"Sharing Success" Stories
"SHARING SUCCESS"
The Department of Mental Health is sharing the many success stories of its clients and consumers from across all the divisions. Many receiving mental health services in Missouri have made great strides to not only make life better for themselves, but their accomplishments help make a difference for others around the state.
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Jane
Jane is a young lady who makes people smile. Jane lives in Kansas City in a group home owned by the Center for Developmental Disabilities (CDD). She has been there for more than six years and is described as having many wonderful talents. Jane works very hard to use those talents creating items to make others happy. Jane loves to knit, even though she is limited by her ability to use only her right hand. She has made numerous scarves, hats, and her favorite - baby socks, plus much more.
Not only does Jane make beautiful knitted creations, but she holds classes for other residents at the CDD so they can learn how to knit. It has always been Jane’s dream to teach and she is finally seeing that dream come true. She also takes additional classes in the community to acquire more knowledge about knitting as well as learn to draw and paint.
Everyone who knows or works with Jane describes her as a caring and loving person. She recently used her own money to purchase supplies for her knitting class at the CDD. She wants all her students to be successful and make what they want. Jane’s peers are incredibly proud of her and love to see her soaring to new heights. She is a wonderful example to all of us.
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James
When you meet James today, he is a very different man than he was several years ago. James first began to notice symptoms of his mental illness when he was a child, but he never told anyone about it. He seemed to be able to manage the symptoms, which included hearing voices, until he became a teenager. Then James turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. Using many kinds of substances led James down a dark path for a long time. James became hurtful to his family, physically and emotionally.
After years of continued substance abuse and failure to get the help he needed for his schizophrenia, James hit bottom when he became dangerous to his family and himself. James’ mother stepped in and he was admitted into a secure mental health facility. There he began receiving treatment for his mental illness and became sober. He decided this would be a turning point in his life.
James stepped down from a maximum to intermediate security area, and then into minimum security. He continued to work hard, take his proper medications and fully participate in all his classes and groups. After a few years James was granted an unconditional release and he eventually earned custody of his kids. James has been free for more than two years and out of the hospital more than 7 years. He takes his medications so he no longer hears voices and he no longer has urges for harmful behavior.
James feels as though he can hold his head high today. He feels respected and remains involved in the Family Counseling Center clubhouse in Kennett where he serves on two committees, helping those who are struggling with drugs and alcohol as well as mental illness, just as he did. James takes great pride in his recovery efforts and enjoys being a mentor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Chantelle
Turning one’s life around is never easy, and assistance with making life-changing decisions through the Department of Mental Health system can come in many forms. For Chantelle, the key to reversing her struggle came in the form of the Comprehensive Substance Treatment and Rehabilitation (CSTAR) program.
When Chantelle entered the adult CSTAR treatment program operated by Preferred Family Healthcare in 2011, she was admitted on a furlough from jail pending charges for manufacturing methamphetamine. She had just been evicted from her apartment, was unemployed, pregnant, and dealing with a custody case regarding her oldest child. Despite all these obstacles, Chantelle never gave up. During her stay in treatment, she was able to get food and housing assistance, enroll in drug court and attend as many AA meetings as she could. During outpatient treatment, Chantelle continued to be up-beat and focus on her long term goals of having her family under one roof, getting a new job and remaining drug-free.
Chantelle had her baby in January of 2012 and today has continued to be successful in her recovery with the help of the community support staff at Preferred Family Healthcare. She has held a satisfying job in Kirksville for nearly a year; she has full custody of her children; she successfully completed treatment; and is setting new goals for her ongoing recovery. Someday Chantelle hopes she can become a counselor so she can give someone else the kind of help she received.
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Michelle
This is the success story of Michelle. Not long ago, Michelle, 33, was living in a nursing home. She spent her days between a wheelchair and her bed, with little communication and interaction with her surroundings. A DMH service coordinator from the Sikeston Regional Office connected with Michelle and realized immediately that the nursing home was not an appropriate living environment for her. The service coordinator talked with the guardian and was able to move Michelle into an Individualized Supported Living (ISL) arrangement using the Money Follows the Person funding program. That is where Michelle’s success began.
“When I first met Michelle she was a year younger than me and I couldn’t imagine living in a nursing home at that point in my life,” said Lori Copeland, service coordinator.
The Money Follows the Person program allowed the funding that had been paying for Michelle’s nursing home care to be used to support her in the community. Today she is doing very well in her new surroundings. She seldom needs the wheelchair anymore, except when she goes places that requires extended walking. She carries on conversations now and expresses her wants and needs. She talks and smiles as never before. Thanks to alert and compassionate service coordinators at Alternative Opportunities in Sikeston, Michelle was given the opportunity to begin again and live her life to her fullest potential. And that is a success story worth sharing.