A
Note from the President's Desk
As
I look back on the past year, I am proud of our Team's dedication to
continuous improvement.
ACT's
Human Resources Department has lowered employee turnover by:
ACT's
Administration has provided for more efficient and secure internal
communication:
ACT's
Compliance Department has kept ahead of regulations and maintained
audit excellence.
ACT's
Clinical Services Department has supported clinician retention and
service excellence by:
-
strengthening
clinician orientation periods in order to better prepare new
recruits.
-
providing
for ongoing educational and case study opportunities for our
clinician employees.
-
increasing
face-to-face supervisory time for all our clinicians.
ACT's
Business Development Department has expanded and diversified our
services:
-
into
the only territory in North Carolina we were not yet covering-
the far Northeast.
-
with
the addition of Primary Care Services.
-
with
the addition of Substance Abuse Services.
ACT's
Finance Department has supported the costs associated with all these
projects by:
I
would like to sincerely thank our customers for their loyal support
and timely communication that is so important to our meeting their
needs. Much appreciation is given to ACT employees who have
all been a part of our success.
Leadership
is excited about the new achievements we have planned in 2005 to
enhance services, improve quality of life for our employees and
grow.
With
Regards,
Erinn
L. Moore, MBA
|
Bipolar
Disorders
Over two million Americans are receiving treatment for Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar
disorder usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood,
but it can appear in childhood or later in life. Women and men get
bipolar disorder equally, but there are some gender differences.
Women with bipolar disorder may have more depressive episodes than
do men with bipolar disorder. Men are more likely to start with a
manic episode, whereas women's first episode is usually a
depressive episode.
Genetics
may play a role in bipolar disorder. More than two-thirds of
people with bipolar disorder have at least one close relative with
the disorder (or with unipolar major depression).
The diagnosis of
bipolar disorder seems to be used
more in the US. as opposed to many other countries. This
might be attributed to available improvements in diagnostic
technology and awareness.
Diagnosis
is mostly supported by client and family history, and symptoms.
However, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has identified
significant differences in the brain chemistry which might
assist in assessing the presence of Bipolor Disorder.
Although their study was rather limited (42 participants) early
results seem promising.
The
study utilized a very high-feild Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
This technique uses a 3T longbore MR scanner which is twice the
magnetic-field strength of currently used scanners.
The
Mayo research team found differences in the brain chemistry of
Bipolar patients involving movement, vision, reading, and sensory
information processing. With time our understanding of the
chemistry of mental illness will further assist in providing
accurate diagnosis and treatment. This information was
presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of
North America last week in Chicago.
Anniversary Dates:
v Seven Years:
Jean Patel
v Four Years:
Leslie McNamara
v One Year:
Paula Clarke
v
Allen Greenway
v
Bryan Connell
v
Judy Lefaive
Birthdays:
v
Florence
Thompson January 1
v
Martha
Wright
January 5
v
Barry
Bertolette January
10
v
Morina Ramsamooj
January 14
v
Brad
Dent
January 16
v
Kerry
Rush February
3
v
John
Bramblett
February 11
v
Craig
Iversen
February 14
v
Juanita
Wendt February
21
New Hires:
v
Cheryl Reigle, Staff Coordinator/Corporate Office
v
Shirley Sanders, PhD New
Bern
Practice
|
