Community spotlight: The Daily Planet
Virginia Commonwealth University prides itself on working closely with organizations in the Richmond Community. The School of Social Work is no exception. The school works closely with over 500 community partners to offer students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in the field. One community partner is The Daily Planet, located on W. Grace St.
We sat down with their Chief Operating Officer of Programs Helena DeLigt to talk about the program and the work that they do in conjunction with our students.
Explain the Daily Planet and its offered services:
The Daily Planet is a unique non-profit service organization in that it provides an array of health and social services to the homeless, uninsured and under served populations in the greater Richmond area. We began in 1969 as a drop in center for runaway youth. Over the years, demographics and social situations began to evolve and we noticed that the needs of the community began to change. We were beginning to see homelessness more often. De-institutionalization of psychiatric hospitals, as well as increased problems associated with drug and alcohol use, contributed to the increase in homelessness. As community need changed, The Daily Planet grew to meet those needs, developing social work and health care programs. Today our strength is in the services that we provide. We are a Federally Qualified Health Center, providing medical care, dental, optometry services, mental health and substance abuse services, case management and outreach. We have also attained Patient Centered Medical Home designation, demonstrating our integrated approach to address clients’ overall health and wellness needs.
We participate in Richmond area’s Continuum of Care and partner with other homeless service providers to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness in our community. Our Safe Haven is a 20 bed supportive housing program for individuals who have serious mental illness and who are experiencing homelessness. This is a low barrier facility that offers people opportunity to stabilize their mental health conditions and learn skills that will prepare them for more permanent housing. It is staffed 24/7 and residents can stay as long they need to, usually about 3 – 18 months.
Our Medical Respite is a 20 bed program that provides 30 days of emergency shelter and recuperative care for adults who are being discharged from a hospital and are unable to live on the streets or in shelter due to their medical condition. While we no longer serve as a drop-in center for homeless individuals, we still have shower and laundry facilities that are open to anyone in the community who need them.
What are some programs that you currently offer that are relatively new?
We have recently renovated a new facility on Belt Boulevard that will house a satellite health clinic- Southside Community Health Center– as well as housing our Medical Respite program. Medical Respite moved in in June 2014. The health center opened in late September.
We are now a Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization, which means our case managers and dedicated staff help our clients and people in the community sign up for health insurance on the online Marketplace.
Why is this organization important to the community?
The Daily Planet is part of the “Safety Net” of medical providers in the Richmond area, serving a critical need in all health related care, including behavioral health care. We provide these services regardless of a person’s ability to pay–offering sliding fee discounts or no fee if a person is homeless or has no income. We are a critical part of the area’s continuum of care for homeless services, providing the needed health–related care to help individuals and families maintain housing. The Daily Planet takes a holistic approach to care for our patients. Our integrated care model helps address the multiple issues our patients face.
When did your team approach initiative begin? Is that something the Daily Planet has started this year, or is that something you have been building towards?
We have been doing that in different ways all along. For example, in the past couple of years we implemented a behavioral health consultant model–a clinician would come in to the medical exam room and address behavioral concerns or stressors that contribute to poor health. We were able to refer directly to psychiatry or longer term behavioral health treatment. We were recently involved in a learning collaborative focused on piloting a depression screening and follow up treatment process.
While we have always worked collaboratively to provide care to patients, we are currently moving to a truly team-based model of care. People coming to our clinic for any service will have an identified provider in all disciplines–medical, behavioral health, dental, case management- as well as pharmacy and nutrition counseling–who works intentionally as a team to care for the patient. We are an organization that is always looking for innovative approaches to provide the best possible care to our patients.
With all of the specialized care that the Daily Planet provides, how does your partnership with the VCU School of Social Work benefit our students?
The students from VCU School of Social Work are given the opportunity to provide hands on care and support. We allow them to apply the skills that they learn in classes in several areas. Case management for example is one of the main areas we place students. Students begin by shadowing one of our managers and then eventually are solely responsible for the initial assessments, follow-up meetings, supervising cases, helping to apply for community benefits, and providing overall support. There is also an opportunity to work with our case manager in the Medical Respite program where students learn similar skills, but specific to the clients in that program. Our behavior health department offers second year M.S.W. students clinical experience. These students work with LCSWs to learn and provide behavioral health assessments, and individual and group therapy. Students in the policy and planning tract are given opportunities to participate in activities such as grant writing – which allows them the chance to see how work is funded and learn the ins and outs of applying–and program evaluation or development. We encourage students to attend trainings that our staff attend, such as motivational interviewing. We love having students from the School of Social Work and we want to give them as much experience as possible.
How do our students benefit the Daily Planet?
These students are amazing. They bring fresh ideas and having that fresh perspective keeps everyone here fresh. Having the access to the latest in theoretical teachings and the latest research keeps us connected with the school in a stronger way. Students help provide the services here, so we are getting the benefits of what they are able to do. We really like this exchange of teaching and learning that having students provides.
You’re currently celebrating your 45th Anniversary, what are some ways you are celebrating?
Our main event was the Room of One’s Own mission-based play which took place May 18 and 19 at the Firehouse Theatre. Six local women wrote essays about what it would mean to have a room of their own. A Room of One’s Own is based on an essay by Virginia Woolf. In addition, we are the beneficiaries of Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Annual International Food Festival and will hold our Empty Bowls fundraiser. We plan to have an open house at Southside Community Health Center in late September.
If you or someone you know would like to get connected with the Daily Planet please visit their website dailyplanetva.org or feel free to visit their office at 517 W. Grace St. Richmond, VA 23220
Categories Community