Category: Hamilton Center, Inc. News

Each year, Hamilton Center, honors the achievements of businesses and individuals in the community that have contributed significantly to the cause of mental health/addiction. The awards are named in honor of Katherine Hamilton, a woman devoted to helping the cause by improving care for those in need. Awards were given at Hamilton Center’s Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, October 25, 2016 at 6:30 pm.  Those receiving recognition for the awards included:

Community award (individual) – Honorable John T. Roach, Judge Superior Court #1 for bringing the veteran’s court to Vigo County

Community award (business) – Save A Lot for the store’s friendliness, patience and helpfulness to clients shopping in the store

Volunteer award – Cindy Martin for her philanthropy and her courage to combat stigma by

sharing her personal story of recovery

Hamilton Center Staff Award – Jamie Totten, RN for her positive attitude and willingness to address client needs -days, nights, and weekends

The event was held in Hulman Center with over 400 guests attending.  Also included was Hamilton Center’s 3^rd annual art exhibition with the theme “Life is for Real. You are not Alone.” Close to 100 entries were received from all 10 counties served by Hamilton Center. All submissions were on display at the event and winners were invited to attend.

The prize art winners included:

Adult Poetry – Marcia Cheatham, Vigo County

Middle/High School Poetry – Blaine Krantz, Mclean High School, Vigo County

Adult Photography – Teresa Dwyer, Vigo County

Middle/High School Photography – Lauren Barnette, North Vermillion High School, Vermillion County

Adult Artwork – Larry Jones, Vigo County

Middle/High School Artwork – Najah Britton, Warren Central High School, Marion County

Lastly, keynote speaker, Kevin Hines, suicide survivor and mental health advocate, spoke about his journey to recovery from mental illness. Hines currently uses his story to help individuals foster a “bridge of hope” between life and death for those who are caught in the pain of living with serious mental illness. Hines spreads the message of living mentally healthy around the world. He is the recipient of the Clifford W. Beers Award for improving the lives of and attitudes toward people with mental illness, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Behavioral Health. In 2013, Hines released a best-selling memoir, Cracked not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt, and he is currently producing a documentary entitled Suicide: The Ripple Effect.

During the Point in Time homeless count on January 28^th, 2016, Katherine Korak-Hutchens, a 5^th grader at Ouabache Elementary School, decided she wanted to help others less fortunate than her.  Katherine wanted to have a clothing drive to benefit all ages of those in need.

In collaboration with her mother, Dr. Jennifer Hutchens, Clinical Supervisor, Hamilton Center, her principal, Dr. Susan Cobb, Oubache Elementary, and Melvin L. Burks, CEO, Hamilton Center, Katherine’s Drive, Spring Cleaning with Meaning, has taken the form of a competition between Ouabache Elementary School and Hamilton Center.

The two sites will have one month to collect clothing, shoes, and coats to benefit those in need.  The winner will have “bragging rights” for the next year.  Additionally, the top three classes that collect the most items will win a pizza party.

Katherine is hopeful this will be an annual drive. “These people are very humble and grateful that others care about them. They try very hard to survive during the winter season and try to keep their families warm,” she said.

Katherine requests if you have any clothes that do not fit please send them to Ouabache Elementary School or Hamilton Center. The dates of the drive are April 15^th to May 15^th.

Hamilton Center, Inc. is a regional behavioral health system serving central and west central Indiana.  Offices are located in ten Indiana counties with the corporate office in Terre Haute.  Hamilton Center serves people during their entire life cycle, birth through older adulthood with programs specifically designed for young children, adolescents, adults and families.

It started out as a blank wall in Hamilton Center’s Child and Adolescent Services building. Nothing much to look at except an expanse of standard neutral color not unlike any other office hallway. The children who are provided services in this building needed it to be more. With the help of Clinical Supervisor, Missy Burton, and Program Manager, Anastasia Godsey, the children were able to create “Handprints for Hope.”

The hallway is adorned with the inspirational quote “you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and more loved than you know.” In addition to the quote, are colorful handprints belonging to the children. Four children participated in placing the first official handprints displaying primary and pastel colors to brighten the space. The “Handprints for Hope” are expected to cover the entirety of the hallway as children share their hope for mental health and awareness.

Burton said she wants the children to use the wall to leave a lasting impression. “Leaving their mark, it’s their ownership. That’s what I want the project to be,” Burton said.

The meaning behind the handprints is to show the individual’s journey and travels as they move forward in their recovery.

“Each child has made a lasting impact on each of us and will have the opportunity to leave their mark on Hamilton Center,” said Godsey.

The wall is just the beginning of youth taking a stand for mental health. Hamilton Center will kick off Youth Mental Health Awareness Month with a free event in May. The event is themed with the pop hit, “Fight Song.” There will be free food and drinks as well as live entertainment.

Hamilton Center, Inc. is a regional behavioral health system serving central and west central Indiana.  Offices are located in ten Indiana counties with the Corporate Office in Terre Haute.  Hamilton Center serves people during their entire life cycle, birth through older adulthood, with programs specifically designed for young children, adolescents, adults and families.

For more information about the event, or Hamilton Center please visit the website at hamiltoncenter.org. or call 800.742.0787

Hamilton Center Early Head Start Child Care has achieved a Level 3 rating in Paths to QUALITY™. Paths to QUALITY is Indiana’s quality rating and improvement system for child care programs. It is a consistent set of standards to help parents identify licensed child care centers, licensed family child care homes, and unlicensed registered ministries that have met state requirements for health and safety.

 

Anita Lascelles, Program Director of the Early Head Start, explained what this will mean for the children under her/their care. “This is one more step we are taking to show the community the quality of our Early Head Start child care.” Materials were added to the classrooms to improve the environment for the children and classroom information was organized to better share with parents and visitors.  Paths to QUALITY helped staff think about the importance of what they do every day.”

 

Paths to QUALITY is a voluntary statewide system created to improve the quality of child care and early education for children. It gives all families a tool to find the best quality program for their needs, and supports and recognizes providers on a four-level rating system. The system has been studied and validated by the Child Development and Family Studies experts at Purdue University.

 

 

Early Head Start is a federally funded program for children, birth to 3 and pregnant women who live in Vigo County.  The program is designed to provide early support to families of infants and toddlers, support which will enhance the child’s development through healthy beginnings and the continuity of responsive and caring relationships. Families seeking enrollment must meet federal guidelines and may enrolled when the mother is pregnant or the child is between birth and 30 months of age. Early Head Start services are voluntary and provided at no cost to families through funding from the Office of Head Start U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration.  Early Head Start offers a variety of activities for children and parents in both the home and community.  Hamilton Center Early Head Start has been providing services to young children in Vigo County for more than 20 years.  The program opened the child care center for the Early Head Start in August 2015.  The Early Head Start has a total enrollment of eighty, although only 24 children are served through the child care center.            

Hamilton Center, Inc. is a regional behavioral health system serving central and west central Indiana.  The organization provides mental health, addiction and employment services to 13,000 consumers a year in a 10 county area. In addition to these services, Hamilton Center provides a large volume of case management and other services designed to help consumers develop the skills they need to live as independently as they can in their homes.

The Board of Directors of the Hamilton Center Foundation recently presented $50,000 to the Hamilton Center Board of Directors. This distribution represents the first grant to Hamilton Center since the creation of the Hamilton Center Foundation. This money will be used for critical and/or emergent needs of Hamilton Center clients where no other funding can be obtained.

The distribution of funds was met with anticipation and excitement as it was the culmination of many years of work to get the Foundation up and running.  The Foundation Board began meeting in 2011.  The organization’s tax exempt status was received January 2014 but made retroactive to 2012.

The mission of the Foundation is to strengthen the community by providing consistent and lasting support to Hamilton Center, as it provides the highest quality behavioral healthcare and wellness services in Indiana.

“Many people have worked very hard to make this organization a reality,” said Margie Anshutz, the Foundation’s President/CEO, “In addition to many others, the Hamilton Center Board of Directors championed this initiative to give it the seed money and kick start that it needed.”

The donated money was split and distributed to each of Hamilton Center’s satellite locations and several programs.

“The staff of the Hamilton Center county offices were excited and enthusiastic when I passed on the announcement that resources have been made available by the Hamilton Center Foundation to serve some of the needs we so often encounter, but feel powerless to address,” said William Herrington, Program Manager of Hamilton Center’s Greene County offices, “The teams in Linton and Bloomfield have already begun to make recommendations on ways in which we can use this funding. This grant has generated hope among the staff. I suspect it will greatly aid us in bringing hope to those we serve.”

“It is our vision that in the future, the Foundation can provide significant resources to fund services at Hamilton Center,” said Bob Rhodes, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.  “This is only the beginning of what we can do once people understand how important the organization is to this community.”

For more information on the Hamilton Center Foundation or to make a donation, visit www.hamiltoncenterfoundation.org.

The Wabash Valley Community Foundation awarded Hamilton Center $1,500 to implement the Incredible Years. The proceeds will be used to promote proactive parenting skills through education and proven practices.

The Incredible Years is a program dedicated to building parent competencies and promoting parent involvement. Parent groups are set up in 12-20 group sessions conducted weekly for up to 3 hours. Group sessions emphasize: strengthening parent-child interactions, nurturing relationships, reducing harsh discipline, and fostering parents’ ability to promote children’s social, emotional, and language development. The program includes interaction with parents through open discussions, brainstorming and values exercises, role play, and activities to use in the home.

Dr. Jennifer Hutchens, Clinical Supervisor at Hamilton Center, assisted in implementing the Incredible Years and aids to monitor continued progress and referrals.

“This program is different than previous parenting programs implemented.  This program is a strength based program, teaching parents how to strengthen attachment and praise with their children first.  Research shows beginning with praise and attachment will improve children’s behavior by 70% alone.  By focusing on strengths, negative interactions are fewer between parents and children.  Parents who have completed the program have raved about its success, and we look forward to offering to more parents throughout the counties we serve,” said Hutchens.

Hamilton Center exists to provide quality behavioral healthcare, wellness and human development services to the community. The vision of the organization is to advance excellence in behavioral health services through compassion, customer responsiveness, innovation and flexibility.

The Hamilton Center Foundation Board of Directors presented $50,000 to the Hamilton Center Board of Directors at a breakfast reception. The distribution represents the first grant to Hamilton Center since the organization’s inception.  The money will be used for critical and/or emergent needs of Hamilton Center clients where no other funding can be obtained.

Included in Hamilton Center’s mission is to assist consumers in living fully and integrating in the community which goes well beyond traditional mental health services,” said Melvin L. Burks, CEO of Hamilton Center Inc.  “It is not uncommon for a client to need help with expenses for setting up his/her apartment, transportation to appointments and other critical items and services to insure he/she is successful in living in the community,” he said.

In addition to therapy, Hamilton Center provides a large volume of case management and other services designed to help consumers develop the skills they need to live as independently as they can in their homes.

The distribution of funds was met with anticipation and excitement as it was the culmination of many years of work to get the Foundation up and running.  The Foundation Board began meeting in 2011.  The organization’s tax exempt status was received January 2014 but made retroactive to 2012.

“Many people have worked very hard to make this organization a reality,” said Margie Anshutz, the Foundation’s President/CEO.  “In addition to many others, the Hamilton Center Board of Directors championed this initiative to give it the seed money and kick start it needed,” she said.

The mission of the Foundation is to strengthen the community by providing consistent and lasting support to Hamilton Center, as it provides the highest quality behavioral healthcare and wellness services in Indiana.

“It is our vision that in the future, the Foundation can provide significant resources to fund services at Hamilton Center”, said Bob Rhodes, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.  “This is only the beginning of what we can do once people understand how important the organization is to this community,” he said.

The tag line for the Foundation and theme for this year is Light the Way which signifies the community’s role in providing help, hope and light to people struggling with mental illnesses and addiction disorders. 

Hamilton Center, Inc. is a regional behavioral health system in central and west central Indiana.  The organization provides mental health, addiction and employment services to 13,000 consumers a year in a 10 county area.

Hamilton Center, Inc. gives the gift of transportation to those in need with the help of a generous donation from Shifting Gears, a program through Bicycle Garage Indy. Nine bikes will be donated to consumers today for the holiday season in Clay, Marion, and Putnam Counties.

Shifting Gears is a program that obtains used bicycles through donations for repair, renovation, and distribution to under-privileged children and others in need. The program also serves to provide meaningful work opportunities for offenders and prepare them for a successful re-entry into the community.

“Hamilton Center is grateful for the program of Shifting Gears. We wholeheartedly believe in their mission. The donated bikes are such a blessing, they not only benefit our consumers who need them for transportation, but also gives us a chance to show that Hamilton Center is here to help in any way possible,” said Courtney Cole, Hamilton Center, integrated care specialist. “If giving a consumer a donated bike would make them smile, brighten their day, or give them even just a sliver of hope in today’s society then that is what it’s all about, serving those in need, and building hope.”

Hamilton Center is a community mental health organization serving eleven counties throughout Central and West Central Indiana. Hamilton Center exists to provide quality behavioral healthcare, wellness, and human development services to our community.

The “Light the Way” art contest, sponsored by Hamilton Center, Inc. (HCI), challenged middle-high school students and adults from all counties that HCI serves to submit an entry for creative writing, poetry, or artwork using the theme to express their views on mental illness. All contestants received honorable mention and blue ribbon winners were chosen from each category.

The first prize winners were:

• Creative Writing Middle/High School Category: “I’m Not As Fine As I Seem” by Melissa Harden, North Vermillion High School
• Creative Writing Adult: “Untitled” by Sara Smith, Vigo
• Poetry Middle/High School Category: “To Awaken to the Dawn” by Alex Watts, North Vermillion High School
• Poetry Adult: “Hope” by Tavia K. Lloyd, Vigo
• Art Middle/High School: “Untitled” by Lexxus March and Maddie Schaffer, McLean High School
• Art Adult: “Life Light” by David Erickson, Vigo

Each winner is invited to bring a guest to the 44th Annual Hamilton Center Awards Dinner at Hulman Center where they will receive a prize bag and a gift card. Winners will have the opportunity to interact with guests and explain their art. All entries will be displayed that night at the exhibition.

Hamilton Center, Inc. is a community mental health system serving the counties of Clay, Greene, Hendricks, Marion, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo.