MCES frequently received inquiries regarding the incidence of suicide in our service area. Here is what we provided in response to a request regarding county residents aged 65 years and older for the years 2019 to 2023: The statistics used are available from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
This sign was posted on one of the pillars in front of our building for about 30 years and pretty much summed up all you needed to know about MCES. For many years, it was necessary to make it clear that we were not a state or county government organization given that we are located...
We have Comfort Rooms on our inpatient units that patients can use for meditation or just have some quiet time to themselves. From time-to-time, we change the graphic on the wall. Here is how it looks on our North Hall Comfort Room.
Psychoeducation groups are a mainstay of inpatient psychiatric care. They help patients learn more about disorders, symptoms, treatment, and more. The MCES Allied Therapy Department uses this approach to enhance our patients’ suicide prevention skills during and after their stays. Serious mental illness carries high suicide risk. Suicidal behavior accounts for many psychiatric hospitalizations. High...
Each G.I.F.T.S. card offers a supportive message to encourage hope and personal efforts to adopt a mindset and life style conducive to sobriety and recovery. Patients are introduced to the G.I.F.T.S. cards during their inpatient stay and MCES where they are incorporated into their treatment. Here is an example, the message on the “Helping Others”...
MCES has led the way with many program and service initiatives over the years. However, in 2014 it did so in an area far removed from behavioral health care and crisis intervention. MCES staff produced the three-act play “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. The cast made up entirely of MCES employees held performances in Building...
Like any behavioral health provider, especially one that offers inpatient psychiatric care, MCES receives mixed reviews from those it serves. However, sometimes patients go out of their way to let us know how we are doing. That was the case with the patient who gave us this drawing. It was during an art therapy session...
The Community Support Program (CSP) brings together mental health consumers, family members, and behavioral health providers to help adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders have access to resources supporting recovery in the community. The CSP Wheel symbolizes this shared mission, which centers on the eight CSP principles: hope, competence, respect, trust, understanding, wellness,...
MCES is now more than fifty years old but its main building is much older. Building 50 is now well into its eighties. It is home to our crisis center, EMS program, and inpatient unit. Since we took occupancy in 1988, we have done as much as we can to make a structure and layout...
In 2002, an ad hoc group of MCES staff put together a self-help booklet for our COD patients. “My Action Plan for Relapse Prevention” or “MAP” for short, offered worksheets on recognizing triggers, building problem-solving skills, identifying supports, understanding spirituality, and more. Resumption of substance use can lead to recurrence of psychiatric symptoms and rehospitalization,...
