Kinston healthcare facility among N.C.'s top 6 percent

A Kinston mental healthcare facility that plays a large role in Lenoir County Schools has been nationally recognized.

It is part of 6 percent of its kind in the state to do so.

On June 20, Superior Healthcare Services - a Charlotte-based mental health services facility with a branch in Kinston - was endorsed by the Council on Accreditation for meeting its rigid standards. The achievement makes the Kinston office on Stratford Boulevard part of COA's Community of Excellence, which is composed of more than 1,800 organizations that serve over 7 million people in North America.

The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of an organization's service delivery versus national standards. It mandates that facilities have a highly-qualified staff, case workers, HIPAA-approved medical records department and a question and answer department.

Most mental health facilities such as Superior are not expected to meet these standards until March 2009.

Program coordinator for the Kinston office, Frank Dashiell, said getting accredited represents a lot of work - and helps more people than just their patients.

"It was a lot of effort," Dashiell said. "But the fact that we were part of the 6 percent in the state that provides community support this early says we're ahead of the curve as far as providing services to the community.

"We also provide jobs for people in the area."

Dashiell said the Kinston office employs 10 office staff and 30 to 45 community support workers.

Community support services are defined as state-provided mental health services, particularly for students with Attention Deficit Disorder and other behavioral concerns. Usually, parents will contact their local licensed mental health agency - such as Eastpointe - and it will refer children to Superior Healthcare Services.

Superior works with patients of all ages, but currently has "about 35" - all of whom are between the ages of 5 and 17, Dashiell said.

"A lot of the kids we see don't have a support system at home," Dashiell said. "This is their support system. Some have parents who aren't around, some because they're incarcerated.

"We teach the kids what they might not get at home - basic social skills, like looking people in the eye when they're talking to them or counting to 10 before they say anything when someone makes them mad."

Superior Healthcare workers often utilize group workshops, simulated classrooms to teach behavior during school, and instructional movies - themed on responsibility, for instance - with support activities afterward.

"We took a group of kids to district court one day and had them sit in the front row," Dashiell said. "The judge addressed them on their behavior."

Dashiell, who used to work in Bank of America's corporate office in Charlotte, said the work is not for everyone. All applicants for community support workers - who often work at the schools with children - must have a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent, driver's license and insurance, pass a background check and have a clear record with the N.C. Healthcare registry.

But most importantly, Dashiell said, is that an applicant must love working with children.

"If you're just looking for a job, this isn't the right field," Dashiell said. "But if you love the kids and you're dedicated to them, it might be.

"I go home every week knowing I did something good."

Justin Schoenberger can be reached at (252) 559-1075 or jschoenberger@ freedomenc.com.