On May 1, 2012, the Mental Health Association in New Jersey's (MHANJ) NJMentalHealthCares Helpline (NJMHC) and MHANJ's Atlantic County office launched a pilot program entitled, "From Screening to Services" (FSTS), in collaboration with AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.

This program partners existing services in providing a coordinated response, linking consumers, while still in the AtlantiCare acute service, and their familiy members, to an array of support and behavioral health management services. The purpose is to provide assitance and tools needed to help the consumer move forward in recovery.

Specifically, AtlantiCare facilitates a phone call to NJMHC before the consumer leaves. The Helpline staff immediately works with the consumer and provides wrap-around telephonic case management and support services for 30 days. During this time period consumers are offered linkage to a variety of services such as: The Peer Recovery WarmLine, MHANJ's Atlantic County services including the Peer Outreach Support Team Program, Self-Help Center, Individual and Family Support Services and Acute Family Care Program as well as community based mental health and social services.

The collaboration addresses some potential service gaps by ensuring the consumer makes a community contact before leaving the hospital or screening center. In addition, these services can respond daily to a consumer until a community plan is in place and face-to-face linkages are made. As the lead behavioral management entity, the NJMHC staff person remains in contact with all the programs involved to ensure the consumer is engaged in a comprehensive and appropriate service plan.

NJMHC can easily replicate the FSTS model with other groups of service providers, with the ultimate goals of ensuring that the consumer will have continued success on the path toward recovery, while at the same time reducing Emergency Room recidivism. For more information email Stephanie Mulfinger, NJMHC Coordinator at   [email protected]. 

Trauma and its far-reaching effects remain a critical advocacy issue because of the "devastating impact it has on physical, emotional, and mental well-being," as noted in a press release from  Mental Health America. Fortunately neuroscience research has identified therapeutic techniques that can help to control the damage and improve well-being.

Most people have stereotyped or limited ideas of what constitutes trauma for an individual, however sources of trauma are broad in scope. They include such events and circumstances as: interpersonal violence, social violence, natural disaster and accidents, military combat, chronic social stress and adverse childhood events. Click here to read more from Mental Health America.

A new study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center indicates that traumatic stress may  increase problems for people who have heart  disease. According to an article in HealthDay  Newsonline, "The more (exposure) traumatic stress  patients experienced in a lifetime, the more likely they were to have elevate levels of inflammatory markers in their bloodstream."
 

Further, the study relates that this issue may be of particular concern to Veterans and those who serve as first responders and offers strong argument for the relationship between physical and mental health. Click here to read more.