Three years ago this past month LMCS began a cooperative venture with the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Court. In this venture, we began to provide treatment services to the Drug Court. Almost one year ago, we began providing treatment services as part of the Mental Health Court. Due to the significant growth in both of these ventures, the need for space has created some logistical problems for our providers and individuals served. After much deliberation and review of options, we have chosen to re-purpose the LaFayette Outpatient Clinic to the Accountability Court service site. This will allow us to move the Drug Court groups currently at FOPC to the LaFayette site, which is closer to the court and more central to our four counties. 

Effective October 19th LOPC will no longer provide services to individuals who are not involved in the Accountability Courts. Current clients at LOPC will be given the option of moving to SOPC, FOPC or TOPC. The LOPC site will no longer accept intakes or provide individual counseling to non-Accountability Court individuals. Kelly O’Bryant, who is the current site manager, will continue to serve in a management role for LMCS as we go through the CCBHC certification process over the next year. Her expertise in data will be critical in this process. 

During the next four weeks, our Operations Manager Brooke Turner and Director of Nursing Debbie Faulkner will be contacting and working with our medication management clients to discuss this change and assess their choice for future treatment site. Clinicians at LOPC will contact the individuals we serve and discuss the impending changes, determine, and schedule future appointments at one of the other sites. After October 19th there will be some site modifications completed to create larger group rooms to accommodate our Accountability Court groups. The construction is scheduled to be completed by early December. 

This is an exciting improvement created by the growth that we have experienced in the Accountability Courts. Kudos are in order to those clinicians who have helped make this possible. They have developed a very positive relationship with the Court and this has led to this new opportunity.