When Monarch expanded its footprint to Rhode Island in 2024, it signaled a commitment to providing residential services for individuals with mental health challenges and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Located in Greenville, Putnam Pike became Monarch’s first northern site, offering a home for up to nine individuals transitioning from hospital treatment.
Putnam Pike provides a safe, residential setting that includes three suites which contain a bedroom, patio and common area, and a community room for daily activities and 24/7 onsite care from dedicated healthcare professionals. The support extends beyond treatment, as they assist residents with employment, finances and physical health.
Now, as the two-year anniversary approaches for Monarch in the Ocean State, improved changes are coming to Putnam Pike, ushered by Clinical Director Kristin Romaine. The facility will see a shift from Long Term Services and Support to a focus on behavioral health.
In the coming months, residents will be able to enjoy the Safe Haven Room, a space dedicated to receiving one-on-one support from on-site staff during a time of crisis. The room will include sensory items such as a reclining massage chair, weighted blankets and fidgets that help manage sensory overload.
As these improvements and additions will help residents with day-to-day living, Kristin is also dedicated to the long-term success of those Monarch serves, working on a three-zone behavioral system to better roadmap care for patients. Once complete, it will focus on identifying where patients need to be in the program, what it looks like for their treatment plan and how it aligns with their individual goals.
“Having a three zone behavioral system that can put people in day-to-day [where] you know what they can and can’t have access to, or what they need to build back to be able to build their independence and engage and initiate certain skills,” said Kristin. “That’s going to be very important. Within the next year, I would hope to have all that in place, so the program is a well-oiled kind of machine.”
This approach helps Monarch provide support that fits each person, since each have different needs and goals.
Many individuals Monarch supports have spent much of their life in an institutional setting and may have had limited opportunities to shape their own goals. For others, their aspirations are to make major strides, whether personally, financially or physically, all possibilities through the help of Monarch.
At Putnam Pike, the focus is on helping the people we support move toward greater independence and community living. As a step down from hospital care, maintaining independence plays an important role in adjusting to daily life.
Stefanie MacDonald is a program participant at Putnam Pike and has spent the last year at the facility. She has not only enjoyed her time with Monarch but is looking forward to the future.
She enjoys cooking, arts and crafts and listening to gospel music. These activities are present in her life at Putnam Pike and help the facility serve as not just a stopgap for her, but also a home.
“This place is a safe place. Right now, it’s my home. The staff listens and gives great advice. They always pick you up, no matter how you feel,” said Stephanie. “It’s my home, and the staff [has] helped me be more independent. They help you coach your life skills and what you need to learn. And what they teach me is to face my fears.”
Thanks in part to the assistance of Monarch staff like Kristin, Stephanie is making progress on the road to recovery. From the laid-back indulgence in arts and crafts to her personalized and focused treatment, she continues to work towards independence.
As Putnam Pike reaches its second anniversary in operation, Monarch is honored to celebrate the accomplishments and look ahead to the future, where individuals like Stephanie can continue their journey with unwavering support.
To learn more about Putnam Pike and its services, click here.