Correction appended.
Hopewell Health Center has several locations in Athens County and has provided integrated healthcare for many. One type of healthcare Hopewell stresses is its mental health services.
Being a growing organization in Athens, Hopewell has been able to help a multitude of patients, all with different needs. In order to aid the people of Athens, Hopewell provides a well-equipped staff to help guide them in the right direction.
Hopewell has also been able to partner with local organizations to help its patients find outlets to express themselves.
One partnership is with the Athens Photo Project, or APP. APP uses photography as an outlet to help mental health and Hopewell has a Medicaid subcontract. APP classes have proven to be beneficial and therapeutic for Hopewell patients.
“It tends to keep them focused on the present moment, and that's a very healthy place to be; so their minds are not wandering into some maybe trauma that they experienced in the past, or something they consider might have been the future,” Jonathan Maffay, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor on the Adult Outpatient Team, said. “They stay creative, and, in this case, photography helps people stay centered in the present moment.”
Other collaborations include The Natural Freedom Wellness Center, an equine therapy center, and Cenral Ohio Music Therapy, a music therapy center.
The programs offered by Hopewell are made for people of all different ages and allow its patients to receive different types of therapies that will support their well-being.
Along with the partnerships, different staff members of Hopewell are trained in certain specialty areas. Some include Dialectical Behavioral Training and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, among other therapeutic approaches.
Hopewell wanted to make sure the types of therapies offered were available at all times and in different mediums, especially during the pandemic. In order to offer support to those who cannot make it to Hopewell’s facility, Hopewell offers telehealth services. Telehealth offers healthcare over the phone or through other platforms.
“I think that having these resources for the Athens community to turn to in times of need is so important,” Anna Gilmore, a sophomore studying psychology, said in a message. “The stigma around mental health is slowly going away because of these facilities normalizing mental health issues.”
Gilmore believes that it’s comforting knowing that there’s help available whenever crucial times become prevalent.
Some schools around the Athens region have been able to provide mental health counselors through the help of Hopewell. Hopewell is constantly evolving to fit the needs of others.
“I know years ago we were one of the largest providers of mental health treatment in Ohio,” Maffay said. “We've gotten bigger since then so we are a pretty big entity in that way. We provide a lot of services to a lot of people throughout Southeast Ohio.”
Micki Lamb, director of the child and adolescent program, has been able to experience the growth in Athens. Through this internal growth, Hopewell has been able to grow externally with its patients.
“It's rewarding,” Lamb said. “I think that people that come into this profession want to be able to make a difference. We need to have support in order to do that — we need to realize that we're not the only person that's impactful within that client's life and to help build support around them. But we also have to build support for ourselves too because we're hearing some pretty heavy information every day, and trying to look for little glimmers of hope and progress.”
Correction appended: A previous version of this article stated the incorrect name of the music therapy center, as well as the equine therapy center. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
