Fall 2017 Newsletter

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Wellspring Administrative Center 225 W. Breckinridge Street Telephone: (502) 637-4361 Fax: (502) 637-4490

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Louisville, KY Permit No. 1105

www.wellspringky.org Officers and Directors

Dawn Croft, Chair Alan MacDonald, Vice Chair Steve Kerrick, Treasurer Meredith Brown, Secretary Rolandas Byrd Paul Coomes Rif El-Mallakh, M.D. Rich Freeman Gregory E. Mayes, Jr. Cissy Mills Margaret Pennington George W. Rapp, Jr. Carrie Schanie Curtiss Scott John “Jack” Trawick Elmore A. “Ack” Willets, III Jefferey M. Yussman

Honorary Lifetime Members

Nancy B. Bell (1923 - 2016) Bernard F. Block Barry Bingham, Sr. (1906 - 1988) Roberta Fischer Rev. Richard H. Humke Clifford C. Kuhn, M.D. Malcolm R. Mathews, Jr. (1922 - 2013) Cornelia A. Serpell (1917 - 2011) Jackie Swigart, Ph.D. Bosworth M. Todd, Jr.

Founding Board Chair

Philip P. Ardery (1914 - 2012)

Management Team

Katharine R. Dobbins, LCSW Chief Executive Officer kathy.dobbins@wellspringky.org T. Patrick Rhodes, LCSW Director of Programs patrick.rhodes@wellspringky.org Nancy L. Doctor Development Director nancy.doctor@wellspringky.org Marsha Wilson Quality Improvement Director marsha.wilson@wellspringky.org

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235 YE AR S

P.O. Box 1927 Louisville, KY 40201-1927

www.wellspringky.org

Our Mission: Wellspring promotes mental health recovery and supports individuals

in building healthy and hopeful lives through behavioral health, housing and employment services.

Wellspring Holiday Gift Card Program

You may be thinking about autumn leaves, pumpkin spice lattes and hayrides, but Wellspring’s busy gearing up for our annual Client Holiday Gift Program! This year, instead of an “Adopt a Client” approach, we’re doing a Gift Card Drive. Our Client Support Staff have explained that this approach will help our clients learn the life skills they will need to learn to live independently, and still add a special touch to the holidays.

Our goal is to collect 125 gift cards from each of the following stores: Target, Walmart, Kroger and Walgreens - 500 cards in all. We’d like an assortment of cards in $5, $10 and $15 denominations to help us show all of our clients that there are people who care about them during the holidays. Will you help us meet our goal? To make it easy, you can drop off your donations at our offices at 225 W. Breckinridge St. from 9:00 to 5:00, Mon - Fri. Even easier – just mail them to us at Wellspring, P.O. Box 1927, Louisville, KY 40201-1927.

We want to have all the gift cards in-hand by November 27th so we can have them ready for our client holiday party – which the wonderful Texas Roadhouse Legal Department folks are hosting this year! Thanks to the volunteers from Texas Roadhouse, clients will be treated to a catered lunch, and lots of activities in a festive setting. For so many of our clients, these gifts and this celebration will be their only holiday experience this year - so they’re already full of anticipation! Please help us make it a success by adding a gift card to your shopping list it will mean the world to our clients! www.wellspringky.org

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Fall 2017

Humana Foundation Funds Wellspring - Louisville EMS Collaboration

Wellspring Earns CARF Accreditation

Over 1,000 times a year Louisville EMS transports people to area hospitals for issues that end up being the result of unmet mental health needs rather than true physical health emergencies. EMS records show that just a small group of “familiar faces,” as they call them, is responsible for 75-100 of these EMS runs per month.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that Wellspring has received a Three-Year Accreditation from CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities,” announces Wellspring CEO, Kathy Dobbins. “This is the highest level of accreditation CARF awards; it affirms Wellspring’s commitment to excellence in our services and overall agency operations.”

But soon, thanks to a Humana Foundation grant, Wellspring and Louisville EMS will be teaming up to reduce unnecessary hospital runs by instead diverting patients to appropriate outpatient providers who can help address unresolved mental health matters and arrange alternatives for physical health needs that do not require an ER. This pilot project will: • Provide professional training to EMS staff to help them better identify potential solutions when called to homes of adults struggling with mental health issues.

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Programs Recognized as Strong & Stable

The accreditation covers Wellspring’s Crisis Stabilization Program, Case Management, Community Housing and Outpatient Treatment services.

“CARF’s report shows that individuals surveyed were extremely grateful for the care and support they received. A couple of clients stated Wellspring’s services had actually saved their lives,” adds Dawn Croft, Wellspring’s Board Chair.

Highlights of the survey report include: All staff members are extremely competent and caring, and are highly regarded by persons served.

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We asked, and you responded! We are overwhelmed

with the outcome of Give For Good Louisville and so GRATEFUL for every one of our 104 donors!!! Together we raised $33,649 including bonus funds from the Community Foundation of Louisville! We also received $100 as a prize from Delta Dental of Kentucky for our Making Smiles Happen video! Find the video on our Facebook page or our website.

Thank you for your donations, caring and compassion!!!

crisis stabilization services | supportive housing | case management services | outpatient services | supported employment

CARF continued

Humana continued • Divert patients to a Wellspring Crisis Stabilization Unit or other community-based provider, allowing them to avoid the stress of multi-hour emergency room experiences.

• Allow EMS to focus on true physical health crises by reducing unnecessary ambulance transports.

• Save the community thousands of dollars by reducing patients’ inappropriate dependence on EMS and reducing costly emergency room care.

The agency has consistently demonstrated outstanding effective outcomes, which is a tribute to the organization and its staff.

Wellspring has beautiful properties for its residential, crisis stabilization, and outpatient programs; sites are wellmaintained and attractive inside.

“For over 35 years, Wellspring’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the individuals we serve have been widely recognized,” Kathy Dobbins points out. “This outside, objective credential strengthens our position as we face the challenging reimbursement landscape and other uncertainties of providing mental health services to adults in the community.”

Wellspring and Louisville EMS are in the midst of finalizing the implementation timeline; services will be implemented by year’s end.

Wellspring’s Patrick Rhodes and EMS’ Lt. Col. Lee Dennison will head the project.

From Just an Apartment - to Home Sweet Home Clients had quite the selection to choose from at our annual Home Goods Sale! Imagine the thrill of shopping where everything costs just a quarter - regardless of the original price! Many thanks to Two Chicks and Co. for donating a bounty of jewelry, art, lamps and decorative home accessories left over from their annual “Barn Yard Sale”. One client said as she departed, “Now my place is going to be a real home. And all with stuff I got to buy for myself!” Special thanks to Spalding University for hosting the event and to the many volunteers who helped make it a very special day.

Creative Writing Workshops Empower Healing & Growth This summer, Journey Program clients created a beautiful and inspiring poetry anthology, “I Awoke in the Sky,” thanks to a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

In coordination with Sarabande Books, participants met with creative writer, Kristen Miller, for six weekly workshops focused on writing, reading and communication skills tailored to the clients’ specific needs and interests. The workshops provided a setting where clients who have severe and persistent mental illness learned a safe way to share life experiences and express both fears and joys. Via therapeutic use of the written word, they built selfesteem, learned communication skills and moved along the path to recovery.

The culmination of the workshops was a public reading of the anthology at Fante’s Coffee. Attired in outfits they shopped for, courtesy of the NCJW’s Nearly New Shop, the participants read to a packed house! It was an inspirational evening, which gave proof to the healing potential of therapeutic art.

A Tribute in Memory of Robert Louis Brodbeck, Wellspring COO Wellspring suffered a terrible loss with the sudden death of our COO Bob Brodbeck on October 4, 2017. Bob was truly committed to Wellspring’s mission, staff and clients. He was a big part of this organization; his presence permeated the agency. Whatever the project, Bob was always willing to help “git ‘er done” – often suggesting creative solutions that brought humor to even the most daunting situations.

Bob developed regular Monday morning Leadership and Quality Training sessions for his team as a way to encourage and enable them to constantly look for ways to improve themselves and their job performance. His philosophy was that everyone can be a leader, regardless of their role or title.

In addition to his role at Wellspring, Bob was pastor at Kentuckiana Dream Center and a proud Navy veteran. A deeply committed family man, Bob often shared stories about his wife, Diane, and his children and grandchildren - we’ll miss the photos and artwork that enlivened his office walls. The “goat tales” he loved sharing will never be forgotten.

The trials and tributlations that “Abby” and “Boaz” brought to Bob’s life made for some hilarious stories that brightened many a day here at Wellspring.

Volunteers Prove Many Hands Make Light Work “Those folks really know how to cook,” exclaimed Rachel. “The potluck was a really special treat!”

As part of observance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America “God’s work - Our hands” Sunday, a team from Louisville’s Third Lutheran Church shared the love with Wellspring’s Concord Apartment’s tenants.

In addition to providing a wonderful meal, a dozen volunteers worked nearly 40 hours scrubbing, cleaning, and polishing every surface they could reach.

“By the time they left, everything smelled so fresh and clean – like a new place,” shares Karen, a member of Wellspring’s Consumer Advisory Council. “We really appreciate all their effort!”

Bob was so much more than just our COO - he was a friend, a confidant, a mentor and a coach - and he will be deeply missed by all those whose lives he touched.

Wellspring Walks for NAMI-Louisville A team of over 30 Wellspring Walkers joined NAMI-Louisville’s annual awareness walk to help end the stigma associated with mental illness, and increase awareness and support and for mental health recovery.

Whether it’s a parent, sibling, co-worker or friend, you know somebody who is living with or impacted by mental illness. NAMI offers a variety of resources and a wealth of information about mental illness that can help.

Visit namilouisville.org for current programs and services.

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To make a gift: visit our website at www.wellspringky.org - OR - write a check and mail it to Wellspring, PO Box 1927, Louisville, KY 40201 - OR - call 502-753-1457 and let us help you make a donation via credit card. - 3 -