Phone Directory
About the Sheriff
Directions
SHERIFFS OFFICE NEWS


Canine
Central Communications
Chief Deputy
    Community Policing     
Concealed Carry
Corrections / Jail
Court Services
Curfews
EMPLOYMENT
Detective Bureau
Drug Awareness
FORECLOSURES
Fraud Schemes
History of SO
Internet Crimes
Jail Visitation
Marine Patrol
Mental Health Services
Mental Health Court
MOST WANTED
Public Records
Revenue Generated
Road Patrol
SWAT
Sex Offenders
SHERIFF SALES
Support Services
TOWNSHIPS
Victim Assistance
Lake County

 
Internet Safety
For Kids and Parents

Lake County Jail Mental Health Services
Wendy Scanlon /  Matt Kocsis  /  Julie Kalina-Hammond
Mental Health Counselors NEIGHBORING 

        The jail system has two full-time Mental health Consultants and a part-time psychiatrist employed by Neighboring.  These two mental health counselors are responsible for the screening of incoming prisoners for significant psychological issues and illnesses, whether it be from depression, suicide risk, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders or any other form of psychological illness or distress.  They screen and prioritize those inmates needing to see the psychiatrist who may evaluate them a determine a treatment which includes possible medications.  The counselors also supervise the placements of inmates into the designated mental health/special needs housing unit.  Further, they respond to inmates in mental health crises, as well as monitoring the status of inmates on the mental health caseload, including those referred by the Lake County Courts.

About the Staff

Wendy Scanlon, MSSA, LSW has been with Neighboring since April 2003.  She earned her Associates degree from Lakeland Community College, her Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from lake Erie College, and her Master's Degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University.    She interned in sentencing mitigation, probation, case management and group counseling.

Matt Kocsis, MSW, LSW has been with Neighboring since June 2006. He earned his Master of Social Work Degree from Cleveland State University. Before coming to Neighboring and the Lake County Jail he was employed with Bellefaire JCB providing in home therapy to “at risk youth” and Community Re-Entry providing adult re-entry services to the formally incarcerated.

Julie Kalina-Hammond, MSSA, LISW, CCDC has been with neighboring since May of 2000,  She serves as the team leader and supervisor for Neighboring's Criminal Justice team.  She also serves as the treatment manager for the Lake County Mental Health Court under Judge Trebets.  She earned her Master's degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University.

Maureen O'Hara, B.S., M.A. serves as the Community Liaison for the WITTS program (Women in Transition Through Support).  Maureen has been with Neighboring since March of 2006.  She earned her Bachelor's and master's degrees in Criminal Justice from the University of Toledo.  She also interned with federal Pretrial and the Toloedo Correctional institute.
 

2009 Annual Report – Neighboring Mental Health Services

Consultants and a part-time psychiatrist employed by Neighboring.  These two mental health counselors are responsible for the screening of incoming prisoners for significant psychological issues and illnesses, whether it be from depression, suicide risk, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders or any other form of psychological illness or distress.  They screen and prioritize those inmates needing to see the psychiatrist who may evaluate them a determine a treatment which includes possible medications.  The counselors also supervise the placements of inmates into the designated mental health/special needs housing unit.  Further, they respond to inmates in mental health crises, as well as monitoring the status of inmates on the mental health caseload, including those referred by the Lake County Courts.

            The staff within the mental health department has remained the same throughout the year.  There continues to be two mental health consultants (MHC) present at the jail five days a week in addition to a psychiatrist that comes to the jail once a week for four hours.   Although the staffing remains the same, the responsibilities of the MHC’s has changed slightly to include more community linkage of consumers to mental health agencies upon release from jail.  In addition, MHC’s have taken on the responsibility of completing court ordered mental health evaluations that are required before release, a responsibility that was once the duty of the jail diversion specialist.

             The mental health staff received a total of 1,526 referrals in 2009, which were 40 more referrals than in 2008.  It is important to mention that many of the referrals received were on some of the same individuals and that just because mental health staff received 1,526 referrals that does not necessarily mean that there were 1,526 different people referred. Figure 1 shows the distribution of referral sources for the year of 2008 as well as 2009.  While the total number of referrals for the year has increased, perhaps the most notable increase is in the area of emails, while the most obvious decrease was in referrals made by correctional staff through word of mouth or hand written referrals. One possible explanation for this may be that correctional staff are sending more referrals via email as opposed to hand written referrals or verbal requests.  Mental health staff continues to receive a majority of referrals through inmate request forms.  Although MHC’s received more emailed referrals than verbal or handwritten referrals from correctional staff this year, emails and verbal/hand written referrals continue to be the most common referral sources after inmate request forms.  The rest of the referrals received came from “other” sources, the Jail Treatment Program (JTP), community mental health agencies, medical staff and probation officers (PO), respectively.  The number of inmate request forms, referrals from medical staff and handwritten/verbal referrals from correctional staff declined while referrals from community mental health agencies, JTP and PO’s increased.  The most significant increases were in the area of emails and referrals from “other” sources, which includes referrals from family members, phone calls, attorneys, courts, etc., which was also the case in 2008.

            Figure 2 compares the reasons for referral between 2008 and 2009.  In addition to the total number of referrals for the year increasing, the percentage of people who wanted to speak with a MHC, needed cleared for jail placement by an MHC, or needed evaluated by an MHC increased as well in comparison to 2008 (sixty-six percent of total referrals in 2008 compared to seventy percent in 2009).  The percentage of those requesting to see the psychiatrist regarding medications remained the same in 2009 at twenty-five percent.  Although the percentage of the total referrals made for suicide risk remained the same for both years, at five percent, the actual number of referrals for suicide risk decreased by twenty two in the year 2009.  Two referrals were received requesting anger management, a group that was discontinued in March of 2008 due to lack of willing participants.

             Dr. Ruth Martin M.D. saw a total of 135 different people a total of 318 times, that is thirty-eight less people and forty-six less visits than in 2008. The total number of non face to face consultations was four, which was a decrease of three compared to 2008.  A total of 95.8 hours was spent face to face with clients compared to 100.2 hours last year.  There was psychiatric coverage for 45 out of 52 weeks, which is one week more than in 2008, in addition, Dr. Martin came to the jail at one other time on an emergency basis.  There were twelve individuals who were referred for emergency admission to a medical/mental health facility (pink slipped), which is three less than in 2008, however, one individual was pink slipped on two occasions bringing the total number of emergency admissions requested to thirteen.

             Figure 3 shows the most recent medications prescribed as well as how often they were prescribed, however this does not include medications that were discontinued.  There were eight instances, compared to twelve cases in 2008, where people were seen but were not prescribed psychotropic medications.  The most common medications prescribed were anti-psychotics which was not the case in 2008 when anti-depressants/anti-anxiety medications were the most common medications prescribed.  In 2009, forty-three percent of medications prescribed were antipsychotics compared to thirty-five percent in 2008.  This was followed by anti-depressants/anti-anxiety at thirty-four percent compared to thirty-seven percent in 2008, and anti-convulsants/mood stabilizers at twenty three percent compared to twenty-five percent in 2008.  It is important to note that many of the anti-psychotic medications may also be used for the treatment of mood disorders and that an increase in the use of anti-psychotic medications does not necessarily indicate an increase in psychotic disorders.

            Figure 4 illustrates the type of diagnoses as well as the frequency that it was given.   There were a total of 298 actual diagnoses given compared to 370 in 2008, with many individuals receiving more than one diagnosis.  There was one individual who received no diagnosis at all, compared to three in 2008.  Mood disorders continue to be the disorder most frequently diagnosed.  The second most common diagnosis was in the category of substance abuse/dependency, which was also the case in 2008 when substance abuse diagnoses accounted for twenty-eight percent of total diagnoses given.  In 2009 that percentage decreased to twenty two percent.  Personality Disorders continue to be the third most used diagnosis, but the frequency it was given increased six percent in comparison to 2008.  Psychotic disorders were the fourth in frequency given followed by anxiety disorders, which was also the case in 2008.  There were no diagnoses of adjustment disorders given in 2009.  The number of learning disabled diagnoses in combination with diagnoses of developmentally disabled rose from three in 2008 to seven in 2009.

            Figure 5 illustrates that sixty-nine percent of those who received mental health services were residents of Lake County,  compared to sixty-five percent of the sample in 2008 (See Figure 5).  Within Lake County, the majority of individuals receiving mental health services were residents of Painesville, followed by Mentor, the same as in 2008 (See Figure 6).  As was the case in 2008 the majority of individuals who received psychiatric services were Caucasian males, followed by Caucasian females.  Although the number of Caucasian females seen by the psychiatrists was less in 2009 compared to 2008, the percentage of Caucasian females rose to thirty percent compared to twenty-five percent in 2008 when taking into consideration the entire population seen by the psychiatrist for each year.  In addition, the percentage of African American males seen by the psychiatrist decreased by three percent in 2009 and the percentage of African American females also decreased by two percent.  There were no Hispanic males seen in 2009 and there was one Hispanic female seen (See Figure 7).

            Overall the data continues to show a need for mental health services within this growing population.  Last year mental health staff set a goal to focus more on development and implementation of discharge planning for the severely mentally ill, while continuing to focus primarily on providing crisis intervention to the inmates at the Lake County Jail.  Staff plans to continue this goal into 2010 as such planning is desperately needed.

2008 Annual Report – Neighboring Mental Health Services

2007 Annual Report – Neighboring Mental Health Services

 2006 Annual Report – Neighboring Mental Health Services