Healthy Minds Network
The Wellness Coalition has been serving for 10 months as a member of the Healthy Minds Network (HMN) Community Integration Work Group. The HMN is a group of community agencies and individuals organized by Envision 2020 in conjunction with AUM Outreach, to work on access to mental health services, especially in the criminal justice system. The Community Integration Work Group made recommendations that included providing Mental Health First Aid, developing a Community Mental Health Officer program, an electronic case management application to aid referrals and access to treatment, and development of a central facility for crisis care. We are proud to have been a part of this process and look forward to seeing the ideas come to fruition to improve the lives of persons with mental illness and their families in our community.
Bernell Mapp Retirement
Mr. C. Bernell Mapp, long-time CEO of Health Services, Inc., retired in late October. Mr. Mapp was instrumental in development of The Wellness Coalition, as one of the original partners establishing the organization in 1999 and incorporating us as a 501(c)(3) in June of 2002. He has served in numerous roles on the Board over the years–Chairperson, Treasurer, and others. Following his retirement, Mr. Mapp is enjoying traveling (RV-ing) with his wife Amy, fishing, and camping. We are thrilled, however, that he was elected by the Board to a Representative-at-Large position and will continue to work with us as an active Board member.
Governor Bentley’s Health Care Improvement Task Force
Our Executive Director Cynthia Bisbee was nominated by the Alabama Primary Health Care Association (APHCA) and was selected to serve on the Health Care Improvement Task Force, and serves on its Quality of Care subcommittee. The task force has been meeting for 9 months and is finalizing recommendations to the governor. The task force has issued a white paper on filling the health insurance coverage gap, among other recommendations.
Grant for Diabetes Self-Management Education
The Wellness Coalition has recently received a grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) to implement a project to develop recognition/certification as a provider of Diabetes Self-Management Education. We have elected to become recognized by the American Diabetes Association and have established a DMSE work team to implement the program. We will be developing a curriculum and a program manual, and providing classes and individual self-management education for persons with diabetes, as well as diabetes self-management support through our Wellness Case Management program. Ghandi Williams serves as the Program Manager; and our nurse consultant Anne Hamner, RN will be working on the curriculum, training options for staff, and instruction. Other team members are case managers Joshlynn Edwards and Veronica Warren and Data Assistant Jennifer Smith. We will also be establishing an advisory council for the project.