News from the Gateway Center Community Advisory Committee

October, 2003

AUTUMN HAS ARRIVED

 

  GATEWAY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
The Gateway Advisory Committee welcomed two new members during their regular monthly meeting on July 17. Donna Dowdy and Francis Perey were elected to join the committee from nominations submitted from the community and the committee.
Mr. Perey is a long-time Louisville resident. He is married and is retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Francis is currently a program volunteer at Gateway Center, and enjoys working with the young people on a weekly basis.
Mrs. Dowdy is a Blount County Commissioner and a Louisville resident. She comes to the committee with an interest in children, in learning more about the Center, and in working with her neighbors in the area. If you would like to contact either of these new members, their information is listed to the left.

  ANDY BLACK IS NEW McNABB PRESIDENT/CEO
William A. "Andy" Black was named President/Chief Executive Officer of the Helen Ross McNabb Center July 1, 2003. He succeeds Ken Badal who retired in March, 2003 after serving 30 years in that role. Andy has a Masters Degree in social work and has worked at McNabb since 1986. Prior to this appointment, Andy was Vice President for Development. He was responsible for the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation, which is a separate fundraising entity of the Center. He was the first Development Director for the Foundation, and during his tenure the Foundation raised over $19 million and built a $4 million endowment fund. His leadership has made friends for the Center and raised awareness of the needs of those with mental illnesses. Andy is married and has two sons.

  DECORATIONS NEEDED!
The Gateway Center is planning a "Festival of Trees" and Open House on December 12 from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. (you will receive more information about this soon). If you have an artificial tree or ornaments and other decorations you no longer need or use, we would love to have them! To donate any of these items or for more information, please call Barbara Davis at 380-5089, ext. 3507.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOUR NAME REMOVED FROM THE "REVERSE 911" CALL LIST OR HAVE QUESTIONS, CALL CAPTAIN JIM LONG AT (865) 273-5041.

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I guess you could say that my view of the Center has changed during my tenure on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee. However, it hasn't been as simple as saying "I opposed it" and now "I am in favor of it." I did oppose the building of the Center in our neighborhood. I did not believe that this farming and residential community was the "right" kind of location for a facility like I expected Gateway to be. Yes, some of my reaction was based on NIMBY ("this is an important service, but Not In My Back Yard"). I know some who will be critical of me for what they see in this as being narrow-minded. If we are honest, all of us will probably admit to making NIMBY decisions under the right circumstances. Power plant? Yes, it is needed, but NIMBY. Toxic waste dump? Yes, we need it, but NIMBY. The Gateway Center was built and now it is IMBY (in my back yard). While I may not be overjoyed by that fact, it is reality, and I can live with it. The building and grounds are not an eyesore.
Since I have been on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee since its formation, I have had a chance to learn a lot about the Gateway Center. I better understand how the Center determines the suitability of a young person for admission - for example, no history of violence and no history of running away. I better understand the "classification" of the youth who have the opportunity to participate in the program at Gateway. I have had a chance to meet the administration and staff at the Center and have been quite impressed. They had a rough start when the Center first opened, but they seemed to learn from their experience and appear to be geared toward continual improvement. I have a general understanding of the course of treatment that the young people go through at the Center, and how a young person might make a the decision to run away. I also now understand that the risk to my family and me from a runaway from Gateway is probably much less than the risk we might run from the random stranger who wanders through our rural community.
While I may never be completely comfortable with the Center's presence - and I appreciate the "reverse 911" calls on those rare instances when a young person decides they just have to go home - I'm not losing any sleep worrying about danger from runaways. I have been pleased with the effort that the Gateway Center has made to be a good neighbor. I do remain concerned about the specter of growth. Some of this fear is calmed by a better understanding of the Gateway Center's philosophy of treatment - personal and small groups; this does not work in a giant "warehouse" facility. I am also a bit more comfortable since I now recognize that the legal structure (contracts and licenses) that permits the Gateway Center to function, as well as the "grandfather clause" that permits the Center to exist in our neighborhood, will not allow it to take on a new expanded mission (such as sex offenders or history of violence) without legal actions that would give the neighborhood the opportunity to raise appropriate objections.
I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to serve on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee - if for no other reason than the fact that the knowledge I have gained while on the Committee has made me more comfortable living down the road from the Gateway Center.

  UPDATE
On Friday, June 13, 2003, a young male who was very discouraged as a result of some news he had received from his Department of Children's Services case manager, ran from the facility. The Blount County Sheriff's Department was contacted, but they did not locate the young man; nor did he return to Gateway. It was later discovered that the young man had planned the event with a friend who waited for him in a car at the bottom of the Gateway Center driveway. The young man has since turned himself back into the custody of the Department of Children's Services and is receiving treatment at another facility. Generally, youths who run from Gateway are not readmitted to the facility.

  REVERSE 911 INFORMATION
There have been a number of questions about the "Reverse 911" communication system used by the Blount County Sheriff's Department. Captain Jim Long attended the September meeting of the Gateway Advisory Committee to help clarify how this communication system works.

• The geographical boundaries of the system are anywhere in Blount County as designated by the Sheriff's office. For Gateway Center communications, it includes households within a one-mile radius of the Center.
• This system is used in any situation in which mass notification of the public is deemed necessary by the Sheriff's office.
• Follow-up calls are to be made when persons missing from Gateway are found. The calls are to be made to the same individuals who received the initial call alerting them to the problem. There have been instances in which this has not happened, but each of those instances have been addressed.
• The call will be sent within minutes of receiving a call from the Center.

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We Respect ourselves and others.
We Encourage ourselves by encouraging others.
Learning is the path to growth.
Accountability helps us keep our lives in check.
Trust is the foundation of relationships.
Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking.
Overcoming obstacles is what builds character.
We all need for our needs to be met in a Nurturing way.
Only when we feel Safe do we allow ourselves to be stretched.
Honesty with ourselves is the first step to honesty with others.
Time is only healing when we are Invested in the process.
The process takes time, which requires Patience.

Our treatment program is based on a system of managing and teaching alternative behaviors. The amount of freedom and privileges a client can earn is based on their behavior throughout each day and night. This is a tangible way for the client to see how they are progressing in their treatment as well as a way to encourage positive behaviors. There are six different steps that include entry, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and rock. Each step is EARNED and starts the minute the client walks in the door.
Upon admission each client earns entry by taking the first step. The length of time spent in each step depends on the client. In order to advance to bronze, a client must complete an introduction/autobiography which must be approved by the therapist and then presented to the Gateway community. He or she must also pass the handbook quiz found at the end of the client handbook. Once this is completed and approved by the therapist, the client will have earned the bronze level. Each step has increasingly challenging requirements before advancement to the next step can occur. "Rock" is the result of a negative choice, and the client must earn his/her way off "Rock" and then begin again at bronze.
The Gateway Center works with adolescents using a TEAM approach. Our treatment team consists of a collection of Gateway Center staff, and meets every Tuesday to discuss every client's progress or lack of progress, treatment objectives, levels, home passes, interventions, etc. Clients receive feedback from treatment team discussions on Wednesday during group therapy.
All clients at Gateway participate in an education program. The Center has a state certified private school. Clients receive credits in six subject areas - math, science, social studies, health, English and physical education. Other subjects may be covered depending on a client's individual need. Gateway also offers preparation for GED classes and testing, and a vocational curriculum for clients who have their high school diplomas or GED.
Recovery is a process, and our program process can be as difficult or as simple as a client chooses to make it. There are two ways to complete our program - a client can successfully complete the program or graduate from the program. In order to successfully complete our program, clients must have sincerely worked and successfully completed goals outlined in the Individualized Treatment Plan (ITP). ITPs are created by the client, parents, and the therapist during intake into the program. ITPs also include discharge criteria which the client must meet. Clients must attain certain program steps and maintain them for a given period of time, and show progress above and beyond expectations in behaviors and treatment work to be eligible for graduation. With graduation, a diploma is issued during an official Gateway Center Graduation Ceremony, and a Gateway Center Gold Medallion is presented.
This is a brief overview of what we do at the Gateway Center. I invite you to visit the facility to get a firsthand view of the day-to-day activities. For a tour or to just stop by for a visit, please call me at 380-5089, ext. 3507.

Thank you,
Barbara Davis
Gateway Center Services Coordinator