wonderful program. On the bright side, Crisis Services has never had its own home. They have always been bounced around from room to room and have had to look for space. Base camp for them has always been the hospital’s Emergency Room, and that has been upended by COVID. This was an opportunity for the team to come together under one roof.”
with four hotline desks with phones, a larger space to do assessments for kids and families, two smaller offices and a director’s office. There will also be ample space to conduct groups, for that time in the future when in-person groups are allowed again. The location on the main bus line will make it easy for people in the community to access. “Right now, everyone is so separated,” says Kass. “When someone answers the hotline, that person has to call for help or support. The support that we will now be able to give each other, that will help with morale and team building. I couldn’t be more excited about this.” The transition to centralized emergency services comes just as pandemic-related crisis calls are on the rise. “We’re seeing people we haven’t seen before, and they are dealing with isolation, depression and other trauma. We’re also seeing more children. With schools being so disrupted, it’s been a real challenge for children and families.” Renovations are scheduled to begin in December, with hopes of an early 2021 move-in date.
The Crisis Services team consists of clinicians, case managers, peer support and crisis hotline staff. Their new workspace will be configured
CRISIS SERVICES MOVING TO 230 NORTH MAIN STREET IN 2021
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2020 ANNUAL REPORT
Community Care Network | rmhsccn.org
