Staff Coverage and Quality Personnel
CMHS understands and appreciates the uniqueness of each Facility we serve, and thus designs and recommends staffing sufficient to provide both the expressed needs of the Facility and those required by Standards.  The Mental Health Team consists of:

• A Board eligible/Certified Psychiatrist or other appropriately trained mid-level prescriber (Nurse Practitioner, Physician’s Assistant and/or Psychologist, where permitted by law)
  
  
• A Mental Health Coordinator (coordinates the entire mental health service, is the site liaison to administration, manages staff, is responsible for policies and procedures, provides training to correctional officers and triages acuity)
  
  
• Based on the size of the institution, additional Mental Health Professionals (defined as licensed counselors, social workers, nurses or psychologists)
  
  
• Case Managers (Master’s level or eligible). 

All sites have available 24/7, on-call service to allow prompt response when mental health staff is not on-site for medication orders/renewals and/or for response to emergency situations.  CMHS works with our CONMED Medical Staff, or those from another provider (when used as a subcontractor or as a “carved-out service”), who support our activities by administration of psychotropic medications as prescribed, conducting lab work in preparation for administration or monitoring of psychotropic medications, transcribing and charting medication orders, and maintenance of a Facility’s medical charts to include mental health information.

Training of Correctional Staff
CMHS believes that providing ongoing training for correctional officers is an essential part of any successful Mental Health Service.  In fact, CMHS does not accept contracts that do not include training of correctional officers.  We believe that if we are to deliver our promise of effective management of mentally ill detainees, then the front line officer who deals with them on a daily basis must be trained and equipped to play an integral role in their management. 

The offered training covers five critical areas: 

• Suicide Risk Factors
  
  
• Identifying Signs of Mental Illness
  
  
• Signs of Trauma
  
  
• De-escalation Techniques
  
  
• When to Refer for Evaluation

Staff Supervision
Each mental health clinician receives regular supervision appropriate to his/her skills and level of training.  Persons providing clinical supervision have adequate training, knowledge and experience to supervise any services performed.

Any internship program participants or advanced practice trainees providing service within a Facility must receive prior approval by the Facility Administration and the Mental Health Coordinator.  Strict supervisory guidelines will be followed at all times, and only those qualified to provide care will be permitted to do so.  Trainees’ time providing services are not substituted for staff hours unless they are qualified to do so independently and must be authorized in advance by the Facility Administration.