For the past 14 years, Jacquelyn Young has been a critical part of Monarch Healthcare. She has supported people in need of behavioral health services in a variety of roles, starting as a referral coordinator at our Rocky Mount Behavioral Health Outpatient Office, then taking on the role of practice administrator in three of our Behavioral Health Outpatient offices and later joining our mobile crisis team before entering her current role as program manager at our Facility-Based Crisis (FBC) Center in Lumberton.
The FBC in Lumberton is a walk-in service for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. The center is open 24/7 and welcomes referrals from all North Carolina (NC) counties, where patients typically spend seven days receiving medically monitored treatment to stabilize while our team of behavioral health professionals work to determine the appropriate next step, whether that be a higher or lower level of care.
In the following questionnaire, Jacquelyn shares insight into her experience in behavioral health crisis services, her current role at the Lumberton FBC and the importance of crisis services for our communities.
Q: What drew you to Behavioral Health Crisis Services?
“Mobile crisis was my actual start into crisis services. I thought that it was great to meet people where they are. The mobile crisis team would get dispatched and go out in the community to do a crisis assessment, safety assessment and referrals to other services. It was good to go out and meet folks without them feeling like they needed to go to an office. Some of them were in the worst parts of life, and I enjoyed going there to offer encouragement, resources and to make sure they were safe.”
Q: For someone who has never heard of an FBC, how would you describe it?
“The FBC is a crisis center. Individuals can come in if they have any kind of mental health or substance use crisis. We also do detox here, so while the time frame is seven days for mental health support, someone can stay up to 14 days if they need to detox first.”
Q: How do you create a safe and supportive environment for people to come into the FBC?
“Safety is the number one priority for our folks when they come in. When they are admitted we make sure that they’re not bringing anything in the unit that could cause harm to them or anyone else. Our behavioral health technicians have individuals sign their consent forms, explain the program to them, give them a quick tour of the location and explain the groups that we offer. We have two activity rooms where they eat their meals and watch TV, following TV guidelines to ensure individuals aren’t watching anything that could disrupt their treatment.”
Q: What role do you play as a program director?
“As a program manager, I support the staff. My primary staff are behavioral health technicians, so I support them while they make sure the people we support are safe at any time of the day. I don’t manage the other staff, but I have a great relationship with them and I help when they have questions. I have an open door and I enjoy that.”
Q: Can you share what makes working at the FBC meaningful to you?
“It’s similar to when I was working in mobile crisis; just being at that point where somebody knows that there’s someone that can help encourage them and let them know that even though it’s rough right now, it can always get better.”
Q: What makes you proud to be part of the Monarch team?
“Oh, I just love Monarch. That’s why I’ve been here for so long. I really believe in the vision and the mission. It’s all about helping people. Folks feel comfortable here. We really put people first.”
Q: Why do you think that having local crisis support matters for our community?
“It’s important for folks to know that they have somewhere they can go. They might not feel comfortable going to the hospital or reaching out to law enforcement, so just knowing that there is a place in the community that they can go is important. Even if we’re full, we always do a screening and a safety check for any person that comes in. It’s important for people to know that we’re here, someone cares about you and can lead you in the right direction.”
Jacquelyn’s commitment to meeting people where they are embodies Monarch Healthcare’s core value of providing compassionate, person-centered care. Her perspective highlights the warmth, empathy and support that people receive when they visit any of our crisis service locations.
Monarch Healthcare is expanding crisis services to Concord, NC later this year with the opening of the Stephen M. Morris Behavioral Health Center (SMMBHC), which will include both Adult and Youth Behavioral Health Urgent Cares (BHUC) for immediate crisis support, a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) for long-term care and a Youth FBC for short-term stabilization, a service similar to the Lumberton FBC. To learn more about the SMMBHC, visit ProgressStartsHere.org.