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COMMUNICATION IS KEY Counselors, therapists and some other staff are able to spend more time with consumers than their physicians, so they play valuable roles in keeping medical staff informed on their consumers' progress and how they are responding to treatment. Communication among care providers and pharmacists is particularly important in the case of consumers with substance abuse issues. Adding an addiction treatment component, which ABA did last year, has helped ensure that consumers with co-occurring disorders receive the care they need. To achieve the best patient care outcomes, substance abuse and mental illness need to be treated simultaneously, according to Anuforoh. “It's much less effective to treat them 'one at a time,'” Anuforoh notes. Since ABA added its addiction treatment program in 2015, “we provide both kinds of care under one roof, so treatment is better-coordinated,” Anuforoh points out. To supplement the care provider's expertise and experience, one of the most important skills therapists must develop is the ability to engage the patient respectfully and earn their trust. Even though mental illness can impair an individual’s cognitive functioning and interpersonal skills, each person must be treated with respect, she notes. “Just because someone has a mental health condition, does not mean they are not aware of how you approach them or talk to them.”
of the consumers served at ABA Health Services have multiple care needs in both mental health treatment and treatment for addiction to drugs or alcohol. As the agency’s treatment coordinator, it is Sophia Anuforoh’s responsibility to make sure that each consumer receives the care prescribed by their psychiatrist. A native of Nigeria, she emigrated to the U.S. in 1979 with her family, and has served as treatment coordinator at the agency since its inception in 2002. When a new consumer is admitted for care, a care plan is prepared for each consumer, either by the individual's primary mental health therapist, a rehab specialist, or by Anuforoh. After the initial care plan is in place, it is updated every six months to re ect the individual's progress as well as any changes in their health status or needs. Since many consumers receive care from more than one provider – physicians, therapists, clinics, hospitals – it's important to have someone coordinating care and ensuring that there is effective, timely communication among providers. “I am an RN, with a master’s in business administration, so between the doctors and therapists, I'm usually the one everybody comes to for solutions,” she says. “I'M USUALLY THE ONE EVERYBODY COMES TO FOR SOLUTIONS.” – Sophia Anuforoh, care coordinator, ABA Health Services
ABA COORDINATOR MANAGES CARE PLANS
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