2004 News Stories

January

Healthy Families Indiana Becomes Recredentialed - January 2004

Prevent Child Abuse America - Healthy Families America Initiative, Chicago, Illinois

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Healthy Families Indiana (HFI) has recently been recredentialed by Prevent Child Abuse America/Healthy Families America as a multi-site system for four years. This achievement is effective through July 31, 2007. HFI’s central administration is recognized as providing administratively sound quality assurance, training and technical assistance, policies and evaluative support to the sites within its multi-site system. The 56 sites within the system are also recognized as providers of high quality home visitation services.

Hamilton Center, Inc. runs the Healthy Families program in Vigo, Sullivan and Vermillion Counties. The program, which serves approximately 700 families per year, provides child growth and development information for all families with new babies, and intensive home visiting services which are designed to enhance early childhood outcomes and prevent child abuse and neglect. Services focus on strengthening families through parent education, support and advocacy.

The credentialing process attests that sites within the HFI system have met nationally established, research-based standards, ensuring quality service delivery. It also verifies that HFI’s central administration body has met best practice standards related to system management and administration. The multi-site credentialing process is a two-part review. The first part of the review involves an in-depth examination of both the central administration’s and program sites’ operations. Both the central administration and eligible sites within the system complete a comprehensive self-assessment. The central administration’s self-assessment is based on how well it is ensuring the quality of the sites within its system through quality assurance, training, technical assistance, and evaluation of services. The sites’ self-assessment is based upon program implementation, including personnel, fiscal and program management. The second part of the process requires an on-site review based on the content of the completed self-assessment and is conducted by trained peer reviewers that are external to the state.

Prevent Child Abuse America was established in 1972 by Donna J. Stone for the purpose of building a nationwide commitment to prevent child abuse and neglect. The not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization is committed to preventing child abuse in all its forms through education, research, public awareness, and advocacy. The Health Families America (HFA) initiative was implemented in 1992 by Prevent Child Abuse America in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities, building on two decades of research in the field of home visitation. The HFA initiative promotes positive parenting, encourages child health and development, and seeks to prevent child abuse and neglect.

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February

Hamilton Center Inc. Builds New Vigo County Addiction Office - February 2004

Hamilton Center Inc. (HCI) has opened a 9,000 square foot building at 66 Wabash Court that will house Vigo County Addiction Services formerly located on Ohio Boulevard.

Construction cost for the building, located just west of city hall, was $950,000. Addiction Services will occupy half of the building and HCI will lease the other half. With additional offices and two large group rooms that can be divided, the building will allow the program to expand services. The general contractor was Earl Rodgers and Associates.

“We are so excited about the improved professional and therapeutic environment the new building provides our clients,” said Robe Fazekas, Director of Satellite Services for Hamilton Center.

“Vigo County has been very supportive of Hamilton Center through the years. Our investment in this project will reinforce our commitment to the community by allowing us to continue to expand services,” said Galen Goode, CEO.

Hamilton Center’s addiction program serves approximately 600 clients a year. Services include individual and group therapy, intensive outpatient services, and family support service. The program supervisor is Ed Ross. The staff also includes an addiction therapist, two addiction counselors, a case manager and an addiction technician. To contact Vigo County Addiction Services call 812-231-8171.

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September

Hamilton Center Annual Meeting & Hamilton Awards Dinner October 26, 2004

Hamilton Center Inc.'s Board of Directors announces their Annual Meeting and Hamilton Awards dinner Tuesday, Oct. 26, at Indiana State University’s Hulman Center, 200 North Eighth Street, Terre Haute.

Cocktails begin at 6:15 p.m. with dinner at 7:00 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling Hamilton Center at (812) 231-8317. The dinner is $20 per person.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a trained and published neuroanatomist, will give the keynote address. Dr. Taylor specializes in the postmortem study of the human brain.

Hamilton Awards will be presented to businesses, organizations, and individuals that have significantly contributed to the cause of mental health and/or care of persons with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities or substance abuse problems. An award also will be given to a Hamilton Center staff member who has demonstrated a personal commitment to the cause of behavioral health and advanced the mission of Hamilton Center through service above and beyond the normal duties of his/her position.

For further information, call (812) 231-8317.

Community/Volunteer Award Nominees
Blaine Akers, Clay County
David Bolk, Vigo County
Mary Brown, Vigo County
Bernard Burns, Vigo County
Family Life Center, Greene County
Robbe Chrisman, Vigo County
Michael Furnish, Marion County
Greenhouse & Associates, Marion County
Wanda Johnson, Clay County
Bethany Karanovich, Vermillion County
Shelia Kirkman, Clay County
Don Lingren, Marion County
Robyn Lugar, Vigo County
Mental Health Association in Vigo County
Office of Family and Children, Vermillion County
Parke County Local Coordinating Council
Partner In Care, Hendricks County
Plainfield Christian Church Children’s Department, Hendricks County
Marcia Taylor, Monroe County
Terre Haute First Congregational Church
Michael Urban, Vigo County
Emma Van Hoy, Morgan County
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility – Residential Treatment Unit, Sullivan County
Karla West, Vigo County
Marjorie Whitesell, Vigo County
Anthony Yazge, Vigo County

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October

Hamilton Awards Presented Six Awards Presented at Annual Dinner of the Board of Directors

Hamilton Center, Inc. is pleased to announce the recipients of this year's Hamilton Awards. The awards were presented on October 26, 2004 at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors at Hulman Center, Terre Haute, IN. Officers of the Board presented the awards. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor was the key note speaker. Dr. Taylor is a scientist, a scholar, an orator, and a truly remarkable educator who has traveled to the heart of darkness through her own neurobiological illness and brought back a message of hope, compassion and insight.

Hamilton Awards, which are selected by the Executive Committee of Hamilton Center’s Board of Directors, are presented annually. Winners have significantly contributed to the cause of mental health and/or the care of people with mental illnesses, addiction problems, or developmental disabilities. Hamilton Awards have been presented annually since 1981 and are named in honor of Katherine Hamilton, a woman who was devoted to the cause of mental health and improving the care of those in need.

Community Award winners:

The first Community Award was presented to Mr. Bernie Burns, Director of the Vigo County Alcohol and Drug Program. Burns has been on the forefront of the movement to help our community recognize that those addicted to drugs and alcohol need treatment. He works to insure that incarceration is the last option, not the first. He is involved in a number of community programs including the Local Coordinating Council for a Drug Free Community, in which he facilitated the development of the program and has served as President, Treasurer, and Executive Committee member and continues to act as liaison with the County Council. In addition, he has served on the United Way Compass II committee, the Suicide Prevention committee, the Office of Family and Children’s Juvenile meth task force, the Jail Treatment Program committee, and the Sheriff’s task force on jail overcrowding.

The second Community Award was presented to the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility’s Residential Treatment Unit of Sullivan County. This program was established in 1998 to meet the needs of high-security inmates who have serious and persistent mental illnesses that preclude successful placement in a general prison setting. The program has three goals. The first is to help the offenders achieve a level of stability that would allow them to return to the general prison population. The second is to identify offenders whose placements in segregation has been caused by their behavioral health problem. And lastly, the program facilitates the smooth transition home or to other community settings such as the State Hospital upon release from the prison system.

Volunteer Award winners:

The first Volunteer Award went to The Honorable Blaine Akers, Clay County Superior Court. Judge Akers has implemented many changes in the judicial system to try and combat the use and abuse of methamphetamine in Clay County. He has volunteered to educate youth, created a mock trail during Red Ribbon week, and has secured financial donations from businesses to fund Red Ribbon Week activities. In addition, he has been very vocal in making changes to the Local Coordinating Council (LCC) to make it a more viable change agent in battling the meth and other drug problems in the community. Judge Akers is known for his ability to work collaboratively with mental health providers in his county to address drug issues.

The second winner of a Volunteer Award was The Honorable David Bolk, Vigo County Superior Court. Judge Bolk is the current President of the Vigo County Mental Health Association and was instrumental in the creation of the Junior Mental Health Association, serving as the first chairperson of the Adult Advisory Committee. This valuable community program serves hundreds of middle and high school student each year. In addition, Judge Bolk helped to create the local PAIR program, a diversion program for individuals who have entered the court system because of their serious mental illness. This program has been very successful and has helped many people receive mental health treatment and successfully live in the community.

Staff Award winners:

The first staff award went to Kathy Ocampo, PhD, HSPP, Program Manager of Hamilton Center’s Clay County Satellite Office. She began her career with the organization nine years ago as a psychologist working with children, adults and families. She is described by her staff as a selfless supervisor who provides balance between providing compassionate, quality care to clients and fulfilling the needs of her staff. She also serves on many Hamilton Center and community committees including: Family Preservation and Support, Wraparound, First Step/Step Ahead Council, Hamilton Center’s intern training committee and the Local Coordinating Council.

The second staff award went to Cynthia Sartor, PhD, LCSW, Associate Director of Client Support Services. Dr. Sartor began her career with Hamilton Center in 1985 as the Program Coordinator for the Sullivan County Satellite Office. She later moved to Vigo County working as a social worker and was later promoted to a Program Manager. In 1999 she became the Director of Client Support Services, a program that works with people with serious mental illnesses or those in need of longer term care. In 2004, Dr. Sartor was promoted to her current position as Associate Director.
Dr. Sartor has devoted her career to helping people with serious mental illnesses improve their quality of life and was instrumental in the development of progressive programs at Hamilton Center such as Assertive Community Treatment, Partial Hospitalization and most recently the Lange apartments. In addition, she is a strong leader and mentor to many as she supervises a program of close to 250 staff in Parke, Vigo and Marion counties.

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