An Update From Our Executive Director

The past few months have gone by so quickly yet it feels like a lifetime ago when we had some normalcy. We feel the frustration and uncertainty. There has been so much focus on staying safe, being well, taking precautions and although this has been important and necessary, I want to focus on positives.

Looking back over the past year there have been so many amazing things that have taken place at CBH Care. I would like to share with you, our loyal friends and supporters, the hardworking staff that have kept our organization going and thriving. While there have been some disappointments along the way, such as cancelling our Culinary Adventure and Golf Outing, our two biggest fundraisers, there were just as many notable acts that have taken place.

CBH Care is an amazing team that has shown perseverance and resilience at this most trying time. This was most evident during the pandemic when programs such as Community Support Services never missed a visit with the people they serve, often delivering medication, food and other essential items needed by our consumers. Our Residential staff, our unsung heroes, worked in residences where there was active Covid-19. At the height of the crisis, there were CBH Care staff who volunteered to work in the settings that were most impacted by this devastating illness. Each day, these heroes came to work, never losing sight of our mission and their responsibility to the people we serve.

The pandemic took everyone by surprise, yet our motivated staff in all programs were able to switch to Telehealth services in a seamless fashion, thus never losing connection with our consumers. Our Outpatient Department and the Wellness and Support Center have remained open throughout the crisis, providing much needed mental health counseling through both Telehealth and in person appointments when preferred by the consumer.

At CBH Care, we are focusing on the safe return of staff and consumers. We have added many safety precautions, including visitor and employee health screenings, kiosks upon entering the office to check temperatures, installation of automatic faucets and paper towels in the bathrooms, social distancing measures, the addition of plexiglass partitions between staff desks, and many other necessary modifications to ensure the safety of our consumers and staff.

We have successfully brought many of our consumers back to our Adult Partial Care and Geriatric Partial programs, again with safety measures and supervised social distancing. Our consumers are grateful to be back and taking part in their programs with staff who are an integral part of their lives. The pandemic made clear how very important programs such as these are to providing a vital support network to those living with serious mental illness.

CBH Care has been an integral part of the community for over 50 years and I am confident that we will be here for a long time to come. We have proven that our commitment to our consumers, our staff, and the larger community are stronger than ever.

We are proud of who we are and what we have accomplished.

Be safe and stay healthy,
Susan Devlin, MA, LPC
Executive Director