The Beacon

Published by:  Bethesda Day Treatment Center, Inc.

 ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good

deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

January 2007                      Vol. 11 Issue #1    

From the President’s Desk…

Be a Ray of Light in Darkness

 An experiment performed with laboratory rats measured their motivation to live under different circumstances.  Scientists dropped a rat into a jar of water that had been placed in total darkness; and they timed how long the animal would continue swimming before it gave up and allowed itself to drown.  They found that the rat lasted a little more than three minutes.

Board of Directors

Joseph Pugliese

Chairman

Jerilyn Keen

President

Timothy Gage

Director

Fred Martin

Director

Mary Tiffin

Director  

Chris Bingaman

Director  

Collette Benner

Secretary

Gene McCarty

Treasurer

Advisory Committee

Jerilyn Keen

Scott Constantini

Stephen Gaito

Robert Vanderwall

Jennifer Napp

Don Coleman

Connie Shoop

William Rossnock

Joseph Talarico

Dr. Elizabth Ciaravino

Thomas Bell

Agent William Weber

Larry Weidman

John Gigunto

Consultants

Dr. Vikas Passi

D&A Medical Director

Dr. Frederick Maue

Mental Health Director

Then they dropped another rat into the same kind of jar; but instead of placing it into total darkness, they allowed a ray of light to shine into it.  Under those circumstances, the rat kept swimming for thirty-six hours.  That is more than seven hundred times longer than the one in the dark!  Because the rat could see, it continued to have hope!

If that is true of laboratory animals, think how strong the effect of visualization can be on people who are capable of higher reasoning.  It’s been said that a person can live forty days without food, four days without water and four minutes without air....but only four seconds without hope.

Each time you encourage someone in need you are building them up, motivating them and giving them reason to keep going.  The hope you bring them is like shining a ray of light on them as they swim in the jar.  It increases their ability to keep going 700 times longer!  We all need somebody to come alongside and speak words of hope and encouragement in difficult times.  This is exactly what each of you offers your clients, families, coworkers, spouses and friends.

I am convinced that offering hope to a person in the midst of crisis is the very best kind of counseling that we can offer.  Is there anyone that doesn’t need a little ray of light to help keep them swimming through the rough and lonely waters of life?

Remember, a few words of hope spoken at just the right moment has saved lives and changed lives.  Scripture reminds us in Isaiah 40:31 that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”  Today we live in a world of darkness, a darkness in which even strong Christians stumble.  Romans 2:19 tells us that we as Christians are “a light for those who are in the dark.”

Keep Shining for Christ and Being an Encourager of Hope to Others.

From my heart to yours,

Jerilyn

Jerilyn A. Keen, M.A.

President

News from our Administrative Office…

We commend those centers that recently had their yearly Department of Public Welfare inspections.  These went very well with many compliments being given by the inspectors on the neatness of our staff and client files as well the uniformity among the centers.  Keep up the great effort!

Bethesda’s Licensed Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Programs recently completed their annual Bureau of Drug & Alcohol (BDAP) site visits.  Overall, the agency had another very successful year.  Six of our ten Drug & Alcohol Programs had 100% compliance.  BDAP Licensing Representatives Joe Myers and Bill Erikson expressed how impressed they were with all the staff and the work being done.

Bethesda’s Licensed Outpatient Drug & Alcohol Program staff is gearing up to learn another billing system to accommodate an additional 23 counties which flipped to Managed Care in the North Central region of the state on January 1, 2007.  The billing system for the North Central Region is a different system than the one already being utilized for the Northeast region which flipped to Managed Care in July 2006.  This flip will have an impact on all the treatment centers due to the large coverage area.  This will have a positive financial impact on the agency due to the fee schedule increases for this region.

On January 12, 2007, Dr. Fred Maue, psychiatrist and Bethesda Mental Health Director, began more formal clinical oversight of our most problematic youth.  Dr. Maue's expertise will be utilized on an ongoing basis for all ten centers.  Psychiatric phone consultations were initially held with each center.  Follow-up evaluations were then scheduled for those clients with further needs.  Dr. Maue will now be available at the Administrative Office at least two Fridays each month to continue training and guiding us as a staff.  We are thankful to have someone with his background and experience to assist in providing the best care possible for our clients.

Bethesda Highlights

We welcome John Gigunto, parent of a former Bethesda client, as the newest member of our Advisory Committee.  We look forward to having John on the committee and to working with him!  Welcome, John!

This is “What’s Happening” at Our Centers…

Bloomsburg:  We congratulate Drug and Alcohol Counselor John O'Brien on becoming a grandpa!  Caleb John O'Brien was born on January 11th weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long.  Congratulations Pappy Johnny O'!  Great Aunt Karen (Brenchley) is proud too!  The Bloomsburg Center continues to interview to fill the vacant Teacher position.  Thanks to the staff for pulling together during this vacancy!

East Stroudsburg:  Drug and Alcohol Counselor Doug Luisi achieved 100% for his office on the recent BDAP inspection.  Way to go, Doug!  The welcome mural on the entrance hallway is almost completed.  Stay tuned for a picture!  AEP staff Pete Charney, Lenny Cimino, Konstantine Argiriadi and Shawn Crump took time during the Christmas break to make repairs around the building in order to keep things looking great in the new building.  Thanks for your hard work!

Honesdale:  The AEP staff continue to work together to accommodate the vacancies of a teacher and teacher's aide.  Le Viola will be assisting in the AEP during the interim of hiring new staff.  Keep up the great team effort!  The Honesdale Center received several calls of interest regarding the Foster Care Program.  Application packets were sent out to these potential families.  Staff are working to schedule luncheons with Pike County and Waune County Probation Departments.

Lehighton:  Congratulations to Caseworker Kevin Loch who has accepted the position of Program Manager.  We look forward to working with you and welcome you to the management team.  We congratulate the staff for their efforts in preparing for the recent DPW inspection.  We commend Teacher's Aide Kari Hartman for her extra efforts in the AEP during the last few months.  The Lehighton staff congratulate Secretary Renee Dunbar as their Employee of the Quarter.

Lewistown:  The Lewistwon Center is busy conducting fundraisers for future field trips to Washington, D.C., Gettysburg and an end-of-year picnic at Knoebel's.  The AEP continues with its Reading program.  We congratulate Caseworker Hillary Worley on the birth of her baby girl, Mara Dee Gallo, born on Thursday, January 11th.  This little gal weighted in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long.  Best wishes to both mom and baby!  The staff and kids spent a day at Penn State University touring the football training facility, the All Sports Museum, Bryce Jordan Center, as well as Beaver Stadium.  They couldn't finish their visit to Penn State without stopping at the creamery for ice cream!  We welcome Kathy Klose, an intern from Penn State to the Lewistown Center.

Group Home - Middleburg:  To bring in the New Year, the staff and residents had a midnight feast of pork and sauerkraut and all the fixin's.  The residents continue to assist at the Soup Kitchen on a regular basis.  The staff congratulate Case Manager Jon Gamble for being selected as their Employee of the Quarter.  Thank you to President Keen's husband, Bill, for repairing the loosened railing on the basement steps.

Milton:  Teacher's Aide Nicole Bingaman conducted her "One Night of Choices" presentation to the Day Treatment clients on January 11th.  Congratulations to the Milton team for receiving 100% compliance on their recent DPW inspection as well as their BDAP inspection.  Way to go!  We congratulate Program Manager John Dunne and his wife Katie on the birth of their son, Carter Ralph, born on January 29th.  This little guy weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 21 inches long.  Best wishes!

Montoursville:  Congratulations to Outreach Coordinator Jason Lamay for completing classes to become a CPR & First Aid Instructor.  Jason will be taking classes to become a Wilderness First Aid Instructor as well.  The Elementary AEP students earned a lunch at Pizza Hut through the Book It Program.  Great job!  We thank Drug & Alcohol Counselor Deb Nelson for her efforts in receiving 100% compliance on their BDAP inspection!

Scranton:  This month has been filled with activity around the Scranton Center.  A representative from CareerLink cam to speak to the AEP juniors and seniors to discuss how to apply to college, occupations in demand and vocational schools.  The new door was installed in the AEP to help ensure the safety of the kids and staff.  We congratulate Drug & Alcohol Counselor Heather Thorburn on the success of their recent Drug & Alcohol inspection.  The Day Treatment clients continue to be involved with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program on a weekly basis.  The clients enjoy the time spent with the "littles."

South Montrose:  The Day Treatment clients have started a new Anger Management Curriculum.  The clients are also putting together a bowling team to participate in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowling Tournament in March.  Program Manager Walt Gieski is the President of the Board of Directors for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program.  We welcome Robert and Cheryl Stewart as our newest foster family at the South Montrose Center.  A representative from the PA Department of Health will be visiting the center to speak to the students about sexually transmitted diseases.  The students are working on designs for anti-tobacco awareness that will be displayed on five roadside billboards in Susquehanna County.

Congratulations To…  

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH….

The following staff were also nominated for Employee of the Month for January.  Angela Trude, Special Education Teacher at the Lewistown Center; Dawn Burrafato, Teacher's Aide at the East Stroudsburg Center; and Jessica Mucha, Caseworker at the Scranton Center.  We thank these staff for their hard work and dedication!

Welcome to our family…

Brandon Peck, Caseworker, Milton

Heather Folk, Support Staff, Middleburg

Anthony Ross, Caseworker, East Stroudsburg

Each month we will be sharing about a member of our Management Team as a way to learn a little more about the lives of the dedicated and committed team of managers who make Bethesda the best it can be!  This month we will be highlighting our Human Resource Executive Assistant, Collette Benner.

Collette and her husband, Steve, live in Kreamer with their two girls – Stevie (age 6) and Chloe (age 2).  She is a member of the St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Selinsgrove.  You can find Collette enjoying her free time scrapbooking, spending time with friends and family and exercising.

Prior to working at Bethesda, Collette held positions as Assistant Manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Lerner.  Collette joined Bethesda in 1997 as the Human Resource Specialist.  In 1998, she was promoted to Executive Assistant to the President as well as the Corporate Secretary of the Board of Directors.  Collette earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management/Human Resource Management from Shippensburg University.

Collette shares her thoughts on Bethesda’s mission and purpose:  “I am very proud to work for an agency that does so much good for people.  The incredible work that we do to help clients heal and reconcile with their families is amazing.”

We commend the Employees of the Quarter for the months of October, November and December 2006.  Those staff are:  Heidi Bennett, Teacher’s Aide at the Bloomsburg Center; Peter Charney, Dean of Students, at the East Stroudsburg Center; Lee Viola, Head Community Monitor at the Honesdale Center; Renee Dunbar, Secretary at the Lehighton Center; Hillary Worley, Caseworker at the Lewistown Center; Jon Gamble, Case Manager at the Middleburg Group Home; Tiffany Hessek, Dean of Students at the Milton Center; Cleveland Way, Caseworker at the Montoursville Center; Mike DiMattia, Day Treatment Supervisor at the Scranton Center; and Curt Keihl, Dean of Students at the South Montrose Center.  We extend our appreciation to these staff for a job well done!  Each received a Bethesda memento as a token of appreciation.

Thanks to President Keen and her family for their monetary support in January.  The Middleburg Group Home boys were also blessed with the donation of an air hockey table from the Keen family.  Thanks again for your generosity!

We congratulate President Keen on her election as a new Board Member of the Central Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce.  We are proud of you, Jeri!

We congratulate Advisory Committee Member Willy Weber on his promotion to Captain of the Williamsport Police Department!  Congratulations!

Congratulations to Corporate Business Manager Stacey Kifolo for receiving the Administrative Management Team Leadership Award and Program Manager Jamie Yonkin for receiving the Manager’s Award for the quarter of October, November and December 2006.  We thank both of these staff for their hard work and dedication to our agency!

We commend the Honesdale Center for receiving the “Caught in the Act of Caring” Award for the months of October, November and December 2006.  The Honesdale staff provided a safe and comforting outlet and support system for the students and clients following the tragic and untimely death of a Day Treatment client.  The staff spent time speaking to the clients and students who needed to talk about their feelings and loss.  Transportation was arranged for various students and clients to attend the young man’s wake.  Thank you for going above and beyond! 

We congratulate Montoursville Foster Parents Jim and Penny Irvin on being selected to receive the Quarterly Foster Family Award for the fourth quarter of 2006.  It is a privilege to give them this well-deserved recognition.  Jim and Penny have been an integral part of the Montoursville Foster Care Program.  We commend them for being creative, loving and compassionate with the youth placed in their home.  Their efforts are appreciated!

Our Therapeutic Touch!

Each month we will be sharing about the “therapeutic touch” that is incorporated in the treatment of our clients.  This month we will be focusing on our Bloomsburg Center and the difference they have made and continue to make in the treatment of one particular young man.

“You can learn more about an individual during an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato

Lisa Vandermark and Denny Dietterick facilitate an experiential education-based teamwork and trust building group for the Day Treatment Program.  This group allows for different activities to be presented in a way that allows the group to develop its own abilities with little guidance from the facilitators.  It takes the participants out of their usual routine element and challenges them to take part in something new and different.  Experiential education encourages the participants to think outside of the box and allows consideration of all participants and ideas without being judged or ridiculed.

The youth participate in icebreaker activities, which assist with getting to know the basics about their group members and to advance towards deinhibitizer activities, which encourages the youth to go out of the usual realm of conversation and divulge more personal information about themselves.  It also involves teaching the youth appropriate physical proximity and boundary issues.  The group participates in various trust activities to help with building the youths’ self-confidence and bringing the group together as a whole unit. 

One client in particular, Ricky, has seemed to react positively to the groups.  He entered into the Foster Care Program a year ago as a shy, quiet and introverted youth who didn’t want to be bothered by anyone or participate in any activities.  During his time in the program, he has increased his self-worth and has emerged as one of the leaders within the group.  He fully participates in this group and will relate what is transpiring in the group to what he has learned from Family Systems groups.

Recently, Ricky asked what they were going to do in group and the staff’s response to him, in jest, was, “we aren’t doing anything in group, you are running it.”  The staff quickly realized with Ricky’s reaction that they should follow through with it.  Ricky didn’t hesitate to come up with an activity for the group.  He organized the group and explained the presenting scenario and issued the instructions.  He insured the safety of all of the participants and included all group members.  Ricky took the time to make sure that a smaller and younger group member was not only able to fully participate but to succeed in accomplishing the task.

During the debriefing time, Ricky related the principles of the group to the Relationship Sequence and explained how these same principles affect their everyday relationships.  He also encouraged others to speak and made sure that everyone gave feedback.  The group members commended Ricky on how well he instructed and assisted them with achieving the task and how he responded to the challenge. 

Ricky’s willingness to accept the challenge set before him is a true depiction of the importance of working with the youth on an individual and a group level.  Through these sessions Ricky has gained a great deal of self-confidence and self-worth and has taken on more of a leadership role within his life.