The View - November 2017

Oak Ridge Fall Classic 5K celebrates big jump in participants and funds raised!

Ridgeview hosted the 2nd Annual Oak Ridge Fall Classic 5k on Saturday, November 4 in historic Jackson Square and celebrated a 42% increase in participation and a near 100% increase in funds raised. We were delighted to add new sponsors this year, particularly Pi Kappa Phi and Y-12 Gives Foundation. Of course none of this would be possible without the positive, can-do spirit of our volunteers! Pencil in November 3 in your 2018 calendar and save the date to walk, run, or volunteer!

United Way Campaign nears goal!

With two weeks remaining, Ridgeview is close to nearing our agency goal of $2,000! As a United Way partner agency, Ridgeview is the recipient of United Way funds to support psychiatric medication management services for individuals who are uninsured or under-insured.

Every dollar makes a difference!

We appreciate everyone who participated in the HallowTeam Costume Contest in October!

Donate button added to website and Facebook

Ridgeview introduced a Donate button to our website in November - this will afford people the opportunity to easily make a contribution to support our programming and services all year long.

CIT celebrates November graduates

Twelve law enforcement personnel graduated from Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training on November 17, 2017. The graduates represented Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, and Anderson County Emergency Medical Services.

CIT is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention with community, health care, and advocacy partnerships. CIT provides 40 hours of specialized training for problem solving and de-escalating crisis situations with individuals who have a mental illness. Studies show it also improves the safety of patrol officers, consumers, family members, and citizens within the community.

Oak Ridge Police Department’s Deputy Chief C. Robin Smith stated in his opening remarks, “Thanks to the partnership between the Oak Ridge Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, NAMI Oak Ridge, the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, and other community health advocates, our community has better equipped itself with first responders who have an effective set of communication and problem solving skills.” To date, the East Tennessee Crisis Intervention Team has trained over 200 law enforcement personnel.

During the graduation ceremony, Brian Buuck, Ridgeview CEO, emphasized the words of CIT founder, Major Sam Cochran, “the program’s success is as much about changing hearts as it is about changing minds.” Buuck added, “CIT is a vital piece of promoting hope, healing, and recovery for individuals experiencing a psychiatric crisis.” One graduate shared, “One of the best overall courses I have attended. [It] increased my ability to better serve consumers experiencing a crisis,” while another shared, “[The training is] very good and beneficial to the job. [I] learned very useful skills.”

On May 5 of this year, ORPD’s Trae Sweeten received the inaugural East Tennessee CIT Officer of the Year award for having demonstrated extraordinary skill and mastery of the CIT concepts.

Pictured at graduation from left to right: Lt. John Kelly, Board of Directors Alan Massengill and Kas Gomathinayagam, CEO Brian Buuck, and Officer Chris Luethge.