A new education series based at the Errera Community Care Center in West Haven is training community agency employees who work with homeless adults – including veterans – in Connecticut.
Organized by Theddeus Iheanacho, MBBS, DTM&H, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Medical Director at Errera in the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, the Psychoeducation Series program is a collaboration between VA Homeless Programs and a coalition of homeless agencies in the state.
Iheanacho said the goal is to provide training for homeless agency staff who are mostly non-clinical to recognize signs of mental illness and substance use disorders and provide support to their clients and make referrals.
During a recent session, Nkemka Esiobu, MD, MPH, a fourth-year resident in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, spoke about psychosis, and answered questions about mental health topics. She said the goal is to improve people’s understanding of mental illness so they can better serve patients.
Errera serves veterans who struggle with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders, homelessness and/or aging. A team of multidisciplinary mental health professionals work together to provide community-based rehabilitative services, including day and crisis intervention, vocational and housing programs, homeless outreach and advocacy, wellness activities, and case management.