Example of complications that Dignity Center clients experience

By admin | Published: June 25, 2010

At his appointment with me on Wednesday, a long-time client who is on General Assistance–and who receives a $31.50 monthly bus pass for the disabled–said he had good news and bad news.  The good news is that his doctor applied for financial relief from the drug company that manufactures the only drug which is effective in relieving his chronic pain and depression due to the cancer surgery he had.  The drug company agreed to supply him gratis with the drug that costs $1,000 monthly.

The bad news, he reported, is that with the change in Minnesota’s General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), he must go to one of four hospital providers for health coverage.  The catch is that his primary doctor, who is certified to prescribe and monitor the use of this powerful pain medication,  is no longer covered by GAMC.  My client researched all the doctors so certified in the four hospital providers, and they are unable to take on any more such specialized patients.  Most doctors outside these providers who are certified as prescriber/monitors for this drug charge almost $400 per month for these services.  My client’s own doctor has reduced his fee to $200 per month.

My client has already borrowed money to cover his doctor’s monthly payment for April and May and the first week of June ($50).  He desperately needs the balance of June’s bill, before he can approach his doctor to provide him free services in July.  (My client is expecting Social Security Disability Insurance–SSI–to kick in to the tune of $700 per month, which would allow him to retain his doctor.)  Without the services of a certified doctor, my client will no longer receive the free pain medication from the drug company.

The Dignity Center has agreed to pay the doctor $100 as part of the balance of June’s payment.  The client will scrape up the other $50 on his own.   Of course, the Dignity Center is working with this client on a number of other issues (such as securing VA benefits for his three years of military service).  This, however, is one example of the obstacles so many of the sick and poor clients of the Dignity Center face.

Jim G.

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Client poem

By Jane | Published: June 24, 2010

The Dignity Center has helped me in so many ways…

With blessings so I may see brighter days.

My advocate is such a blessing…

I thank you God for showing me a true blessing.

They help so many people here…

I come and see my advocate with blessings, not fear.

God has put many people out there to help you grow…

Even people that you don’t even know.

I must thank this center so very much…

For hearing my cry and giving me that loving touch.

I have reached many goals and some good self esteem…

I know that my advocate knows what I mean.

Thank you advocate so very much for lending your blessing hands…

Now in life I truly understand.

May God bless you all…

In time of need and help,

The Dignity Center is a true place to call.

by P.M.

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Results of the review of case notes from January 1, 2010 to March 1, 2010

By Jane | Published: June 21, 2010

Gail Bergsven, one of the Dignity Center volunteers, reviewed a random sample of 90 case notes and analyzed them for a variety of data including the following:

  • Number of client visits
  • Number of new clients
  • Number of appointments scheduled
  • Number of appointments canceled
  • Number of no-shows
  • Gender of clients
  • Race of clients
  • Age of clients
  • Housing situation of clients
  • Number of clients with current or past alcohol/drug issues, mental health illnesses and/or criminal records
  • Key focus areas clients are working in
  • Distribution of client experience surveys
  • Distribution of Appointment Tracking Forms
  • Case note accuracy and consistency

The following are some of the key findings:

  • During the three month time period, 1025 clients signed in for service. Of that number, 213 were new clients. 773 had appointments and kept them; 99 clients canceled and 226 no-showed.

From the random sample of 90 files:

  • The number of visits clients made to the Dignity Center were as follows: 29 clients made 1 visit; 17 made 2 visits; 14 made 3 visits; 12 made 4 visits 4 made 5 visits; 5 made 6 visits, 4 made 7 visits and 1 client made 9 visits.
  • Of the clients who came, 24 were female and 66 were male.
  • The clients’ race included the following: 59( 66%) were African American; 17 ( 19% were White; 7 (.08%) were Native American; 5 were Hispanic; 1 was Asian and 1 was Israelite.
  • The clients fall in the following age ranges: 17 people were under 30; 13 were between 31-40; 43 ( 48%) were between 41-50; 14 were between 51-60 and 3 were over 60.
  • The housing situation of clients included 41 clients who were renting; 39 clients who were homeless; 4 clients were in transitional housing; 6 clients were staying with a friend or relative.
  • Clients with alcohol/drugs, mental health and/or criminal record issues: 53 ( 60%) of the people indicated that they had or have issues with alcohol and or drugs. 46 ( 50%) of the people indicated that they have mental health issues. 56 ( 62%) indicated that they have criminal record issues. 21 people report having issues with all three barriers to stability: drugs/alcohol, mental health and criminal record. These findings  indicate that the majority of Dignity Center clients face significant, barriers to becoming stabilized. To become stabilized, they need focus, structure and accountability.
  • Key focus areas that clients are working in are as follows: medical 43; housing 39; employment 38; education 38; substance abuse 23; relationships 12; legal 11; financial/income 11; criminal record 1.
  • Key focus areas where clients report making progress as defined by setting goals and taking actions to meet those goals are as follows: medical 25; housing 23; employment 20; education 16; substance abuse 14; relationships 9;financial/income7;legal 4; criminal record 1.

Comments:  I found the results of the case note review to be very interesting and revealing for future program planning. Issues that the Dignity Center needs to account for in planning are the following:

  • Educating the Advocates about the three significant barriers to client stability: alcohol and drug issues and referral sources; mental health issues and referral resources; and criminal record issues and referral resources.
  • Setting up a system of rewards for clients who stick with their plan and make progress.
  • Emphasizing the importance of a consistent relationship with an advocate in order for clients to make progress on goals.
  • Helping Advocates design small achievable steps for clients on the way to reaching larger goals.
  • Set expectations of “success” realistically for what is possible for clients to achieve.

Ann C.

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Bananarama!

By Jane | Published: June 14, 2010

Martha and Jim Glass bring the Dignity Center food and supplies from Hope for the City, a relief organization that collects corporate surpluses and donates them to people in need. These supplies can be much needed and appreciated items such as bottled water for our clients, or fun items that make us laugh. The other day I found Kristyn packaging up these candies:

Jane B.

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Marcus got into housing…a huge achievement

By Jane | Published: June 11, 2010

Marcus announced that he just found out that People Inc. had found him an apartment and he would be able to move in July 1. He was estatic and so was I.

I have been working with Marcus for 18 months to help him get into housing.  In the meantime, he has been staying on the Special Needs floor of the Salvation Army shelter.  ( The Special Needs floor is for people with mental illness or physical disabilities)  Marcus has several significant barriers to getting into housing.  They are as follows:

  • He has a felony sex abuse conviction on his record
  • He has several evictions on his record
  • He has a major mental illness
  • He has a record of chemical dependency in his past
  • He has no job bringing in money to pay for rent

During the time I have known Marcus, he had been turned down by 10 housing organizations.  As you can imagine, he was very discouraged and angry.  He said to me often, “I know I screwed up in the past, but I’m really working on getting my life back together.  Doesn’t that count for something?”  I assured him that working on getting his life back together did “count for something.”  In fact, proving that he is dealing with his various barriers is probably the main thing that contributed to him being accepted for housing now.   The changes that Marcus has made in his life are as follows:

  • He’s completed psychological treatment for the sex abuse
  • He’s completed treatment for chemical dependency.
  • He’s taken a financial management class to deal with his credit and money management problems
  • He’s going to college full time to become trained as a computer repair specialist.
  • He’s taking his medications to treat his mental illness

Marcus has done all that he can do to prove to “society” that he isn’t a risk to other people and can live in an apartment without being a risk to others.

I celebrated Marcus’ achievement with him by writing up an achievement card and putting it up on Dignity Center’s “Achievement Wall.”

Ann C.

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Case Note Training

By Jane | Published: June 10, 2010

Last week the dignity center was closed so that the advocates could spend time learning how to take better case notes. It was helpful, at least to me, and should make a huge difference when we look through a client’s file to help identify exactly how we can best serve them. We were taught to write a “story” of the person’s situation. This week Ann reinforced the lesson by having us review our files at the end of the morning, after we’d seen our clients for the day. I was surprised to see that even with the training, I still missed giving a detailed picture of one of my clients. It had been a busy morning and I had rushed with that person. Hopefully next time I’ll be more thorough both with my case notes and with my time with clients.

Jane B.

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More client experience survey comments from Spring 2010

By Jane | Published: June 5, 2010

I liked my experience with Jevetta! She was very kind and nice and she gave me the information that I needed.
Rob is extremely kind & understanding. I was blessed to be paired with him and to receive the services from the DC.
God Bless you all!
Don’t ever stop this program!  It helps people who need to find employment.
Thank you for expressing the emotions of understanding.
Very comfortable, showed sincere concern & helped me with my personal needs.
Jane is a wonderful & caring mentor. I feel good about my goals we have set for my future.
Rob was very helpful when I needed an ear & he showed me compassion.
I always feel good when I come to the DC. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me.
The staff at the DC are truly caring people.
This is a very resourceful place with good people.
Rev. Jim is awesome!
Brad was a lot of help & very understanding
Kathy was very kind.
Very resourceful, patient and attentive with me.
Respectful, polite and very friendly.
I am sooooooo grateful for you all!
I was somewhat awed at all of the help that the DC gives people.
I am grateful for the DC’s help for making me become self sufficient. Now I can be an asset to those around me.
Very helpful in different programs and things I needed but was not really to admit to.

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Coming around the bend again and again….

By Jane | Published: June 5, 2010

Chemical Dependency is a terrible disease.  Some people compare it to having a monkey on your back that you can’t quite shake off.   And so it is with Newt, an on again and off again Dignity Center client for 8 years

Recently, Newt came into the Dignity Center after a break of 18 months.  I hadn’t seen Newt for a couple of years because he had become stabilized…He was clean and sober, had an apartment and had gotten into MCTC college where he was attending full time.

Over the years, I have worked with him to help him regain stability at least two previous times. But it seems like he can’t quite hold it together for longer than 18 months to two years before he gets involved in old patterns of behavior, which leads to chemical use and other dire consequences in his life.  Right now, the dire consequences are that he is homeless…again; back in chemical dependency treatment…again; and rethinking how he got to this place…again.

So, when I saw him the other day, he said that he wanted to get his life back together again and have a positive lifestyle.  I asked him what would make this time different, compared with the other times he had regained stability.  He said that when he tried to become clean and sober in the past, he really didn’t change his lifestyle, choose new friends, and engage in new and different activities for fun.  He continued associating with the people he always associated with when he got high.  In time, he gave in to the temptation of using again.   He said that this time he is tired of always having trauma and drama in his life, and he wants to live a more quiet life style.

God always gives people second and third and four hundred and forty four chances to reform their lives. So, we shall see if Newt can grab onto the chance to renew his life that God is providing him.

Ann C.

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The Dignity Center: an ecumenical endeavor

By Jane | Published: June 1, 2010

As a retired UM pastor who has been active in ecumenical circles for over 30 years, and as a volunteer advocate at the Dignity Center, I have been pleased at the broad ecumenical background of a number of advocates. The majority of advocates are Methodists, but more and more we are coming from other backgrounds, such as Unitarian, Lutheran, Presbyterian, UCC and no particular denomination or religion. Goodwill is not restricted to one denomination, to one religion or to religious types. I very much enjoy volunteering beside each one of them.

Jim G.

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What do clients think about the Dignity Center???

By Jane | Published: May 28, 2010

When clients complete their interview with the Advocate, they are asked to fill out a simple survey that has a few questions about their experience with the program.  We ask about simple demographics such as sex, race, age. We ask how they heard about the Dignity Center Program.  We also ask about whether they were treated with respect and dignity.  There is a space for the person to write a comment about their experience.  Surprisingly, many people do write comments.  What you read below is a sampling of client comments. We will be posting these for the next several weeks.

The most important “services” the Dignity Center volunteers provide are  listening, empathy, respect, structure and referrals and lack of judgment.  Aren’t all of these qualities of God’s Love which Advocates are sharing through their relationships with Dignity Center Guests?

Ann C.

CLIENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY COMMENTS
Spring 2010

People at the DC are kind & very sensitive to your feelings.
I would like to thank George & all of the advocates that work at the DC.
God Bless Muria for listening to my problems.
Great & Concerned people!
Very caring and respectful. Outlook positive & very informative.
Jane B. is always caring & concerned. Her mannerism is very professional and very welcoming.
This place is a blessing to come to.
I don’t know what I would do without this place.
Rev. Jim is a great person to talk to. He gives me confidence & support.
Nice people with lots of respect.
Ann Carlson is always helpful. She helps me with my needs and encourages me to do better and make appointments.
This organization teaches us to be responsible by adding structure to our daily lives.  I deeply appreciate the work that is done here!
I love being treated like a human being.
I will tell other people about the GED.
Today everything felt well organized & on time.
I’m getting there, but I need more patience.
I love the staff here.
Dignity is so important, especially self-dignity!
May is always warm, caring & helpful. I am blessed to know her.
The people here are great!

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