By Emalee Gillis, NAMI Spokane Blog Editor.
The PACT program was developed in the early 1970’s and its evidence-based intensive outpatient program continues to help adults with Schizophrenia and Bipolar I develop skills and strategies to help manage their symptoms. The goal of the program is reintegration and participation in society and reduced use of community inpatient and crises services. There are currently openings for new clients.
According to Michella Rasamimanana, Director of Community Support Services
For Frontier Behavioral Health, “PACT was developed as a response to over hospitalization of people experiencing psychosis. It became clear that medication alone was not solving the problem.”
The foundation of the PACT program is two or three sessions a week with a treatment team who is focused on skill building so clients can better learn to manage their symptoms and reintegrate into their community.
Services provided by the treatment team include:
- Mental health treatment and substance use disorder treatment
- Assistance obtaining and sustaining safe, affordable housing
- Assistance with daily activities
- Education about illness and symptom management
- Family support
- Medication management and reminders
- Employment coaching
- Budgeting assistance
- Counseling
- Peer support
- Preventive healthcare coordination
- Coordinated care with hospitals and other systems of care
- Group classes
- Support in furthering education
“75 percent of our services are offered in the community,” Rasamimanana said. “We meet clients where they are including at their home or in a shelter. A nurse may take a client to the grocery store to provide education around food choices. A client might be accompanied to a Social Security office to get an ID. Our prescribers have specialized training in antipsychotics. Another meeting might be with a peer counselor who has lived experience and can provide hope.”
Team members for PACT include case managers, nurses, mental health professionals, substance use disorder professionals, housing specialists, supported employment and education specialists, prescribers and peer support specialists.
Frontier has two PACT Teams in two different areas of Spokane. Each team can serve 80 to 100 clients. They currently have openings. Clients do not have a limit for how long they can remain with the PACT program, however, most clients remain with the team up to two years.
“People don’t stay on our team forever,” said Rasamimanana. “Our goal is to provide coordinated care that enhances their quality of life and improves their stability.
Rasamimanana has seen success on many levels.
“I have seen people get more control over their mental health symptoms. I’ve seen people be able to start working again and advocate for themselves. I’ve seen others go back to school to achieve their dreams. I’ve seen small successes, too—even as small as someone getting a driver license and having increased independence. I’m most excited about seeing people reintegrate into the community,” she said.
PACT includes family members in their approach. Part of PACT’s goal in to help clients grow support systems if they don’t have one.
Most of the clients served by PACT have Medicaid which fully covers the costs of service, but there is some room for people with private insurance as well.
PACT is an evidenced based practice which means research has shown that it works.
PACT isn’t for everyone. PACT only works with adults and they don’t work with people who have a diagnosis of a personality disorder. The PACT model is not effective for individuals who have a severe brain injury or a severe intellectual development disorder.
Rasamimanana added, “I’m really passionate about PACT because this population is often overlooked and there is a lot of mystery and myths around psychosis. The biggest reward for me is when we can communicate that psychosis is treatable and people can get better—and that they are not alone.”
To explore whether PACT is a possibility for yourself or a loved one, complete a referral form. You can self-refer or a family member or health care provider can also initiate a referral.
Michella Rasamimanana is the Director of Community Support Services for Frontier Behavioral Health. She has served in this capacity for 10 years. She began at Frontier Behavioral Health as a mental health professional, an outpatient supervisor, program administrator, and now program director.
Emalee Gillis is a writer and blog editor. She is the author of the memoir Adventures on the Path to Living Well with a Mental Illness and has a related TEDx Talk.