MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Afternoon sessions focused on some of the clinical areas that are well matched to his concepts. In addition, Dr. Prochaska also presented to a public audience at Edward Hospital & Health Services in Naperville.

Mental Health Services and the Partnership for Behavioral Health, the planning and service group of community providers, presented information on untreated depression during the five days of the DuPage County Fair in July.

The Mental Health Court is now a reality in DuPage County. A product of five years of community investment, it will serve a mentally ill population that has entered the court system and needs treatment rather than incarceration.

The popular Mental Health Services calendar, featuring artwork from consumer artists, was printed for 2004. The title is “Quest 2004, Art of the Heart and Mind.”

Mental Health Services’ main initiative during 2003 was to increase billing revenue from existing clients. As the state initiates a “fee for service” policy rather than grant-based revenue, Mental Health Services needed to position itself strategically for this change as well as gather revenue to support current staff positions.

Elgin Mental Health Center continued to downsize as it did during 2002. This time it was done without any of the savings coming into the community. Despite this, MHS has managed its population at Elgin within the health center’s expectations and continues to have an extremely low hospitalization rate per 100,000 people.

Part of the reason for the low hospitalization rate is the commitment by MHS to use the best medications available for its clients. MHS accomplishes this in the face of skyrocketing costs for these medications. To offset some of this increase, MHS staff led initiatives to get clients enrolled in the various programs the pharmaceutical companies offer for indigent clients. MHS staff also initiated processes to lower costs for purchasing medications.

Dr. James Prochaska was the guest speaker for a renewed community event during Public Health Week in April. Presenting concepts from his top-selling book, “Changing for Good,” Dr. Prochaska was well received by a packed crowd at the Northern Illinois University campus in Naperville.

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