The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) Office of the Medical Director celebrated national "Nurses' Week" by hosting various events and special exhibits coordinated by DMH Headquarters staff (May 6-13).

The Medi-Cal Professional Services Administration based at DMH Headquarters on the Seventh Floor hosted an exhibit that provided a chronological history of the nursing profession, dating back to Florence Nightingale's era (1800's) to the present.

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

Historians refer to her as "The Lady with the Lamp." Nightingale began her training as a nurse at age 33. She was instrumental in revolutionizing the British military medical care system which was rated as extremely poor due to the deplorable conditions during the Crimean War of 1854 in Turkey. Nightingale recruited and equipped nurses, and went to Turkey. While she was there, Nightingale was able to increase the standards for sanitation and nutrition, and the mortality rate was lower dramatically because of her efforts. Despite that surgeons were all male back then, she was able to help alleviate soldiers suffering and pain. In fact, Nightingale created a diagram titled "Diagram of the Causes of Mortality in the Army in the East" that explained the causes of death in the army. She suffered from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome throughout her life. After being bedridden for some time, she finally succumbed to her illness and died on August 13, 1910, at the age of 90. Her legacy was extraordinary, and her contributions to the medical world have yet to be forgotten.

The exhibit also featured a pictorial diagram of photos showing the evolution of nursing hats throughout the years. The DMH national "Nurses' Week" celebration included special brunches, power point presentations, and a luncheon to honor the nurses for their outstanding dedication and contributions.

One of the highlights of the celebration was when Eugenia Ditu of the Urgent Community Services Project (UCSP) was presented the 2008 DMH "Outstanding County Nurse" Award at the Proud Bird Restaurant on May 13.

UCSP provides an innovative service that was developed to ease the crowding at the Olive View Psychiatric Emergency Room (ER) as well as to provide a new level of mental health service and linkage for clients. The project is based at three locations, Olive View Emergency Department in Sylmar, San Fernando Mental Health Center in Granada Hills, and Hillview Residential Site in Pacoima.

Ditu has been crucial in the development and success of this program from its inception in 2005. She has been extremely valuable to the Urgent Care Program due to her knowledge of the inner workings of the psychiatric emergency room as well as her relationships with psychiatric emergency staff. Ditu is very knowledgeable in both medical and psychiatric issues and provides triage services and crisis intervention services at the DMH Olive View site and assesses clients quickly and accurately. Due to her strong clinical skills and her ability to connect with the clients, Ditu often obtains information in her assessments that assist the Department of Health Services staff in providing the level of care needed as well. She consults with the DMH Urgent Care psychiatrists and obtains additional information to assist in assessments of the clients, such as lab results or toxicology screens. Ditu also provides case management services to the clients by connecting them to agencies while advocating for them in the community. These services may include mental health services, housing services, and medical services. Resourceful and creative in the services she accesses for the clients, Ditu connects clients to shelters, medical services, and provides referrals for General Relief and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). She will also obtain transportation for the client to get to their Urgent Care appointment, at times even driving them in the County vehicle if needed. Ditu does all the above mentioned tasks with enthusiasm and compassion. She has a tremendous work ethic, coming to work early and is often still at work after her work hours are over to ensure that everything is complete. Ditu arrives for work early so that she may be present for the report from the Psychiatric ER. She is always concerned that clients waiting in the Psychiatric ER receive any Urgent Care services as quickly as possible.

The tradition of honoring the DMH Headquarters nurses was started by the social workers in Central Authorization Unit, as it continues to build teamwork and mutual respect.

Congratulations to national DMH "Nurses' Week" Coordinators Monica Rodriguez-Finston, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (L.C.S.W.), Rachel Melvald, L.C.S.W. and John Krueger, L.C.S.W. who organized the event. Also, special contributions were provided by Stacey Remollino and Nicole Walker. Finally, special thanks goes out to Mary Ann O'Donnell, R.N., M.N., from the Clinical Risk Manager/Risk Management Coordinator for all of her hard work with the DMH "Nurse of the Year" Awards program and ceremonies.

Contrary to popular perception – Palmdale consists of much more than Joshua Trees and Cactus plants! It is the home of the Palmdale Mental Health Center (PMHC), which we envision as a future "oasis" for recovery and wellness!

The PMHC is fortunate to be located in close proximity to the Antelope Valley (AV) Discovery Center, which is operated by the Mental Health America, consumer-run program. In the spirit of the Recovery Model, the clinic has been working diligently to develop a close collaboration with the AV Discovery Center.

Daryl Riley, the Program Coordinator of the AV Discovery Center, has been actively involved in the program development. He has attended regular PMHC staff meetings as well as interfaced with them on a regular basis.

Currently, consumers from the AV Discovery Center have been coming over to PMHC to assist with the "Consumer Survey" project. These consumers talk to other consumers in the lobby, and help them understand the importance of participating and filling out the paperwork associated with the surveys. These consumer "helpers" have added a welcoming touch to the ambience at the center's lobby area.

It is the plan to continue to utilize the AV Discovery Center's staff to assist with welcoming in the lobby area on a regular basis. Further, PMHC staff will have them participate in group presentations, staff meetings, and other programs which will enhance the services being offered to the consumers. In addition to the variety of groups being offered at PMHC, the staff will continue to actively make referrals to the AV Discovery Center.

"We are excited about our collaboration with the AV Discovery Center," said PMHC Program Head Taylor. "It will greatly enhance the array of services which can be offered to support consumers on their path to recovery and wellness."

Congratulations to the Palmdale Mental Health Center for providing the consumers in the Antelope Valley with hope, wellness, and recovery.

There is no hero like an old hero and Indiana Jones is like no other hero. Virile without being threatening, funny without being furious, Harrison Ford is the ultimate everyman symbol proving that intelligence has a power all its own. Indy relies on his wits to get him out of danger. He does not give in to threat and does not compromise his ideals. Whether he is teaching a class or fighting the enemy, Indiana Jones has the sort of integrity that makes him a good role model for people of any age. The mature Indiana Jones is a role model for older adults and the character serves us as a metaphor that at any age, you can still have another great adventure waiting for you. At age 65, Ford could have retired and refused the stressful challenges that the series brings, but no, he takes it on making it look effortless. The older, wiser, Indy remains in full command of almost every situation.

If you don't look for faults with the plotlines and just embrace the experience of seeing Indiana Jones give it one more go around, you will enjoy this film. It is like having an in and out double-double with cheese and everything else on it. Sloppy, satisfying, and smothered in what you want: action, reaction, reunion, discovery, and humor, everything that makes Indiana Jones lovable no matter what his age. Like a time capsule, Indiana Jones is a throwback to the films that were shown in the 1950's at the double feature with cartoons in between. I liked those movies and I liked this one.

Harrison Ford is even more appealing as the aging Indy who knows his limits and stays within them. Karen Allen is a delight as his former love interest and Shia La Beouf lends some young blood to the series. The audience I sat with applauded and the young children who had never seen the originals were saying how much they enjoyed it. I overheard a mother say to her young daughter "now you know what all the fuss is about"...Exactly.

I give "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" 4 couches:

What is the Westside Infant-Family Network (WIN)?

WIN is an innovative collaboration among three community agencies designed to provide holistic infant mental health care including case consultation, therapy, and medication for families with children aged birth to three. Our goal is treating families in crisis in order to ameliorate MH issues and insure secure attachment between families and their youngest members.

With a cooperative, community-based structure that employs a shared team of clinicians to treat families on-site at each agency, WIN introduces a new service delivery model that capitalizes on the strengths of each organization and the long-standing relationships they have built with their clients to provide culturally sensitive care. Just as critically, it links the WIN partner programs – St. Joseph Center, Venice Family Clinic, and Westside Children's Center– more closely in service provision and best practice dissemination such that each organization builds its capacity for care, and WIN families benefit from a "nest" of case-managed services.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a caseload of 20 to 25 families of clients from WIN partner agencies.
• Conduct initial interview with WIN families to help identify stressors impacting family (e.g. financial, medical, mental health, child care, etc.)
• Ensure appropriate releases of information have been obtained from identified families.
• Administer screening tools (ASQ, ASQ-SE and PSI) to all WIN families.
• Fill out initial referral on HIPAA compliant database system as well as maintain case notes.
• Refer, link and coordinate services for children with special needs and their families with teachers, staff, county and community agencies, medical and mental health professionals and other appropriate agencies.
• Participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team by staffing individual cases and in developing a multi-disciplinary family treatment plan.
• Transport families to appointments/resources as necessary.
• Conduct home visits as an integral part of client care.
• Collaborate closely with other partner agency staff and coordinate home visits with other team members as needed.
• Assist in coordinating initial mental health services with therapist by facilitating his/her initial contact with families and by providing additional information as needed.
• Attend WIN trainings.
• Attend monthly case manager meetings.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

• BS in Social Work, Psychology, Child Development/Early Childhood Development OR equivalent experience and education required.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish required.
• Computer literacy skills required.
• Experience in and commitment to a community mental health model/family support.
• Possession of a valid California driver's license.