Harbor changes name to reflect diversified services
Written by Kristen Criswell | | krapin@toledofreepress.comHarbor, formally Harbor Behavioral Healthcare, changed its name in March to encompass the array of services it provides.
“For several years, we’ve increased the type of services we offer. As we’ve grown, we’ve expanded and diversified our services to meet clients needs,” said Dale Shreve, chief executive officer of Harbor. “Our services have expanded out from the core behavior health product that we have delivered.”
Harbor didn’t want the negative stigma associated with the word “behavioral” to prevent individuals from using the new services, especially when the clients didn’t view their needs as behavioral issues, Shreve said.
Before Harbor decided to change its name, the board of directors chose to re-examine its mission and vision in September 2008, Shreve said.
Shreve
“We worked first on the mission and vision to make sure we were in sync with what we wanted to do as an organization. When we came up with what we wanted to be and do, we changed the name to reflect that officially,” Shreve said.
Harbor’s mission is “to offer those we serve health, hope, happiness and opportunity.”
Harbor’s vision states: “Harbor will be the regional employer, provider and partner of choice. We are determined to be the best we can be. We will embrace innovation and change. We can and we will make a difference.”
Harbor still specializes in behavioral and mental health services, but it has expanded its services.
No one’s life is perfect, everyone has peaks and valleys, but that shouldn’t keep someone from getting the help they need, said Jean Drees, Harbor’s director of marketing.
“Everyone has trouble sometimes and that’s OK. We’re here to help,” Drees said.
Harbor’s services cover an array of possible mental health issues, from mild anxiety or depression to severe and persistent mental illnesses. Harbor’s original core services include psychiatry, social work and counseling psychology.
Harbor has developmental pediatric services with pediatricians who have a specialty in working with children with developmental disabilities, Shreve said. The pediatricians can diagnose and treat developmental delays such as Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Down syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Harbor has also expanded into primary health care with a primary care physician and a pediatrician. The doctors can help people with everything from flu symptoms to performing blood work and analysis, Shreve said. Although the doctors can serve the general population, that is not the focus, Shreve said.
“We want to use our expertise and niche to meet that unique need of people who have co-occurring disorders — someone with a mental health problem as well as a physical health problem, but attack it as a whole,” Shreve said. “We think you will have a better outcome treating together rather than going to a psychiatrist to deal with behavioral side and then going to some other doctor to deal with the physical health care side.”
Harbor has an Adult Day Habilitation service. The program assists adults with developmental disabilities as they spend the day doing social or vocational programming, Shreve said.
Vocational assistance is another area Harbor has expanded into. Not only does it help individuals with disabilities find jobs, but it has expanded to assist the welfare work population and general public find jobs, Shreve said.
“We realized how important work is to how we all feel about ourselves and our own mental health,” Shreve said. “Our involvement in that vocational area is important.”
Harbor also offers services in the workplace through wellness and corporate training services and employee assistance programs. Individuals can get help with stress management, as well as life balance between family and work or other commitments and work.
Among other services Harbor provides are assistance with anger management, anxiety and depression, eating disorders, stress management, grief and bereavement and domestic violence. Harbor also provides community support services and community based counseling.
For more information, visit www.harbor.org.
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