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DocuSign Envelope ID:4D553CF7-2BBD-4F4E-B84E-E6B8B077A9AB <br /> EXHIBIT A <br /> PROVIDER'S OUTSIDE AGENCY APPLICATION <br /> Program Description (3 pages OR LESS) <br /> Please provide the following information about the proposed program: <br /> Summarize the program services proposed and how the program will address a <br /> Town/County priority/goal? <br /> In 2016 Freedom House welcomed the programs and staff of Mental Health America <br /> of the Triangle (MHAT) into our agency and thus expanded the breadth and depth of <br /> our services to those suffering from mental illness and their families. Our programs <br /> directly address the second-highest Town/County priority as outlined in the <br /> 2012 assessment, Human Services Needs in Chapel Hill: Affordable Health <br /> Care, with a focus on mental health options and substance abuse programs. <br /> The Pro Bono Counseling Network (PBCN) provides free mental health counseling <br /> services to individuals in need, regardless of their ability to pay, via a network of <br /> licensed, volunteer therapists. The PBCN fills a current and growing need within the <br /> community by providing free counseling to uninsured and underinsured individuals <br /> suffering from mental health concerns including depression and anxiety. The eight <br /> free sessions are often enough to get a person back on their feet. <br /> PBCN also offers the Pro Bono Counseling Network Education Series. The annual <br /> series provides a minimum of six clinical continuing education workshops on topics <br /> that are relevant to PBCN therapists and is completely free of charge for volunteer <br /> therapists. The series is offered for a fee to all clinicians in the area and serves as a <br /> recruiting tool for new volunteer therapists while enhancing the clinical skills of area <br /> therapists. <br /> Mental illness is often accompanied by isolation, where individuals withdraw from <br /> family, friends, even activities they once enjoyed. Individuals who have the support <br /> of a caring, committed friend are more likely to stay engaged with their treatment <br /> and other meaningful activities in their life. They are also less likely to deteriorate or <br /> require hospitalization, all of which saves money and promotes recovery for those <br /> living with a severe mental illness. <br /> Since 1995, the Compeer Program has addressed this stigma, isolation, and <br /> loneliness of mental illness through the power of companionship. Trained volunteers <br /> commit a minimum of one hour per week for one year to a Compeer "friend" who <br /> lives with a mental health condition, typically someone with a severe and persistent <br /> mental illness (SPMI) such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder. The clients <br /> (friends) are stable and at the critical point in their recovery in which they are <br /> reestablishing relationships and connections within the community. The Compeer <br /> program has recently expanded to create the Compeer for Seniors program, aimed <br /> specifically to address the isolation, loss of independence, loneliness and <br /> psychological distress in older people. <br /> Family Advocacy Network—The Family Advocacy Network (FAN) began in 2000 in <br /> response to the need for a child-focused, family-driven System of Care to meet the <br /> mental health needs of the community's children. Since then, through the work of <br /> program staff Family Advocates, we continue to provide critical support and <br /> assistance to parents raising school-age children with emotional or behavioral issues, <br /> DO NOT SUBMIT THIS PAGE 1/31/2017 11:11:58 AM Page 28 of <br />