Approximately 254 individuals completed the GADDSS survey on behalf of themselves or their loved ones participating in DD services at the CSB of Middle Georgia in FY2018. This survey is broken down into seven categories including:  Life Satisfaction; Choices; Social Inclusion; Personal Relationships; Respect / Rights / Dignity; Satisfaction with Services; and Safety. Considering each of these areas, the overall percentile rank for the agency is approximately 90.9%. This falls just under the average of 91.3% which has been calculated to include all participating CSBs across the state with approximately 1809 participants.

Each survey category can be compared to the overall state average as follows:

• For the area of Life Satisfaction CSBMG obtained an average of 96.2% while the state averaged at approximately 97.5%.
• Regarding Choices, individuals who completed the survey on behalf of the agency reflected a satisfaction rate of 95.6%. This average was above that of the state which was approximately 94.4%.
• When examining the area of Social Inclusion, approximately 67.2% of individuals who completed the survey on behalf of the agency were satisfied. This fell slightly below the state average of 69.1%.
• The surveys completed for CSBMG indicated that approximately 88.9% of individuals were satisfied in the category of Personal Relationships while approximately 90.2% of individuals were satisfied statewide.
• In the area of Respect / Rights / Dignity approximately 93.1% of individuals who completed the survey on behalf of the agency indicated satisfaction. This if higher than the state average of 91.9%.
• Satisfaction with Services received a satisfaction rate of approximately 98.4%. This was rather comparable to the statewide satisfaction rating of 98.8%.
• Satisfaction in the area of Safety received a score of 97% for the agency while the state average was a comparable 97.3%.

Overall, the satisfaction scores for CSBMG, both overall and the seven categories examined, were quite comparable to that of the state. While some areas may be slightly lower, other areas were slightly higher than the state average. This resulted in a less than .4% difference in the overall score of the agency versus the overall state average percentile scores.

Please join me in congratulating Jenny Yancey and Nicki Harrison for being named the 2018 John Williams Scholarship recipients for the CSB of Middle Georgia.  The formal presentation ceremony will be held at Henry Memorial Presbyterian Church in Dublin, Georgia at the 11:00 a.m. service (date to be determined). The award is given by the John Williams Scholarship Foundation and the Williams family in conjunction with Henry Memorial Presbyterian Church, and is awarded to staff from the Community Service Board of Middle Georgia who are working toward a Master’s degree in the social science and/or mental health field.  Preference is given to staff who are working with the SPMI adult population.

We appreciate Jenny and Nicki for their interest in this scholarship program, for their tenacity in working toward a Master’s degree, and for their commitment to the CSB of Middle Georgia and to those we serve. Their professionalism and dedication to this career path and field of study are appreciated by those who work with each of them.

Congratulations, again!

Denise Forbes

Please join me in congratulating Charlie Elliott as the CSB of Middle Georgia’s most recent C.A.R.E.S. recipient.  Charlie can now add Certified Peer Specialist-AD to his list of accomplishments after having successfully completed Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist training (C.A.R.E.S.).   

 The Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist program was developed by the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse to create a workforce of peers to provide recovery support services to the communities of Georgia.  The program is funded by Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.  Charlie works at Braswell House in Swainsboro, a residential, step-down program designed for those needing assistance in sustaining recovery.  Congratulations, Charlie, on attaining this credential!

Please join me in congratulating Jessica Williams for receiving her license for Licensed Associate Professional Counselor from the state of Georgia (LAPC).  Jessi works for our C&A Program in both the APEX (school based services) and Clubhouse programs.  This is a major career milestone, and we are proud of you!

Congratulations, again, Jessi!

Please join me in congratulating Danielle Wright, Anita Speed, and Pamela Williams as our newest CSBMG Peer Specialists! Pamela Williams is our newest CPS-Y and both Anita Speed and Danielle Wright are our newest CPS-P.  These ladies do an awesome job for the CSBMG Child and Adolescent Program.   Congratulations, again, on this outstanding accomplishment!

“There is tremendous power, tremendous healing in giving voice to stories of recovery,” says Cassandra Price, director of DBHDD’s Office of Addictive Diseases (pictured above).

Please click on link below to check out some of these powerful stories:

Stories of Recovery Have the Power to Heal

Six of our SOAR Clubhouse kids participated in filming a  video with the GBI to help with Suicide Prevention. We were one of two CSBs asked to participate.  Please check out the full video below:

Youth Suicide Prevention: “Georgia’s Children in Crisis”

Please join me in congratulating Joanna Crews as our newest CPS-Y for CSBMG, and our first for our Ogeechee Division!  Joanna attended the training in January 2018 and was notified this week that she had passed her test.  We are proud of you for this accomplishment!