State agency the Metropolitan Human Services District offers crisis help to St. Bernard residents for mental health support, battling addictions and respite care; Call (504) 826-2675; Sheriff’s Office supporting effort; Polly Campbell of St. Bernard now board chairperson

St. Bernard Parish families who are in a crisis of some sort, perhaps with family members feeling overwhelmed by problems and don’t know what services are available, can turn to a state agency with crisis teams just a phone call away at (504) 826-2675.

Perhaps little known, the Metropolitan Human Services District, MHSD, was created by the Louisiana Legislature in 2003 and has been helping St. Bernard Parish residents. But officials are reaching out to the community to invite more participation.

Metropolitan offers help 24 hours a day for those in crisis, with response teams to make home visits if needed to provide support in areas including mental health, battling addictions and making arrangements for respite care. Callers have access to an immediate range of services including phone assessment, home visits if necessary and respite care beds.

You should call Metropolitan at (504) 826-2675 if you know someone in crisis, such as possibly being suicidal, or feeling overwhelmed, withdrawn or depressed and don’t know what to do or how to get services to help. Specifically it can be someone having a problem related to mental illness, developmental disability or alcohol, drug or gambling addiction. For non-crisis care and services call (504) 568-3130.

St. Bernard activist Polly Campbell of Meraux has been on the Metropolitan board about three years but has now become the agency’s first board chairperson who didn’t live in New Orleans. The Metropolitan Human services District was created to serve residents of Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.

Campbell said, “I know St. Bernard families are impacted’’ by some of the problems the MHSD was created to help them with. “So many kids and adults need treatment so they can be functional members of the community instead of going to jail or to a hospital,” Campbell said.

“Services run from mental health support to substance abuse diagnosis and rehabilitation. “We can work with possibly suicidal young people and refer them to services.’’

“My goal.’’ Campbell said, “is to create awareness of all the services being offered so our community can take full advantage.

“People should call,’’ she said, adding it’s their tax dollars that are being used to make services available so they should use them when needed. It is a single point of entry for both crisis and non-crisis services, she said.

There is currently a clinic in a leased building in Arabi at 7407 West St. Bernard Highway but retired Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Calvin Johnson, who is now executive director of Metropolitan, said the agency is trying to open a permanent location. They are looking to buy and renovate a site in Arabi that has been closed since destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

“We will build a clinic there to cover mental health problems, addictions, developmental disabilities,’’ Johnson said.

Sheriff James Pohlmann recently met with Campbell, Johnson and other officials from the group, Genevieve Durkin and Kay Hunter.

The sheriff promised the department will work with the group and have sheriff’s deputies who are called to emergencies get out the word to families that they can call the Metropolitan Service District to seek help with a crisis. “First, we need to get the information out’’ to the families who need it, the sheriff said.

Johnson said, “We are trying to deal with people before their issues escalate into a police matter,’’ or they have to be taken to a hospital. There are many people in this area who have a behavioral problem or some other issue that this governmental entity is supposed to address.’’

Services provided to St. Bernard Parish residents include drug and alcohol addictions counseling and intensive outpatient services in Arabi, Johnson said. About 480 clients have been served since Jan. 1, 2011, he said. Bridge/Grace House in New Orleans has served roughly 50 St. Bernard residents in its residential treatment programs from 2011-2013. Odyssey House in New Orleans has treated 70 St. Bernard residents in its residential treatment program from 2011-2013.

Community treatment teams can deal with people at their homes, Johnson said.

“We are an agency recovering from Katrina but we have made great strides,’’ Johnson said of Metropolitan. In his six years as executive director, “We have started crisis response teams’’ that have worked to keep situations from escalating into people going to jail or a hospital because of personal problems, Johnson said,

MHSD meets the needs of local residents in three ways:

• First, it assesses needs to identify the best ways for you to receive support and services.
• Second, in some cases, direct services are provided through both MHSD clinics and MHSD-funded partner agencies.
• Third, there is an on-going effort with partners to evaluate, refine, and strengthen community supports and services to ensure residents are getting the highest quality, efficient care.

In most cases, crisis situations are resolved over the phone before they escalate.

• For situations that can’t be handled by phone there are home visits. In those cases, a crisis team will go wherever the person is—any time of the day or night—and provide support in person. Home visits can occur once or several times during a period of crisis.
• Respite care. For some in crisis, they need to spend a few days receiving around-the-clock, intensive care outside of their home environment. For those people, our team can make arrangements for them to receive respite care at a privately-run, home-like facility for up to 5 days.
• Emergency room care. We work very hard to keep people out of the hospital, but sometimes, callers to 504-826-2675 need emergency hospitalization. When that happens, our team will work with the patient and their family and friends to arrange for transportation and treatment at a local emergency room.