2022 Annual Report
OUR MISSION
Community Mental Health of Ottawa County partners with people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and the broader community to improve lives and be a premier mental health agency in Michigan.
DIRECTOR'S LETTER
In the last several years we have been fortunate to have been awarded several new federal and state grants. These grants allow us to provide more mental health supports and services to more people in our community. Our System of Care (SOC) grant, which is called Ottawa Strengthening Youth and Families, provides resources to improve the mental health outcomes for children and youth, birth through age 21, with serious emotional disturbances and their families. This program supports the implementation, expansion, and integration of the SOC approach by creating sustainable infrastructure and services. Check out some of their great resources at www.StigmaFreeOttawa.com.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) is another grant we’ve received in the last year. Being certified as a CCBHC means that an organization will provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services with an emphasis on increasing access to high-quality care, integrating behavioral health with physical health care and promoting the use of evidence-based practices. Our CCBHC grant has allowed us to serve more people and provide greater opportunities to address the physical health care needs of the individuals we serve with resources such as diabetes education, health fairs, and better care coordination with primary care doctors.
We have other grants that allow us to focus on the health and wellbeing of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, provide services to persons in our jail who have mental illness and/or substance use disorders, and provide post-overdose wellness checks to encourage people to engage in treatment.
Grants usually include significant reporting requirements and administrative support to implement. The benefits of serving more with best practice is worth the effort. We will continue to explore grant opportunities in the future and assist our community partners in applying for grants aimed at expanding mental health services and supports in Ottawa County.
MILLAGE DOLLARS Support Adults with Complex Needs
The daily support that Harbor House provides includes personal care and hygiene, medical treatments and therapies, exercise, meal preparation, and transportation to activities in the community, along with other tasks the day might require. Home Manager Samantha Warners highlights the importance of residential aides in making the work of Harbor House possible. She says, “Our residential aides walk alongside our residents to help them live their life, keep their strength, and maintain as much independence as possible.”
The work of Harbor House is rooted in the idea of living life to the fullest. This means not only providing quality care and helping residents to maintain their physical health but also helping them to develop friendships and relationships with each other, the staff, and members of the community. “Harbor House is a huge asset to our community,” says Warners, emphasizing how important it is for people to realize that adults with impairments should not be thought of as any different. “
They may seem and appear different on the outside. But really and truly, they are regular human beings like you and me. They just need love,” she says.Millage funding in 2022 has allowed Harbor House to continue to provide the loving support and care that residents and their families have come to count on over the last two decades. Like many organizations, they have felt the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing rising costs associated with the care they provide. Because of millage funding, Harbor House has been able to continue to pay its staff and provide the activities and support that make life full and abundant for the men and women they serve.
Driesenga says it most plainly, “Harbor House is so grateful for millage funds.”
PERSONS SERVED
In fiscal year 2022 CMHOC provided services funded through Medicaid, General Fund, Millage and Grants to 7,768 individuals.
REVENUE REPORT
EXPENDITURE REPORT
MENTAL HEALTH MILLAGE AND GRANTS 2022 OUTCOMES
The Ottawa County Collaborative to Strengthen Youth and FamilieS
We have provided over 600 individuals with trainings related to youth mental health, trauma, resilience, suicide prevention, etc. We are encouraging youth voice by supporting them in identifying their strengths and goals and facilitating youth to share their thoughts. In collaboration with Ottawa County Juvenile Court, we hosted the Juvenile Justice Showcase. This event provided a venue for three youth to create visual artwork and share their experiences about their involvement in the juvenile court system. There were approximately 60 community members in attendance. Juvenile Justice Showcase lets juvenile offenders share art pieces and stories from their recovery | wzzm13.com
In collaboration with multiple Ottawa County youth serving agencies, we implemented an anti-stigma campaign. This campaign focused on increasing awareness of youth mental health and normalizing using resources and community supports to address one’s mental health. The campaign used a three-pronged approach: Be Honest, Be Heard, Be Informed. Stigma Free Ottawa.
They are also providing free, short-term case management to connect the youth and family with appropriate community supports. At CMH, we recognize the importance of using a Family Systems approach to our treatment of mental health concerns. We value including the voice of parents and youth in the treatment process. To further support parents, we hired a Community Health Worker through the Pathways to Better Health Program at the Health Department. This partnership has allowed us to have a Community Health Worker provide case management support to the parents of our youth consumers.
Learn more at www.stigmafreeottawa.com
OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING
GOALS FOR 2023
GOAL #1
GOAL #2
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GOAL #4
BOARD MEMBERS
ROBERT BROWN
AL DANNENBERG
MATT FENSKE - CHAIR
TERRY GOLDBERG
JAMES HOLTVLUWER
JULIE KENYON
BETH LARSEN
Dave Parnin
Alberto Serrano
Vonnie Vanderzwaag – Vice Chair
Doug Zylstra
– Secretary
