Corry Counseling Services

Medication Support Program Summary

FY 2019/20 Annual Report

Program Description  

The goal of the Corry Counseling Services Medication Support Program is to assist individuals with a mental health diagnosis to achieve recovery through medication monitoring, education about medication and mental illness, and skill building to effectively manage medications.  Participation in the Medication Support Program is voluntary and this service is available through other providers.  Services are provided in a manner consistent with the principles of the Community Support Program (CSP).

Medication Support Program Services are available during evening hours and on the weekend as needed.  Services primarily take place in the client home.  A staff member is on-call at all times.  Services are individualized and begin with an assessment of an individual’s needs.  A medication monitoring plan is developed with specific goals and objectives related to the individual’s recovery plans.  

Program staff meets with clients as frequently as needed to support medication compliance.  This can range from home visits several times a day to reminder phone calls.  As treatment progresses, the length and frequency of appointments decreases as the client becomes increasingly self-sufficient in independently managing their medications.

Over the course of services, staff works with clients to:

Identify prescribed medications and the dosages and times at which they are taken

Understand the purpose of medications 

Learn possible medication side effects and how to respond

Safely store and dispose of medications

Effectively communicate with providers about needs and concerns

Anticipate the needs for prescription refills and contact the pharmacy

Program discharge occurs when an individual has completed their treatment goals and their medications are safely managed.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, both program staff members met with MSP clients as needed to assist them in managing their medication.

Clients

The Medication Support Program served a total of 45 clients this fiscal year.  All 45 clients were white.  There were 29 female clients and 16 male clients.  The MSP program serves people ages 18 and over.   There were 3 clients ages 18 to 25; 14 clients ages 26 to 45; 20 clients ages 46 to 64; and, 8 clients over the age of 65.  There were 15 intakes, and 15 discharges.  The program has had growth since last year but continues to have room for more referrals.  There were 1,180.75 hours of service this year.

Staff

There is one full time MSP staff and one part time MSP nurse.  There was one staff loss and one staff hire over the past year and the rate of turnover was 50%. 

Training

In the MSP program there were 6 Relias Trainings, all of which were completed by the MSP worker. They are listed as follows.

“Bloodborne Pathogens”

“What Does Becoming Trauma Informed mean to Non-clinical Staff?”

“Behavioral health Issues in Older Adults for Paraprofessionals”

“Crisis Management Basics”

“Supporting Recovery for Individuals with Schizophrenia”

The MSP nurses completed the required overall agency trainings, including Bloodborne Pathogens, and Exposure Control.

All MSP staff completed the agency Corporate Compliance training, and the Collaborative/Concurrent Documentation training.  

Productivity 

Overall productivity for the MSP program for the year was 107%.  Productivity has ranged from 101% to 112%.

Client Satisfaction Survey Results 

The Medication Support Program completed client satisfaction surveys in January, 2020.  At that time, the Medication Support Program had 29 active clients.  8 surveys were completed and returned. 

In addition to the first five questions on the survey, which were asked of all agency clients, there were two additional questions asked of MSP clients, “I am learning more about my medications.” and “I am managing my medication more independently.” All answers were agree or strongly agree. 

Licensure visits/FWA/Quality Audits

The MSP program had their first FWA audit ever in late April, 2020.  The results are not yet known.  

Outcome Results

The MSP program does not complete outcomes.

Expectations for the coming year 

The expectation for the coming year is that the program will continue to grow by 20%, which is 5 clients, although referrals come at a slow pace, which is the potential challenge.