Exclusive Interview… - Trinitas Hospital

CREATING PARTNERSHIPS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTThe Department of Behavioral Health& Psychiatry also performs a valuableservice in continuing education andsupport. Each year, the departmentconducts a wide variety of seminarsdesigned to bring expert speakersand researchers to share their insightswith members of the department aswell as outside mental health professionalsand those in community agencieswho serve those with behavioralproblems.Partnerships with the United Way offeron-site training and consultation atpre-schools and day care centers inUnion County. Early childhood professionalslearn behavior managementtechniques and gain insight intoidentifying worsening symptoms thatmay require further treatment.Data shows that children set hundredsof potentially deadly fires each yearin New Jersey. To provide educationand to heighten awareness of thisproblem, the Department ofBehavioral Health & Psychiatry hosteda workshop in conjunction with theUnion County Children’s Inter-AgencyCoordinatingCouncil. Theseminar includedtopics such asfire settingtrends, risk factors,assessmenttechniques andtreatment optionsavailable in thecounty.Monthly GrandRound Sessionsdraw a multi-disciplinaryaudiencewho benefit fromthe knowledgeand expertise ofprofessionalswell-versed ondiverse topics. From discussions onthe impact of aging on the family tomore complex research-oriented programsabout opioid (pain-killer)dependence among adolescents, anddual diagnosis of developmental disabilityand mental illness, theDepartment of Behavioral Health &Psychiatry is a valuable resource ofinformation for thelayman as well asthe mental healthpractitioner.Lisa Marsch, PhD, Senior Principal Investigator in the Centerfor Drug Use and HIV Research and authority on opioiddependency, exchanged observations about the epidemic ofpain killer abuse among adolecents with Brian Boyle, MS,Clinical Coordinator, and Romulo Aromin, MD, Chief of theAdolescent Substance Abuse Program, following her recentseminar presentation.Support Organization of UnionCounty, weekly support groups arealso held for parents and caregiversof children with behavioral healthneeds.Partnerships with the Union CountyProsecutor’s Office enable staff atTrinitas to support more effectivelythose who are victims and perpetratorsof domestic violence.Photographed at a professional program that exploredHuman Trafficking were Theodore J. Romankow, Prosecutorof Union County, James Lape, Vice President, BehavioralHealth & Psychiatry, Terrence Coonan, Executive Director,Florida State University, Center for the Advancement ofHuman Rights.10 HEALTHYEDGETrinitas Hospitaldemonstrates sensitivityto the family byhosting supportgroups, includingmonthly NationalAlliance for theMentally Ill (NAMI)support groups heldon site as well asperiodic 12-weekfamily educationclasses. In conjunctionwith the FamilyDinorah Frontera, Psy.D, providesinsights into behavioral health of preschoolersin a well-attended seminar forchild care professionals.