CONTACT: Stacey S. Giammarco, Director of Development
(330) 996-4600
sgiammarco@redoakbh.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Akron, OH (March 20, 2020) – Red Oak Behavioral Health, a not-for-profit behavioral health agency in Akron, is committed to providing the full continuum of behavioral health services to its children and families during this time of uncertainty. Red Oak Behavioral Health provides therapy, case management and psychiatric services to over 4,500 children and families annually across 13 school districts, including every Akron Public School building. “When the Governor signed the order to close our schools, our main concern was keeping our clients and families stable and safe,” said Megan Kleidon,
CEO/President of Red Oak Behavioral Health. “We knew this would be an extremely stressful time and that our clients would need additional support to help them navigate.”
What next?
“Our Red Oak team has been tremendous through this entire process,” Kleidon added. “When many of our partner districts closed on Thursday, March 12, their main focus was ensuring our families had the resources they needed to help get them through the weekend. In the first week since schools were closed, in addition to providing critical mental health services, our team will have delivered over 2,000 meals to clients’ homes.”
Kleidon has been monitoring the state and local landscape of service delivery, following Governor DeWine’s press conferences, attending conference calls with advocacy groups, and…. being patient.
“At this point, all of our current services can be completed via telehealth. This includes diagnostic assessments, treatment plan development, CPST, TBS, individual therapy, group therapy, initial psychiatric evaluations, and follow-up psychiatric visits,” said Kleidon.
“For our case managers, providing care to clients over the phone is not new – they’ve been able to provide some supportive services via telehealth for years. But this is completely new to most of our therapists and medical staff. We’ve worked around the clock to ensure everyone was trained and equipped with the tools they needed to be able to begin ‘seeing’ clients on Monday,” said Kleidon.
The staff at Red Oak wants anyone battling with a mental health diagnosis to know they’re here.
“For any of our current clients who are in need of treatment, please connect with your therapist or case manager,” Kleidon encouraged. “These are uncertain times and so many of our children thrive in the stability of a school schedule. Our staff are here to help guide parents and families to provide as normal a routine as possible.”
Red Oak will also continue to accept new clients and referrals. For more information on Red Oak Behavioral Health, or to schedule a Telehealth appointment please call 330-996-4600.
###
Red Oak Behavioral Health
Red Oak Behavioral Health is an accredited non-profit organization that has served the greater Akron community since 1963. Its mission is to change lives by partnering with the community and those in need of behavioral health services.