The Upper Cumberland Camera; 1034

Good evening and welcome to the upper temple in Camelot. Tonight Will new more about mental health as October is mental awareness month. They'll find out why. Why has the largest military be a police cars and ambulances. A few of them and preschool. Will see a promotional place. The starkest WCT TV worked out until he was Helen you've been hearing. And will find out about what you've written and performed by Michael Hastings. This story Tuesday was a big day for a Tennessee technological university and those students that are going to be first generation students at the university. The Coca-Cola Foundation yesterday issued a challenge to alumni and friends to help establish an endowment to provide scholarships for first generation college students over the next two years the foundation will match gifts that Tennessee Tech received for the Coca-Cola challenge on a one to two basis the foundations match of one hundred fifty thousand dollars combined with the university's fundraising efforts will allow the university to raise up to four hundred fifty

thousand dollars a press conference was held on Tuesday to explain the challenge. About a month ago we launched our first university right capital campaign to raise 15 million dollars for the campaign which we have called sharing division addresses for crucial needs seven and a half million dollars will be raised for scholarships. Three million dollars for instructional improvement and faculty renewal. Three million dollars for dormitory renovations and one and a half million dollars for major purchases. 50 percent of the funds we raise during this five year capital campaign will go to student scholarships. One of the greatest challenges that we face at this time is ensuring and enhancing the future of Tennessee Tech ensuring and enhancing our reputation as one of the finest academic institutions in the southeast. But in order to guarantee a bright future for the university we must be aggressive. We must be

innovative and we must be productive and we must be attentive to both the institution's needs and those of our customers. The students of Tennessee Tech many of whom are struggling to afford college today were ready to meet this challenge and take Tennessee Tech to an even higher level of excellence. And it gives me great pleasure along these lines to turn the podium over to Mr. Donald Green president of the Coca-Cola Foundation. Mr. Green thank you very much. Thank you very much Angelo I'm and very pleased to be with you today and thank you for the very warm reception we have just flown in from Atlanta. Little equipment difficulty but here we are on time. It is great to return the visit you gave us this past spring at our corporate headquarters in Atlanta. When I say that I'm going to visit the Tech campus usually my associates figure I'll be back in just about an hour. Little did they know this time I didn't walk across the street to Georgia Tech that other tech

but instead I've come to a very special place. Tennessee Tech. I've learned from Angelo that this is indeed a very special place nestled here in the upper Cumberland reaching out toward national reaching out toward Knoxville and Chattanooga. And it's a special place because it's a board of regents system school. It's also a very special place because the graduates here lead Fortune 500 companies are tops in the medical professions have helped launch space shuttles and are just well educated folks. Your campaign share the vision captures the essence of why our foundation has chosen to be your partner in providing scholarships for first generation college students. We decided back in 1989 to make support of education the priority of our philanthropic focus. At the Coca-Cola company and why are we doing this. It's simply because a community which nurtures quality education is a community in which business enterprises

thrive. And it's because the social and economic threads of community life are very real and very into woven. The environment in which we live and work today grows ever smaller. The global village is indeed here. So Angelo and Harry I'm here to offer you the Coca-Cola challenge. Together we can make it possible for young people in the upper income below from families where no one has gone to college. We can make it possible for that dream to become a reality. We are pleased to further encourage you. I dare say challenge you to create a scholarship fund to assist these students to become first generation scholars college students with much needed financial support. So over the next two years for each $2 that you raise we will put in $1 until together we have created a scholarship fund totaling four hundred fifty thousand dollars. Together we can make quality

education possible for many. And together we can help the next generation here at home be better equipped as citizens in our global village. So let's realize the vision together and I know that we will. Thank you very much for letting us offer you the challenge. Thank you know it's really Jim Arnett and Steve land president CEO of sonic who couldn't be with us today as was previously mentioned that played a real pivotal role in bringing us announcement about today. Jim and Steve are Tennessee Tech alarms. But most of all to their company's Shoney's and Sonic their very large customers of Coca-Cola. And as such they provided access and introduction to the foundation which gave us an opportunity but that opportunity is not enough. It meant the doctor Volpi Mark medley had to go down and do some work and talking with Coca-Cola

about the idea of scholarships for first generation students. Duck of Opie Martin met me you know very very. Any questions. Donna this is the first time as far as you can. It's directed primarily for your race to run. Yes it is. We have offered scholarship programs from our foundation to a number of higher educational institutions but this is the first time that we have directed the funds specifically for first generation students and we're very pleased to do so. We've had other kinds of challenges with other institutions but not like this one. It's very special. I have a question what impressed you about Tennessee tack and made you want to give this. A number of factors were impressive about Tennessee Tech First of all but they made a call on

us and Mr. Stonecipher as already indicated we had very to put it to great persons to introduce us to Tennessee Tech and Jim Arnett and Steve LAN we were very appreciative of their coming to Atlanta to tell us the story of Tennessee Tech so they were on a missionary assignment. But once we heard the story we were convinced from the beginning that Tennessee Tech is an institution worthy of support from our foundation. We are centering all of our philanthropic activity on education and trying to provide opportunities just to give persons and people a chance in education and that's what we found here. The figure of 60 percent of the student body of first generation college students is very impressive. When you hear about the loan default rate of being I believe two point two percent very very small in terms of national averages. That's very impressive when you see that you have three major engineering centers of excellence here on one campus that's very impressive. This is a campus where Coca-Cola needs to be very active and supportive of students.

Any other questions or comments. Well we thank you very much for coming. The only thing we're doing commercial is a great friend of ours now in the Coca-Cola business at our polo player you may have seen it yet you go to see a lot more of this warm cuddly little fellow. As we move ahead in the next few months going into winter time there's not a winter time person person I guess it would personify this little creature. You'll see him a lot so let me give you another gift from Colin Farrell. He's always. And in a related story from Tennessee Technological University. There may be more engineering students in the future Tech's Department of Engineering recently asked the staff of TV to produce a video which is to be put on laserdisc and made available for high school students to view across the country.

We thought up a crumbling camera viewers might be interested in seeing the video as well. All. Right. All. Studying engineering at Tennessee Technological University can be an exciting experience building human powered submarines many Baja cars concrete canoes and secret cars are just some of the extracurricular activities engineering students can participate in a t t you located in the upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. As a well-known and nationally accredited engineering school located in Cookeville a town of about 25000 people it is halfway between Knoxville and Nashville on Interstate 40. There are six beautiful state parks within an hour's drive and Burgess falls a state natural area is

located about six miles from the campus leisure activities abound in the Cookeville area. A typical small Southern town Cookeville has been named America's most affordable city to live in. Students will find off campus housing food and recreational activities are less expensive here than in any other city in the country according to USA Today. Several small industries are located here in the hub of the upper Cumberland. And managers utilize the various engineering departments at Tech to help with problem solving and industrial design. As a small comprehensive university of about a thousand students there are forty eight different undergraduate degrees granted and graduate programs are offered in the arts and sciences business education and engineering. There's a wide range of varsity athletic programs. A member of the Ohio Valley Conference takes athletes compete on a national level. Students who are not necessarily competitive athletes but who are interested in physical fitness may also want to take advantage of the student fitness

center built with student fees this center is designated for student use only. The College of Engineering with over 2000 students is the largest college within the university. The Grays and civil chemical electrical industrial and mechanical engineering are all accredited by the engineering accreditation commission of the Accreditation Board for engineering and technology or a bit Tech's College of Engineering is also the only college in Tennessee with three state supported centers of excellence. The electric power manufacturing and water resources centers bring about 3.5 million dollars of additional state funding into the college each year. These centers provide excellent resources for both masters and doctoral students. One of the most interesting recent research projects are now being conducted involves lightning. The College of Engineering also offers special programs for outstanding high school juniors and seniors. Even though there is a strong emphasis on academics there is

time for fun. Many engineering students participate in several different design contests with other schools and organizations. The civil engineers design and race a concrete canoe the electrical engineers design and participate in a seeking car competition. Mechanical engineers are involved with both the many Baja and human powered submarine competitions. Building these are excellent opportunities for students to apply design theories they are learning in the classroom. The bachelor's program starts in the basic engineering department with all students taking a core of courses needed to prepare them for transfer to a degree granting Department. During your freshman year you will learn engineering graphics using Sun Sparc 1 workstations currently tech engineering freshman are the only students in the country allowed to study 3D solids modeling during the first year after advancing to a degree granting Department. You will study in small classes under nationally known professors and have access to excellent facilities and laboratories.

The teacher you faculty support the co-op program which allows students to alternate between school and work assignments. You will work with some of the largest industries in the country and many companies now attempt to hire only graduates who have had co-op experience. The graduation rate in engineering at Tech exceeds the national average. Normally about 44 percent of basic engineering students graduate in engineering industry often 6 Tech graduates in preference to those from other larger engineering schools. Not only are we trying to promote the county but we're trying to see what kind of potential we have here from Tennessee to a number of the graduates that we've hired in the past of this so well in the county that we tend to want to come back and get more than just a simple as I can put it. Take the opportunity to obtain a quality engineering education at an affordable cost. Contact you today. It started out as a nice quiet fall day at Park New elementary in Cookeville but

it wasn't long before the sounds of silence were broken. I guess you haven't lived till you've experienced kindergarten community helpers day. It was wonderful. The kids look forward to it there's a great deal of preparation goes into the program and the crowning glory is having all of the community helpers come to the school but the in the parade is something they will know forever. It was wonderful Sandra cause war a principal of Parkview elementary along with Sharon Lewin a kindergarten teacher and coordinator of the event took part in the parade high on top of the National Guard vehicle. But the tank that was. Was a classic. It's kind of.

Like the Rose Bowl Parade just rumbling down the road and the kids there underneath were having a ball. They were having a ball but that's as close as to a tank it's I've ever been. That's as close to a tank as I've ever been. On it. Early last break was fun it was fun. The kids they loved it they loved it. Teachers put this all together. I mean it's becomes a highlight yearly highlight and I have to share one thing the first year they ever had this they failed to notify. The radio in the. Well they failed to notify the community is what happened. And all of a sudden the parade starts and there are these sirens and there goes the ambulance and someone in the neighborhood called and said you know there's an emergency at Parkview. And so what happened is the bus transportation supervisors and all the buses to evacuate the children. So we have learned over the years that we. We plan ahead

we call ahead so we had it on we had it all over plastered all over the community and it was oh yes that was that was a hoot. Although this program is a fun experience the message is one of great importance. This is an intense study of strangers we can trust for kindergarten students. If you've ever tried to talk to a 5 year old and they will not talk to you at all you know how difficult it is to get information out and there are times that they need to talk to people. And as a parent we always tell them. Don't talk to strangers don't talk to strangers. But we want to introduce some strangers that they can talk to and we want to identify their uniform so we really zero in on their uniforms and what those look like and compare their uniforms to somebody else's unlike the police. So for example Monday we had a very intense program with the city police and I brought my gruff and I did a segment on. Situations that I was not feeling comfortable with and how they would handle them. They also modeled their uniform.

When talked to about that Tuesday we had Bruce and he talked to them about safety. And with every kindergarten child in a very small close knit and in a classroom. Wednesday the sheriff's department came and did a unit on drugs saying no to drugs and that sort of thing and talk until really down their level filmstrips about everything. And then today is the big day. Today is the day that I've met these three people now they're going to be compared with all these others we had who was doing printing showing a drug thing and giving out the loans and all that talking tome reviewing what they'd already talked about. We have to see how that's coming that's going to be and model his uniform. We have to review what he talked with him about. We have the National Guard coming to talk to them about when they might see them. And what kind of vehicles they drive what their uniforms look why they are should they ever get lost in the in the forest they'll know. You know they'll know what

to talk to and then the ambulance came because many times children are have have to be taken to the hospital and it's a frightening situation so they get to get in the ambulance and look at it and. Talk to those people as well. And that's they rotate around and visit all those people and then at the very end we all have a big parade. And we all ride in something and every child gets a ride in some vehicle with the lights and sirens going. And. We just do that until everybody's written is on the way walk off the road and have a good time. And that's their favorite. Their favorite part. Tell me about what you saw today. I saw a tank in TRA. In a in a sit down is. In Song Army King. Sing that song.

Well what did you learn you've been learning about all these people in uniform. Officer crazy in you. Police. In your law. Her. Are these people your friends. And if you need help you can go to any of these people in uniform. Are you going to go and help your mom and dad learn all these important things. OK I have a good time today you know on the bright. Before the parade students went through different centers featuring each one of the community helpers. What's been your favorite thing you've seen so far. How come. You guys. Made it. And what are you learning from today. What's everybody telling

you. That Smokey. Are you learning to trust people in uniform that they are and what their uniforms man if they don't I mean they have their own. Pant stepped down now. That what I was letting the children inside be aware of this was our uniform how we wear uniform how you can distinguish military personnel from hunters in the woods a lot of personnel like the uniform when you're hunting which is a real comfortable uniform patch is how they can identify you know patches. Also explain to them that military personnel but the pockets have the title U.S. Army for Army personnel and on the right hand side has a last night told them you know if they see a person walking around with a camouflage uniform before they approach any individual first observe the invasion make sure you know they has Pakistanis uniform sure has rank on his collar or rank on her collar or has had the same right their collar does also

explain to the person who is you know that we blast people stick the boot in their pants and we've last ours and a lot of the hunters just let the pants hanging down to the ankles and I just let him be aware of our top uniform and how I can distinguish between the military personnel in her honor. How important do you think an event like this is at a school in my opinion it's very worthwhile because the children. Get to see that. Just because we're wearing a uniform and that we drive big engines and different equipment that we're still NASS gas. Maybe they learn to trust us and I think that's so important today. For the kids to be able to trust somebody. With authority. It's also important that they get the message you know in fire safety and I started a young age. Because I was. A truthful. Unless we change the way the people are thinking we're going to continue with.

Having a fire problem in this country every year across this nation. Thousands of people back if we can change the attitudes. Then we can change that problem starting with the children and working. It has a very good impact on our situation. Well we we tried to tell him that we were their friends and and that their uniform. And what I was doing specifically was I was doing I had a handprint and explain to him what that was for. That they were going to take it home their parents were going to keep that. And if they ever went missing if they could use that to help find. Smokey Bear it will be having a birthday or pretty soon they will have a national birthday for him celebration starting in October. And he will be turning 50 year old. Now did you see that when I was walking by I heard you say something to one of the students about hugging

the tree and what to do if you got lost can you tell us about that. This is a new program it's coming down it's coming down for us. You know as there is the fireman site if your clothes catch on fire you know want to tell it he has to stop drop and roll the old Scion is all I are saying is enough tears to tell the little kids that Granger Jim says if you get lost in a forest stop and how the jury. Will water you hug a tree will this is because this will give somebody Time to find you. I wanted to stress to them my uniform in my apartment so they can recognize this. We have a number of law enforcement agencies that they may come in contact with the City Police Department and meet with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. We was notified about this code to come here and tell them about our uniforms and my job and my duties and I was stressing to them the importance of seat belt laws and my job out on the highway to enforce to the state laws and traffic laws in the accident scenes we

may come in contact with. The important do you think this is for children is very important for me is for to raise and my job to enforce the law and number two I have a daughter here in kindergarten and I believe that it's important for her and other kids to recognize the uniforms of people they can trust. A growing number of kidnapping kids get involved. Someone they can get in contact with. They say too stressed up to get it to get them help. I was more or less going back over what we had covered yesterday in the classroom. We covered a lot of the alcohol in the drug concept of it. We brought in samples of each to be able to show the students exactly what it is what it looks like. And mainly what to stay away from out on the street. And do you think this is a really good thing to do. Absolutely. In the past years that I have helped with this had students that even in the fourth fifth the sixth grade come back to me and even I hear on the street on a daily basis are working wrecks and such as this I've had students walk up to me and say well you're such and such and I remember you

from my kindergarten days. That's very important and do you think that I can if you're talking about substance abuse and stuff can a kindergarten child really grasp that. Absolutely. I think whenever you get to him as young as they are that is something that. When they look at us when they look at us as an important figure in the community and we try to become their freeness as their enemy. A lot of the parents nowadays we come in contact with people that say well if you don't mind me we'll having put you in jail. We don't like this sort of thing. And we tried our best to make friends with everyone we come in contact with. And as young as they are I feel like that that stays with him throughout the years. Tina Francis is one of five kindergarten teachers at Park U elementary we spend a lot of time telling our children to be aware of strangers and we decided that it was important that I learned that there are strangers that I can trust. And so we made had visitors in our classroom to let them and Jennifer had their uniforms what to look

for it the town the detail who we could turn to for help but there are some strangers we could trust. And so is this sort of a culmination and did you think the children really enjoyed the children left at the. Alladin the dangers were the kids just love it. Tomorrow is really at the end of our unit and we're going to be visiting the justice sander and the fire station. Oh yeah the kids love it it's really the most memorable thing of kindergarten. The how out of the year. I just feel like children learn better. When they're hands on and it's fun and they don't realize they're learning. I hope they go home today and say we didn't do anything today but play and have a great time. And we met all these people and we did all this. And I've learned that and you know it and that's what's important. If they can do they don't have to have pencil and paper in their hand all the time. All the teachers we all get together and and make contributions to this it's not just just me we have artwork that we do we have different different things we all

have suggestions about what we think might work and might not work. What do you think this is important for a student. That young. Is. I guess I would say society is dealing as some harsh realities right now. And it really is in well the interest of the school and for the student in the community at large is that kids have to know the who's the what's in the wearer's and. You know I remember years ago we used to teach just about Officer Friendly the policeman but now things have expanded so much that you know we have to we have to be aware and we have to be very cautious. And this is just something that you know even as adults know that's you know you've got to start even younger than the use to bring children onboard. But the county superintendent Mark Gentry was on hand to take part in its exciting school project.

It's a wonderful program. In addition each kid or each national psyche the different facets of what goes on in that department. And I think the whole object is to let the students know that they who they can trust that's the whole crux of the situation. And they did there come a culminating week long unit in study of this particular issue and I think they're going to go for rides in the fire engines in the in a tank the National Guards here the ambulance service. It's amazing from the stories that you see on television how young the students are that they conduct pick up when one of the kindergartners and you don't have to treat him like a child at all. They can understand everything you say and they know what you mean so that they're very heady for a you know be five and six years old. And I guess it makes you feel good to have one of your teachers go to the extra effort to plan something like that. Oh it's my all our teachers in this county are wonderful. They they do different things in different schools. Miss Lane has put this down

and she has done a wonderful job along with the kindergarten staff and in the schools that ministration here. Mr. Lewis in this cause they all do an excellent job and this goes on in our schools. Although drama has always been an important part of the curriculum at Monterey High School it's not every day that the students not only get to act in a play they get to write to the production Adele put on this Sunday is an original written by a class that is now going to perform the play. We talked to their teacher Peggy McLeod about the experiment. Peggy I understand that the drama that you're doing this weekend is an original one. He has a city as a we took a diary that was left by an aunt of mine when she was 12 years old and she was in the eighth grade in California. And well it's really not a diary but a friendship book. And this is it. And so the play is based on this friendship book. So we gave the students the friendship book and then they worked together to build the play around it.

How could you do that. That's a good question. Well it was a little bit difficult to get started to see exactly what focus we wanted to have on the. The entire production we decided on the focus it really took the students just about a week. We looked at the friendship book. We also visited the cemetery where she is now buried. We looked at pictures of her. And now that seem to inspire the students. Now did you study about her life so that you would in addition to looking at Friendship books so you had something to base it on. Well we really didn't know very much about her life. In fact she's my mother's youngest sister and she was dead before I was born so I never really met her. And so we really didn't know very much it was just limited. So we pulled details from the friendship book.

How did you decide to do this to write an original play just instead of going out and getting one that they've done for years and years. Well I attended the arts academy in Nashville this summer and one of the classes that we had was on ply production and actually writing the scripts and the emphasis was that the students would become more involved in it if it was there. If the script was truly something that they had worked on from the very beginning and so I got the idea at that time and it seems to have worked because I've had very dedicated students they've done a great job. I mean some places. Yes. When you don't already.

Know. When you make. Love says Mary Alvord. This is I once did love you I love you still always will your sister forever was really forward. Pierce's Roses are red violets are blue. Ok them your bros. They're ours. From nothing. For a country place for starting your career it still might. Governorship. And them for that matter. All of the students behind me helped write the play. They work together here at school during drama and then also one Saturday we made it my house and that's when we visited the graveyard in. And we worked on it at that time and finalized it. It is still being worked on just a little bit as we're practicing for the play on Sunday we are making little changes as we go along in the script.

Sometimes when we were actually working on the script. There were some minor skirmishes but we were able to work them out. All the students know each other real well and we would debate and decide which way we wanted to go with it. And I think that it helped rather than hindered to have this many people with more input than I think we have a greater output is for is the production is concerned. Did you enjoy working on the script. Yeah it was fun. Just it was all right here school but it was more fun I think we really got to know what we were doing we went to Oxford Opus's house with his to the grave. It just sort of brought home to what we were actually doing. How did you enjoy writing the play. I enjoyed getting to write the friendship. It was really unusual and a lot of the entries in the pic are really key things that we wouldn't think of today. I really enjoyed it.

How did you try to go back and from the point of view that you were like an eighth grade. No. I kind of try to go back like I was in the 20s because some of the stuff you I had never heard before and you just try to picture that you would say those things to your friend. Wendy how did you enjoy working on the script. I liked it very much is really hate did because there are so many deadlines never thing but once they came together is really great. Enjoyed working with everybody. One thing that I don't understand is how did you get to know what you wanted to do on stage just going from a little book. We had several ideas we had to just collaborate everything in. We tried everything and this was what we're doing now is the best thing we came up with. I think everybody should come and say it because even though the length is going to be short it's not going to be a very long flight it is a want to fly but the people who do come and see it are going to be left with something to think about for a while. So that just sort of goes to show that it's not always the length of the play it's the

content. Now what is the name of the production and when is it going to be performed. It's called Reflections of Dora Alice and it will be performed for the public at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is just two dollars. We will also do a production on Monday for our student body. Well I'm just very proud of the students and their work on this production. And I really encourage the public to come out. In fact there are probably many people in Cookeville who know the Barnes family and would know of Adore Alice.

Well the hair in this area and up are crumbling as you know Becky there's still a cloud over mentally illness people do not understand. Same to get the hospital Colonsay up and they are not aware that so many Americans walk around every day with with Malay Allis things like depression anxiety panic attacks things bother paper a letter and the people are still functional but they're still bothered. Really all this awareness woi just legitimizes I think some of the things that that we have going on this week has been designated as mental illness awareness week throughout the

nation. The upper common alliance for the mentally ill have been working hard for this week with hopes that members of the community will take notice of this important health issue. Tonight on upper Cumberland camera we feature the first of a two part series on mental illness. Linda Thornton a member of the upper common alliance is a psychiatric nurse with 20 years experience and also has extended family members who live with the disease. I think it's important that way. Set aside a time as we do other things that people can just realize that there are many many instances of mental illness and health care is being affected and we need to be aware of it. In this part of the new clients that are coming out of health care I think we just need to be aware that it is part of our overall health care plan and we need to include it in a are all. And so what we're looking about you know for the future is just and so very

common. Mental illness is very common. And it's we hope to just increase people's awareness of that. The many many people that are mentally ill harm Portas army which is the alliance group our important is that to a community and to family members and consumers. Well it started about 30 years ago when of course it was important and but it's becoming more and more important in view of our health changes. In view of some of the things that are happening at the state level. We're involving the community more and more and a lot is being dealt back to the communities about health care mental health care and they're really trying to put a good part of the mental health care back into the community. So as part of that community we I think are going to be more important consumers. Our welcome families are welcome but we tried to encourage people to become involved and

active in the community. And I think it's becoming more and more important in the state people the providers locally are going to be looking to us to help them with a. Mental illness has. Had a stigma and that's something of a national anthem that the alliance has really tried to work with and combat. What are your feelings on that. I think there has been a stigma. I'm hoping. That that is decreasing because. I think that is definitely true but we're finding more and more that there is real reason to think that mental illness is a brain disorder. And we're coming out with new drugs and I think. And I hope that more of the public is seeing mental illness is I as a true physical disorder for a true problem with the functioning of the brining.

And as that comes about I think the stigma will become less and Elias. But I think that has been very true and some communities are Liber further along than others but I think that's part of their job as the alliance to help the community warn that you know that to get rid of the stigma and not to see these people as abnormally different you know and to be treated as human beings with real needs and are part of the community. Medicines have been phenomenal have a very I mean there's that's been a tremendous training. Treating mental illness rod there really has because you know when you think about it some of the drugs that we first started to treat mental illness really came about in the 50s stores. You know one of our classic mental health drugs really was developed in the 50s so you know that's not that long ago. And so we just now we're just seem to be on the beginning of new medicines you know Prozac calls are real all the new

medicines are coming out I think is a very exciting time to work in mental help. Because there's much more being done treatment. There's absolutely no reason people should not seek care because there's a lot of improvements that can be made. There is help more so than ever. And I think it's really exciting to be aware of the drugs and go to some of the workshops and hero some of the things that are being done with the medicines are really very exciting as it's a more hopeful time for families. The over coverage area is fortunate to have several mental health facilities. Carol Lovell is the program director for the Lori center. The Law Center is located in Cocoa hospital we are a separate part located on the fifth floor of the hospital. We are separate in that our patients are tying to confidentially. There are not a part of the regular hospital roster. If you call in the hospital and I ask for someone who's in the Hall Center they do not have the names to give out. So it's separate in that

why we are we have 34 Bay EDS we have inpatient psychiatric care. We treat both chronic and more acute psychiatric illnesses. We have two separate units for the hat. We also have to have alcohol and drug unit. In addition to die at we are primarily inpatient. We do have to care and follow up as a part of that service. How do you service here at the Laurel center. We have a lot of Putnam County people who use this facility but we have people come from the telling of the upper crumbling candies. We've had people from Kentucky. Several people from Nashville but most of our patients are right here in this area and we definitely encourage people to be traded in their own area. There's reasons for that. And we we always ask questions

if we tell people from another area it's an advantage to be treated in your own area. Because once you are treated in this in this hospital in this area you're free for two years to come back for a break canceling sessions aftercare matings. There's a lot of follow up things of Bible here that are in no charge that you begin to work out why your interest in that. And that's true generally most everywhere and every community has its own resources and facilities and alas are precious to come back for groups and that sort of in the middle Aeolus is that we treat we treat a lot of chronic problems such as schizophrenia bipolar disorder on our chronic. Unit. And we also trade a lot of adjustment disorders. We have adjustment disorders due to marital problems adjustment disorder due to a syndrome adjustment

disorder due to move or a job change all kinds of things like that. I think on our psych unit the most common problem we treat is depression. We would use eye mood disorder. We treat both major depression and manic depression. Which are two pretty distinct kinds of illnesses. Well there is no respecter or gender or anything else. It absolutely is not. It affects everybody it affects us at times who are vulnerable. Many times the current that that you and I might experience the major depressions the Anxiety Disorders those kinds of things depend a lot only a man of stressors that are in your life if you have what we call three or four major things happen within a year. And you're much more vulnerable

to go through. Some type of mainly only this. If you have everything going your wife for a while then you're not is that today that basically only this is a major stressor and brings on a lot of behavioral health problems as well. That's why a lot being here at the hospital because we can always check out and see if there's anything else going on. Do you think people are more accepting of help. Generally I think we're beginning to get there. It's it's a long way from the cloud of mentally illness that we used to have our state hospital Colonsay up to understanding that one in four Americans are probably going to suffer from some form of mental illness within one within the life term. So and that is a middle Aeolus that interferes with law functioning

which it either interferes with war. Relationships are some significant area of a person's life. That's a high statistic. Very high. But people don't realize that almost a lot of people have a cold sometimes they ever wonder if it's time to go to the doctor you can't drive and drive. Well sometimes that happens with depression or anxiety. People think well. I'm not bad enough to get any help when it will drive down and down and sometimes become worse with it. Mentally illness is extremely treatable. Depression is very treatable so I was eyeing Saudi most and most of the things that really bother us are so tradeable. Just a little therapy a little probably a little medication at times to to get you through. I don't like that we're going to normal life the way I experienced it before it ride and paper over all resistance sometimes because I say this is really bad because

of this or that circumstance. But sometimes we get so spot on with the circumstance that our coping mechanisms kind of get reduced as a royal And so we can't always change circumstances but many times we can strengthen the skills that you have to do to deal with it. And I really feel the strength of the program here. Our group therapy sessions we have group psychotherapy sessions where patients talk with each other about their feelings and one of the most scary things about mentally ill is behavioral health problems in general as you feel so alone. And so when you can get together with people who have this sighing thing lings some of the same issues but a lot of the same failings the scared failings that sometimes that only explained right failings. Just Al Kerns of things that are issues I talk about it is a group with

guided therapy within that it's extremely fast. It gets people to failings out in the open and they deal with it. I feel a bond with people. And I begin to go alone and allow themselves to develop the coping skills that I need. We really wore it. 6 A S in our in our patients and we wore it like the study would concentrate on brief treatment which I average length of stay is I point nine days and I'm very proud of that because when I when we started here it was like 13 days. So we're getting it die and we're getting people better faster. Like we're being more effective in what we're doing. Several people with mental illness on a regional basis is applied to mental health center. The system covers 30 counties and had sugars located to Cookeville Bill Livingston Crossfield in Lafayette. Over 3000 people in the

upper Cumberland area are currently being served by them. Brooks is the director of the pleco mental health center located in Cookeville. We have seems like we've boomed Lately we have all those new programs we have a housing developer that works with us that tries to link people up with housing opportunities. We have a job developer and a job coach that just recently come on line and their purpose is to work within the community to find job placements for consumers that can and wish to work. And the job coach goes with them sometimes and helps them do the job if necessary and kind of liaison with the businesses. Are there other things happening. There are lots of things. We have a mobile crisis team which we've had now for. Approximately. But my months started and the December beginning of January

and we have the capability with that program of sending teams out to crisis situations at hospitals or jails wherever the situation might be and deal with the situation right then and there. We primarily are responding in the three county area that Cook will cover as part of the white and cab however we're putting in place the ability to go to other locations like in Cumberland County or some of the other Macon County Smith County Jackson County were setting up arrangements with professionals in those areas to help us cover if we needed to get called out in those situations and other mental health care facilities will undergo some changes with Tennessee's master plan for mental health which is now being implemented. The Master Plan is an effort on the part of the state to streamline and make more efficient all of the mental health services. And

it came about. Prior to all of the managed care 10 care sorts of things so it's apart from that. Basically it's a plan that the state has to improve community support services make services more available to. The consumers in the community as opposed to in. The state hospital and to reduce. The bad utilization and to make the services and the supports in the community to be able to keep the clients out of the hospital and provide and improve the quality of life as well as including family members in the decision making and in the consumers and decision making of patients. You're right. Patient care and actually even more community based than that in terms of previously all patient care was center based or in the office you have to come to the office to get the services. Well these new initiatives take the

treatment out of the office and bring them right into the community into the home where the consumers are and where the services are needed. How great is the me for hers. I think the need is very big. It seems like we. Deal. Quite heavily with the after effects of situations people in crisis trying to kind of pick up the pieces after there's been a problem. I'd love to see the day when we would have enough resources available to provide services to people before things become a crisis before kind of the preventative aspect of mental health because mental health is such a broad term. Mental illness is such a broad term. And. It's everything from someone having a situational difficulty to someone with a diagnosed mental illness that needs constant treatment and everything in between. So it's something that affects everybody and I'm sure if anybody

took a look at their life and the people they know were family members they'd find somebody that would have met that criteria at one point or another. And it's that broad I would want people to know that mental illness can strike anybody at any time just like any other illness. That's what it is it's it's a disease and they're learning more and more all the time about. You know what causes mental illnesses. Mental health is something everybody has to be concerned with because we all go through crisis in our lives in difficult situations and there's nothing to say that you know any one of us couldn't need the services of a therapist or counselor or psychologist at some point in our life due to things we don't always have control over so it's something that that's real and can affect anybody at any time so I'd like to see people be compassionate about it and to try and. Not be afraid of mentally ill people or people that they think might be receiving services

because they're just like everybody else they really are just like you and me. Well I think one thing you can do is get involved with the changes that are going on. Be aware of what's happening in our mental health system. You know find out what the master plan is which is why being acted in by and it's fairly new. But this is people frequently do not know what their ears but get involved find out what that means. And just learn about what's going going on because there is going to be changes in the community. And before things happen and you're not aware of it I think it's good to it's good to learn. Good to learn about. Changes that are going to be made. And also I think with your neighbors and people that you socialize with to try to. Teach people to be accepting of people with mental illness you know they are not.

They are different in some ways but we are all needy and they are a very needy population and have some special needs. But they can come back to the community and they can lead. Productive lives. You have a criminal Alliance for the mentally ill meets the third Tuesday of each month to the lower level of the Putnam County Library. All interested persons are encouraged to attend. For more information on the laurel center call 5 to 8 H and for more information on the plateau mental health center call for 3 2 4 1 2 3. Next week on overcoming camera will continue our focus on mental illness as we visit the generations unit in White County specializing in treatment for patients 55 and older. When I first brought him in here I was having to pull him up out of the chair for him then had to hit him with a wall. And when he left or they could get up and go watch J they get an altogether different person. And he tells me he loves me more today than he ever did.

And I was so pumped up just now and there so yes for a minute I was so wrapped up with her love and beauty I take her breakfast every morning share in the writers and Mail. And just as then as I job I got it. Oh yes I love you so much. I'm the happiest I've ever been anywhere close together where ever been I was a Leo before coming here and will feature a story on New York two bare faced held in Cookeville. Both of those stories and more will be featured next week on the upper Cumberland camera.