Pictured left to right: Melissa Lucy presents to the Board of Supervisors in Bedford, Appomattox, and Amherst Counties.

Over the last two months, Melissa Lucy, Chief Executive Officer, has met with the local Board of Supervisors in the Counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, and the Lynchburg City Council to report on Horizon's many accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2022, including the exciting news of Horizon's recent 3-year accreditation by CARF, International. Many Board Members expressed their enthusiasm and support for Horizon's vision of a Crisis Receiving Center (CRC), as well as their sincere appreciation for our organization and the services we provide in their communities. 

Many Board Members expressed their enthusiasm and support for Horizon's vision of a Crisis Receiving Center (CRC), as well as their sincere appreciation for our organization and the services we provide in their communities. 

Pictured left to right: Melissa Lucy presents to the Board of Supervisors in Campbell County and the Lynchburg City Council.

Horizon also recently hosted Nelson Smith, the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. During his visit, we had the opportunity to expound on many new initiatives and key programs Horizon has undertaken to meet the needs of our community, as well as highlight key partnerships that have propelled the growth and effectiveness of those programs.

In the Commissioner’s weekly message, he shared “Now that the General Assembly has wrapped up its regular session, I am starting to travel more to meet partners and providers throughout Virginia. Last week, I visited Horizon Behavioral Health in Lynchburg. It was a pleasure to sit down with staff to learn more about the work they are doing. Support from important partners, such as law enforcement and Liberty University, is representative of the good work Horizon is doing in its community. Thank you for taking the time to welcome me.” 

JANUARY

Physical Plants & Facilities

FEBRUARY

School Based

MARCH

Intermediate Care

Horizon's Physical Plants and Facilities, School Based and Intermediate Care Teams were celebrated in a special way this quarter in recognition of their hard work and the valuable role they play in our organization. Members of Horizon's Executive Leadership sincerely enjoyed the opportunity to meet with team members, share a few laughs and a special treat to say 'thank you' for all they do. If you haven't done so already, please take some time to learn more about the exceptional work these teams undertake and their recent achievements by reading more on Inside Horizon.

We are proud to recognize 51 individuals who celebrated a milestone service anniversary with Horizon in 2022! On behalf of the Executive Leadership Team, we’d like to publicly thank each recipient for being such a valuable member of our team and for choosing Horizon to pursue your career in public service. We are so proud to have you as part of our Horizon family, knowing you have worked hard for this accomplishment, and we truly appreciate your dedication.



We applaud the determination and effort you have demonstrated during your time with us and look forward to seeing all the great things we know you will accomplish in the coming years!

Tracy Asher, Verification Specialist

Beulah Bolden, Clinician – Licensed

Jarel Brown, Forensic Clinician – Licensed

Shawnice Garrett, Residential Technician

Sachiko Peters, Case Manager

Shanna Stetson, Residential Technician

Kelly Baldwin, Social Worker – QIDP

Denise Brown, Case Manager

Lindy Cash, Team Leader

Sarah Elliott, School-Based Clinician – Licensed

Kathy Garraghty, Residential Technician

Tiffany Jones, Case Manager

Heather Marshall, Administrative Coordinator

Sharon Mayhew, Health Information Technician

Stephanie O’Conner, Case Manager

Dana Slaughter, Residential Technician

Elizabeth Ball, Case Management Team Leader

Loretta Cabell, Cook at Women's Recovery Residence

Sonya Cook, Health Information Technician

Ethan Cooper, Forensic Clinician - Licensed

Jackie Martin, Food Services Manager

Katherine Kelley, School Based Case Manager

Katherine was hired on October 23, 1997,

as a Clinician with the Therapeutic Day Treatment Program. Katherine became credentialed as a Qualified Mental Health Professional in 2018. Katherine has invested her career working with youth in our communities. 

Currently, Katherine is a School-Based Case Manager.  

Angela Vaughn, Clinical Coordinator

On January 6, 1997, Angie was hired as a Home-based/Outpatient Therapist. In 2001, she was promoted to Clinical Coordinator. She then transferred to a Team Leader position in Horizon's Outpatient Department. Angie earned her LPC in 2001. Currently, Angie is a Clinical Coordinator at the Bedford Wellness Center, where she also serves as the Location Manager for the Bedford location.

More Horizon employees are proud to share the following successes as a result of their participation in the program.

“I believe participating in the Diabetes Prevention Program is one of the best things I'm doing for myself right now! The program is thorough, motivating, and fun, and it holds us accountable as far as our weight and activity. The participants provide lots of support, and my A1c has already decreased! I'm so glad I joined.” 

“This program came at a timely moment in my life, as I was already focusing on dropping my LDL (low-density lipoprotein) numbers. In June they were about 50+/-points higher than what they should be. Since then, my numbers have dropped 49 points per blood work results in late December 2022. I believe because I joined this program I have been incentivized to work with others on a similar goal, and that has driven me to be more focused on my diet and my exercise.” 

“I have lost about 4 pounds and have learned so much about choosing healthy food options while still being able to eat the foods I love. I've been able to set goals for myself weekly, big or small, to keep me motivated. We've been given tools such as food scales, pedometers, scales, blood pressure monitors and more to help keep us on track. The program has been life changing and I'm grateful that we've been given this opportunity to better ourselves in all aspects.” 

In August 2022, Horizon was awarded The Grant to Benefit Homeless Individuals (GBHI) by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to implement a program for homeless adolescents and young adults, ages 18 through 25.

Since then, Horizon began accepting referrals to the GBHI program in December 2022, and has been hard at work providing outreach and engagement in the community while also linking eligible individuals and their families to screening and same-day assessment, treatment, case management, peer recovery support, and locating permanent housing, among other specialty services. In just a short time, over 21 individuals have been engaged with the program, 5 individuals received immediate transitional housing, and 11 individuals have been permanently housed.

Needless to say, the GBHI team at Horizon is excited to offer this program. Horizon Case Manager, Dana Jackson, shares “I’m passionate about this program because I love helping people. Everyone has had a time in their life where they have been down on their luck, and people just need a second chance. To me, this grant is an awesome opportunity to give them that – to help them get what they need and get back on their feet.” Horizon Project Director, Joe Girandola, explains that the team is committed to prioritizing access and awareness of this program through continued outreach efforts. “The fact that this grant provides us with the resources and staff to ‘get the word out’ helps us ensure residents in the City as well as in our rural counties know this program exists to support them wherever they are in their journey.” Horizon Data Entry Technician and Administrative Assistant, Merry Barth, also says she is looking forward to all that is to come over the course of the program’s 5-year lifespan. “Since I was a little kid, this kind of work has always been an important aspect of my life and being able to offer this service to others in a professional context has been a fantastic experience so far. I am really looking forward to the next few years.”

Over the next 5-years, the GBHI program will continue to be a resource for adolescents, and their families, with housing needs who have a mental health diagnosis, substance use disorder, or a co-occurring diagnosis.

Horizon’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Program is well underway, thanks to funding from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The goal of the program is to help individuals with a Severe Mental Illness (SMI) secure and maintain affordable housing with coordinated access to services, provided by Horizon, to ensure successful tenancy and reduce the severity of mental illness symptoms and medical complications.

Having successfully housed the program’s first participant in September 2022, the PSH Team shares more about their experience bringing this program to life over the past few months, including the hard work that goes into the special moment when a client walks into their own home for the first time. “Not only do we get to be there alongside them throughout their time spent in the program, but we are also certified to help with the house inspection process, then we clean, decorate, and help the client furnish the house to get them started.” Says the team.

This program is especially unique because individuals with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) who are enrolled do not time out of the program. Meaning, they can continue to receive support from the program indefinitely, if they so need. To date, the program has received approximately 30 referrals, engaged 19 individuals, provided 3 individuals with a temporary residence, and located permanent housing for 8 individuals.

The team supports each client at every step of the program, from the day they pack up their tent off of the frosty, cold ground to the day they sign their first lease and beyond. “Sometimes they are so happy, they cry, and it is a very emotional moment for them and for us.” Shares the PSH team. In these milestone moments, the response they hear from clients most often is “it’s too good to be true!”

Horizon’s Project Link Program continues to expand as we serve pregnant and postpartum women with children in early developmental years (approximate ages 0-4), who have a substance use disorder or at risk of developing a substance use disorder. The program also serves men who are in a primary caretaking role. The Project Link Team is continuing to develop relationships within the community by providing education and resources.

Shiloh Martin, Horizon Project Link Coordinator, says “What makes me excited about this program is that we have the ability to come alongside someone and support them from all angles, whether that means exploring barriers more deeply to find solutions or being able to connect them to resources that are available to women specifically in our community. By helping them find out what resources are available to them, we’re able to take one more thing off their plate so that they can focus on maintaining their own mental health, their sobriety, and caring for their family.”

As of January 2023, the Horizon program is fully staffed, to include an Adult Psychiatric Provider, Program Coordinator, 2 Case Managers, a Childcare Provider, and a Peer Recovery Specialist. All team members have undergone training in Seeking Safety and Nurturing Parenting, evidenced based modalities for providing care to their clients.

The team is doing an excellent job of tailoring services to meet the needs of women, and their families, in the program by providing evidenced-based treatment, offering home visiting options, identifying and bridging gaps in services, providing intensive case management and peer supports, as well as linkage to community resources and education. “I want the work that I do to be meaningful, and to be a part of a program like Project LINK allows me to affect, in some small way, the lives of mothers and their children. For me, it doesn’t get much more meaningful than that!”, shares Amanda Page, Horizon Case Manager. Many of the team members are also able to relate to their clients in a special way. “Because I share their lived experience, it feels great to be able to relate to the barriers that they are encountering,” explains Katelyn Windsor, Horizon Peer Recovery Specialist. “To be on the other end of what they’re going through helps me reinforce the belief in them that the success they’re searching for is attainable.” Marie Cassell, Horizon Case Manager adds “As a parent of someone who has struggled with a substance use disorder, I want to bring hope to the ladies that we serve and remind them that they can do it!” Charmaine Franklin provides a service, unique to the Project Link Program, as a Child Care Provider. She says she is glad to be in a position “to help parents find childcare that wouldn’t otherwise have it.”

Since the program opened in July 2022, two individuals have already been successfully discharged. Meanwhile, the program currently continues to serve 39 clients. Up next for the Project Link Team, is the launch of a weekly virtual group, ‘Healthy Lives Healthy Minds’, which will be available to program clients, utilizing the Seeking Safety evidence-based model. 

For more news and information about Horizon, visit the News section of Inside Horizon to keep up with the latest updates!

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Questions or comments regarding content in this newsletter?

Contact Gabriella.Smith@Horizonbh.org