We love seeing how you are living our culture. Thank you for sharing your moments and inspiring us.
Promoting a Giving Spirit during Change
By Michelle McGraw, RD, North MO and Kansas
BHG acquired the Center for Change treatment center in Lawrence, KS, in Nov 2021. During this transition, staff made every effort to make sure the patients’ needs were met. They encouraged, supported, and helped each other to ensure all daily tasks were completed and worked with the patients to help explain the transition and share BHG information.
The following are ways the staff helped the clinic and patients understand the transition and connect with new people during the transition, the holidays and beyond:
- Patients received donations of used office items, wall décor, and other things that had been in the clinic storage for over a decade. This kept items out of the landfills/dumps while helping patients in need.
- At Christmas, patients received holiday gift bags containing notepads, pens, food coupons, gloves, and masks.
- Patients in need have received non-perishable food items that were gathered at a sister BHG clinic.
- The counselors celebrated National Have Fun at Work Day by dressing up with crazy hair styles and tie dye clothing. They participated in games, instrument playing, and singing. Some of the patients engaged with staff by singing and playing the instruments. Everyone had a really fun day
BHG Lake Charles Celebrates Employee Appreciation Day
Submitted by Keli Lyons, Office Manager
Back row, left to right: Naomi Bellard, Counselor / Brittany Bertrand, Dosing Nurse / Kim Johnson, Counselor / Deirdra Richard, Program Director / Krystal Arvie, Intake Nurse / Chaz Burnworth, PRC / Keli Lyons, Office Manager. Front row, left to right: Kianna Fraizer, Counselor / Mary-Jean Rabalais, Counselor / Teneisha Wright, Counselor / Celena Avery, Nursing Supervisor / Lindsay Lopez, Counselor
Pheonix Health Center Hagerstown Celebrates National Chili Cook-Off Day
Submitted by Kathy Bishop, Program Director
Nine PHC employees put on their chef hats to battle it out on National Chili Cook-Off Day. Thank you to our chefs, the patient judges, their guests, the community, and staff who tasted and voted!
And the winners are…
Spicy Pharmacy Manager Renee took home the Chili Crown. Laura had never made chili before but finished in second place. Stephanie was cooking with a new receipe and finished third place. Shyam’s never-seen-before chili entry had sausage and ketchup, but somehow he placed fourth. Competitive Kathleen, despite her chili-tasting tour, found herself in the fifth-place spot. An Office episode-worthy chili spill had Katie scraping up enough for a sixth place finish. Springs gourmet presentation made her as pretty as always, but pretty chili landed her seventh place. Heather finished in eighth place. Last but not least, Christina finished in ninth place; her patients’ success proves she is better at counseling than cooking.
Ms. Rose made delicious homemade desserts for everyone to enjoy. A big thank you goes to Lisa Mankin, Regional Director, and BHG for allowing this opportunity for your staff to share in a friendly competition, and for the chance for neighbors, patients and staff to be human together, laugh, smile and feel like people again. People being people together is real recovery.
BHG D.C. Yums It Up for National Nutrition Month
Submitted by Sheryl Banaag, MS, BS, Program Director
National Nutrition Month: The Gut and Mental Health Connection
By Amy Shaw, BS, ADC-IP, Counselor, Holistic Health Coach, BHG Spartanburg
I’m a big believer that food is medicine. How much or how little and the quality of the food we feed our bodies impacts every cell that not only fuels our life-sustaining organs, but also three key things that affect our moods: energy, ability to focus, less brain fog and more clarity. That’s why I want to share some of my recipes and tips with you, and hopefully you will share with your patients.
Science supports the gut and mental health connection.
The gut and mental health connection is real. Science tells us that 90 to 95% of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that mediates our satisfaction, happiness, and optimism, is produced in our gut. I experience this all the time. When I pay attention to what I put in my body, I think more clearly, keep my mind from spinning out, and I have a more positive mindset.
Here at BHG in Spartanburg, SC, I run a newly formed self-care group. Recently, I was talking to a client about how eating too much sugar affects the quality of sleep. It was like a light bulb appeared over her head when I told her Gatorade is loaded with it, but people think it’s healthy.
After family traumas, including my own divorce and becoming a single mom of two boys, now ages 3 and 5, I know first-hand how what we eat can make all the difference in how we show up every day. I stumbled into nutrition when I started thinking of how to help give my kids the best possible start in life.
Good nutrition is self-care for everyone.
Nutrition is not only important for our patients and their recovery journey, but also vital for everyone to consider food as part of their self-care. I chose to turn my lived experience into a passion by earning my certification as a holistic health coach, and now I get to marry that with counseling and my love for helping people with their recovery journey.
I tell myself and clients, “You can’t pour from an empty cup. I’m never going to tell you to do more than what I expect of myself.” The same goes for all of us here at BHG and in our industry. We have big hearts, and we want to help everyone and do everything, but if we put food in our bodies that slows us down and affects our sleep, we can’t show up 100% ourselves. If we want to be our best selves, we must treat our bodies with respect.
What you can do
To help reinforce what you and patients may already be doing or to help get you started, here are some simple steps to consider. Whether you do one step or all the steps, you’re making progress. Don’t try to eat the whole elephant all at once, just take one small bite at a time.
Drink water. Daily recommendations are 60oz to 90oz per day and varies from person to person based on weight and physical activity. I keep a gallon water bottle with me always. To build up to this, just start with one 8oz glass per day.
Eat vegetables. Add at least one vegetable to every meal each day that is sauteed, steamed or raw, not fried. Try swapping your French fries for carrots or some other vegetable you like.
Eat less processed food. I love to tell people to eat food that’s closest to nature. In a perfect world, the healthiest option is to eat no processed food at all. Our bodies are designed for natural food to help us be resilient and self-healing. However, the reality of this looks very different for people depending on their habits, environments, and income-level. While programs and education are on the rise, i.e., SNAP and food stamps, many people don’t have equitable access to healthy foods. Growing your own garden or going to farmer’s markets are two ways people can have fruits and vegetables handy, and another way is to shop the perimeter of grocery stores which is where all the fresh food, meat and beverages are. Everything in the “middle” is processed. Fortunately, more affordable stores in more locations, like Walmart and ALDI, are now offering healthy, fresh options.
Start a challenge group with your colleagues, friends, or family. In the past, I’ve run challenge groups and would love to do that with my colleagues here. Reach out if I can help you get started at your treatment center or at home.
Swap recipes. Share your healthy recipes and even make some to share at the office. Check out my downloadable healthy recipes here on our SharePoint.
Finally, I’d love to know if any of you talk about nutrition with your patients. It would be great to share ideas and experiences to help us continue learning how to better guide our patients.
Sources:
The Gut-Brain Axis: The Missing Link in Depression (nih.gov)
Linking What We Eat to Our Mood: A Review of Diet, Dietary Antioxidants, and Depression (nih.gov)
What has serotonin to do with depression? (nih.gov)
Serotonin: Why You Need It and How to Boost Levels Naturally – Dr. Axe (draxe.com)