Agenda - 11-16-1993 - III-B (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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13 long term care) and local tertiary care center emergency rooms (acute crisis). When follow up or more diagnostic expertise and testing is required there is a lack of funding and networking to insure the services are being accessed and provided. Plans to increase access and services to adolescents seen in the clinic will be done through increasing referrals to the existing providers and by providing an on-site skilled mental health provider in the adolescent clinic. This mental health provider will offer mental health services and facilitate referrals.as well establish links with school, family and community when necessary. Substance abuse services are provided by Orange Person Chatham Mental Health Center (individual, group and family counseling with sliding scale fee for services), private providers and state and private institutions for life threatening and long term care of substance abuse problems. School based student assistant programs staffed by teachers and administrative school staff target students for whom chemical dependency is a potential obstacle for personal or academic success. With the addition of a mental health provider at both teen clinic sites, direct referrals to already existing programs will be increased and on-site substance abuse services will be provided through individual and group counseling. In the Orange County School System (NOC) students are involved in providing services through a Peer Helper Program which trains students in listening and information gathering skills. These skills allow them to help facilitate referrals of peers in need of help in dealing with issues such as sexuality, loss, depression, medical problems, stress, academic pressure, family and relationship problems. AIN Project staff and the school nurse will continue to be involved in the training of the peer helpers which will provide a means of marketing and referrals to the clinic. In both school systems, school counselors provide counseling for a broad range of issues from school performance to future education plans. Social workers are employed by each school to provide dropout prevention services for the middle and high school students. Health educators work together with the school nurse and other school personnel to plan and implement educational activities such as lectures on stress management, substance abuse, nutrition and weight management, self protection, relationships and personal fitness. Through the continued participation of the AIN project sttaff and school nurse in teaching activities and consultation a referral base to the clinic will continue to be established. Other county agencies providing services to Orange County adolescents are Planned Parenthood. of Orange and Durham County, Department of Social Services, Dispute Settlement Center, Orange County Women's Commission, Rape Crisis, Orange County Parks and Recreation and the Juvenile Court System. A network for interagency communication and referral will be developed by identifying an individual at each agency who is involved serving adolescents. This group will serve as the steering committee of the Orange County Coalition for Healthy Youth. In summary, if funding is granted to Orange County it will provide monies to develop new services in Southern Orange County consisting of a school linked Adolescent Clinic in the Southern branch of the OCHD and a school based Adolescents-in-Need Project as described above. E` Funding would also allow the expansion of services for adolescents in Northern Orange county with a specific emphasis on increasing referrals to the adolescent and dental clinics and providing on-site mental health services. With this model of coordination between the school nurse, AIN project and school-linked adolescent clinic staff, a method of insuring service access and delivery will be established and maintained.