A new McLean County program aims to support smooth transitions from around-the-clock mental health care to independent living.
Carle BroMenn Medical Center developed its intensive outpatient program [IOP] called “Journey" in Normal based on a similar initiative at Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria.
“Having an IOP option allows us to offer patients a way to more easily transition back to their daily lives before they found themselves in crisis," said Heather Hintz, executive director of Carle Behavioral Health, in a statement. "They receive more intensive and frequent treatment while also having some level of independence and return to their daily routine."
The program is offered for adult patients referred from Carle BroMenn's Behavioral Health Unit. A psychiatrist from the program evaluates whether more structured IOP treatment is a good fit for their needs compared to traditional weekly outpatient care.
Social worker and manager of Carle BroMenn's Therapist Services and Program Development, Wendi Ashford, said participants attend sessions from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We have counseling groups, we have educational groups, we have yoga [and] we have meditation,” Ashford said.
Those receiving outpatient services from the Behavioral Health and Adult Psychiatry practice at the Carle BroMenn Outpatient Center are also eligible for Journey and were among the first to participate in the program earlier this year. Support staff includes licensed clinical therapists, counselors and doctors from Carle's mental health and addiction recovery teams.
Ashford said the program was brought to Normal due to difficulty commuting to Peoria to the program at Carle Health Methodist Hospital.
“We would refer some of the patients from our community over there, but sometimes the patients wouldn’t make it because of lack of transportation or just not wanting to go out of their community,” Ashford said.
Ashford said the Journey IOP program was attractive to the alternative: attending online sessions through a program based in Chicago.
“When you’re dealing with different things going on in your life, it is a journey—it’s not overnight. We are welcoming to people within Carle or outside people to come in and just be a part of our program,” Ashford said.
Ashford said the program has been impactful to participants so far, and she looks forward to seeing continued growth as word spreads about Journey in Bloomington-Normal.
“They come in and they’re there for a week or two, then they say, ‘Can I get an extension?’" she said. "The program is six weeks, but they want to know if they can come longer than six weeks, so they seem to be enjoying it a lot."
