Winter, 2006

From left to right: Betty Bacalu, Executive Director of the Summit County TBI Clubhouse, Marcia DuFore and Ted Ziegler

Ted Ziegler, CEO of the Community Health Center, was recognized at the tenth annual conference of the Summit County Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Collaborative for his efforts with the new Ballinger TBI Clubhouse located at CHC's Summit Terrace.

Betty Bacalu, Executive Director of the Ballinger TBI Clubhouse, credits Ted for the needed assistance to start the Clubhouse almost two years ago. "Without Ted we would not be where we are today. He allows us to print our monthly newsletter using Community Health Center facilities and through CHC he has donated computers, funds, and has made staff available to assist with business advice, public relations, grant writing, facility maintenance, and active participation in the TBI Collaborative."

The Ballinger TBI Clubhouse is located in the community room of Summit Terrace. It is a place where people with brain injury can go during the day to find peer support, meaningful activity, and learn new skills. To learn more about TBI and the Ballinger TBI Clubhouse, visit their website at www.ballingerclubhouse.org.

Celina Andrade Pereira, Executive Coordinator of the Independence and Folia Program of Sao Paulo Federal University's Alcohol and Drug Research Unit (UNIAD) http://www.unifesp.br, was a visitor to the Community Health Center as part of a tour coordinated by the U. S. State Department.

In review of her visit to the United States Ms. Pereira commented, "The Community Health Center of Akron was a standout visit during which several staff members outlined the whole patient approach to treatment. A wide range of services make it possible to help patients with financial problems, to secure the services of the center's ombudsman, to obtain free medication, as well as post-treatment housing and other services."

Ms. Pereira also repeatedly stressed the financial constraints under which she operates. "Of equal value was the presentation by the center's energetic CEO, Mr. Ziegler, of financial aspects of the center. Mr. Ziegler made several interesting suggestions as to how one might raise funds, pointing out various written resources on the subject."

While in Ohio Ms. Pereira visited 5 local organizations in Cleveland and Akron. The Community Health Center was chosen as a program for Ms. Pereira to visit because she was interested in learning more about substance abuse treatment centers, HIV prevention programs and workplace prevention and intervention, all of which are programs provided by the CHC. Click here to learn more about our substance abuse programs.

ACCREDITATIONS, LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
• Ohio Department of Alcohol
• Ohio Department of Health
• Ohio State Board of Pharmacy
• Ohio Civil Rights Commission (HEW 504)
• Federal Drug Enforcement Administration
• Substance Abuse Mental Health
• Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, CLIA
• Medicaid Certified Treatment Agency
• City of Akron Health Department
• Ohio EPA Certification
• Ohio Department of Human Services

The CHC was recognized by ODADAS on Nov. 16, 2005. From left to right; Icilda Dickerson, Ohio TUPCF; Aimee Maychack, Tobacco Dependence Project; Jan Wagner, CHC; Brad DeCamp, ODADAS; Kate Williams Palmer, ODADAS.

The Community Health Center kicked off their two-year Tobacco Dependence Project on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 with a training and luncheon on the health care epidemic surrounding tobacco and nicotine use.

Icilda Dickerson from the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF) commented on the importance of the seven tobacco-free pilot programs in the state of Ohio. "The CHC will report their best practices so that the most effective tobacco treatment can be recommended for the entire state." Each pilot site will examine the best methods of treating individuals with chemical dependency and/or mental health disorders.

Brad DeCamp represented the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) as a partner in this new grant. "CHC is a state model for effective programming," DeCamp remarked. He also presented the Community Health Center with a certificate recognizing the agency for their commitment to quality health care in Ohio.

The Tobacco Dependence Project is spearheaded by the state coordinator, Aimee Maychack. She works directly with all eight agencies chosen to run pilot tobacco-free programs. Her training highlighted the 5-As for the intervention/treatment of a tobacco user - Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist & Arrange. The 5-As emphasize attitude change regarding smoking rather than quitting "cold turkey".

The Community Health Center will be implementing the Tobacco Dependence Project in the Women's Recovery Program in January 2006. This project is made possible through funding from the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation thought the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. For more information regarding the Community Health Center please visit our website at www.commhealthcenter.org.

THE CHC IS FUNDED IN PART BY:

• The City of Akron, Department of Planning
• The Summit County Department of Development
• The County of Summit Department of Job & Family Services
• The County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board
• Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
• The Akron Health Department
• Summit County Family & Children First Council
• H.U.D.
• Ohio Department of Development
• Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services
• Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Area Agency on Aging
• Community Health Center Foundation
• Akron Public Schools
• US Department of Justice Department of Youth Services
• Stark County ADAS Board

The 2005 Adopt-A-Family program was a huge success, raising over $3,000 to provide 20 needy families with a great Christmas. This year's campaign was driven by sales of the new Community Health Center Cookbook and Summit Mall shopping passes along with cash donations from CHC board members, staff and other individuals. Several local organizations and individuals including Anthem in Canton, White Space and the Summit County Engineer's Office also adopted their own CHC families. Gifts included new bicycles, vacuums, pots and pans and other much needed items that the family would otherwise go without.

The 2005 Adopt-A-Family program was a huge success, raising over $3,000 to provide 20 needy families with a great Christmas.

Through the Community Health Center Foundation this program has flourished, reaching more families than ever in 2005. This program would not be possible without the continued support of many annual donors. The CHC Foundation accepts donations year-round for CHC families in-need. To learn more about our programs or to get involved please call the Community Health Center Foundation at (330) 315-5590.

Project Thrive once again showcased its successful model for addressing truancy in Summit County at the 2005 Ohio Prevention and Education Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Kathleen Perge - Division Director, CHC; Anne Vainer - Student Services Director, Barberton City Schools; Erin Hookey - Education Coordinator, Summit County Juvenile Court; and Dr. RaJade Berry - Assistant Professor, The University of Akron were chosen to present at the state-wide conference. Each speaker represented a component of Thrive that makes up the unique community collaboration of the school system, juvenile justice system and the community.

Recently, the Akron Community Foundation recognized the positive outcomes of TRHIVE by awarding the program with a $20,000 grant. This foundation was established to improve the quality of life in the greater Akron area through the development of organized philanthropy like Project Thrive. For more information about Akron Community Foundation call (330) 376-8522 or visit them online at www.akroncommunityfdn.org. To read the latest evaluation of Project Thrive, visit our website at www.commhealthcenter.org.

CHC in Chicago 2006

2006 marks an exciting new endeavor for the Community Health Center. Following a successful state-wide conference in 2005 focusing on Hepatitis C and HIV, the CHC is hosting its first national conference on the same topics. . Scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2006, Blood Borne: A Silent Epidemic will focus on the research and medical/behavioral practices that are associated with HIV, Hepatitis C or other blood borne pathogens. The Community Health Center is spearheading this conference along with national support from the American Liver Foundation and other national organizations.

Among our methadone patient population, 85% of patients test positive for Hepatitis C. Treatment and educational funding is currently unavailable to treat this deadly disease. This platform will allow the CHC to highlight this important health care topic and many others that concern our agency and others like the Community Health Center nationwide.

For more information regarding the conference, please visit our website at www.commhealthcenter.org.

The accomplishments of the past twelve months made 2005 an outstanding year for the Community Health Center. At our annual holiday board meeting individuals were presented with awards who go above and beyond the "call of duty." The following CHC Board Members, Staff and community leaders were recognized for their commitment to the Community Health Center mission.

MICHAEL POWELL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Cathy Campriani, Bank One

FRIEND OF THE FIELD AWARD
Keith Thornton

OMNIS AWARD
Charlotte Stanley, Sisler McFawn Foundation

ANGEL OF HOPE AWARD
Darleen Claypoole, RN Akron City Hospital Care Center

QUALITIS AWARD
Michelle Husted, Adolescent Department Coordinator

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Maureen Earle, Child Care Coordinator

PAT BARNHART AWARD
Lucinda Williams, Assessment Specialist

CORRINE RHO AWARD
Steve Brubaker, InfoCision Management Corporation

PRESIDENT'S AWARD
Bob Papa, Bank One

LEAF OF LIFE AWARD
Michael Beavan, CHC Board Member

The Community Health Center is a great source for educational material on many of the social service programs in Akron. Get free brochures, community guides and other materials from our Marketing and Public Relations Department at 330.315.3715 or by email at chrissy.lockhart @commhealthcenter.org.

Learn more about the Community Health Center right from your desktop. Our interactive CD-ROM outlines over 20 community programs and tells the story of a real-life CHC patient, Kim, from intake to recovery. Plus, see our statistics, outcomes and video tour of various housing programs in the area.

Straight News is a publication of the Community Health Center and the Community Health Center Foundation.

Ideas for articles are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor at:
702 East Market St., Akron, OH 44305 330.315.5590

CHC and CHC Foundation are equal opportunity employers and providers of services.

Theodore P. Ziegler, CEO

Editor: Chrissy Lockhart

Contributors: Rachel Fox,
Jo Ann Wilsford

Web Developer: Dianna Petrey

The Community Health Center is a contract agency of the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.

The Community Health Center facilities and services are certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.