Butler County Warmline Program Grapevine Center 140 N. Elm Street Butler, PA 16001

Warmline  Funded by Butler County MH/MR  Funded by United Way  MHA of Butler County Fiduciary

Warmline 7pm to 10pm Daily Including Holidays when nearly all other services are unavailable Local Toll Free

What is a Warmline? Confidential peer-run telephone support for people seeking non-judgmental assistance from others who can empathize from their own personal experiences.

Warmline offers...  Confidential peer support  Sounding board for resolving issues or making decisions  Non-judgmental empathy  Referral to community resources  Outreach to those requesting it

Inception of the Warmline 1) Sherry Mead visit/training ) Consulted with Washington County Warmline 3) Started Warmline in Spring of ) Hired supervisor who developed training 5) Hired workers one month later 6) Funding taken from current drop-in center budget 7) Next year – Applied to United Way for additional funds

Changes made 1) Training classes offered once or twice a year – 15 hours 2) Substitutes trained 3) Senior Warmline workers

Types of Calls - Incoming  I’m lonely  I just want to talk  I’m homeless  I have issues  Where can I turn – Information & Referral  I need help with my utilities  I need a ride

Reassurance Calls - Outgoing 1) Requested by individual 2) Patients in local or State hospital 3) Elderly and others

Challenging Calls  Emergency  Crisis  Repeat  Crank  Referral

Staff 1) Bette Peoples – Director 2) Pete Szura – Supervisor of Warmline 3) Becky McCarthy – Senior Warmline 4) Amy Donley – Senior Warmline 5) Sharon Gatz – Senior Warmline 6) Regis Fallecker – Warmline Staff 7) Lois Lingenfelter – Warmline Staff 8) Nancy Crider – Substitute 9) Edgar Negley - Substitute 10) Pam Smith - Substitute

Benefit of Workers 1) Vacation after one year 2) Sick hours provided after three months 3) Double-time pay on major holidays 4) Flexible hours 5) Bereavement

Core Skills  Phone skills  Active listening  Paraphrasing  Silence – a tool  Resource referral  Role playing  Job coaching

Training Warmline Staff - Topics 1) Active listening 2) Crisis 3) Drug & Alcohol 4) Referral to other services 5) Handling difficult calls 6) Cultural competency 7) Other

Training Materials  Job description – Refer to handout  Training record  Confidentiality statement  Peer support  Types of care  Required records  Community Assets website

Training – Role Plays 1) Difficult calls 2) Referral calls 3) Emergency 4) Repeat 5) People you know 6) Crank

Reporting  Nightly  Weekly  Monthly  United Way requirements  Butler County requirements

Supporting the Workers  Staff meetings with all peer support staff employed by Grapevine Center  Warmline staff meetings and trainings  Individual support available with supervisor  Conferences and workshops available for Warmline staff to attend  Grapevine vans available to do outreach  Job coaches when needed

Guest Speakers  Crisis Center  Chemical Dependency  Conflict Resolution  Cultural Competency  Other consultants as needed

Operating Schedule  Every day including holidays  7:00 pm - 10:00 pm  2 people/shift  1 supervisor

Statistics Warmline Demographics Report  Fiscal Year 04/05  Fiscal Year 05/06 Please refer to handout

Warmline Budget $27,000  Staff salaries$22,000  Phone expenses 1,200  Training 1,000  Printing 500  Marketing 1,500  Other 800

Spreading the Word  Flyers  Magnets  Brochures  Newspaper  Word-of-Mouth  Outreach at hospital  Fairs  Banners  Placemats  Radio  Visit from Mayor  Visit to City Council  Spoke at County Commissioners Meeting

Challenges 1) Part-time staff 2) Change of supervisors 3) Knowing some of the callers 4) Need for increased computer training 5) Need for skill in development of logic model 6) Increasing number of callers from all parts of Butler County

Butler County offered technical assistance to the following counties in their development of Warmlines: 1) Allegheny County 2) Bradford County - Main Link 3) Bucks County 4) Crawford County - Chaps

Thank You Contacts: Bette Peoples Pete Szura Pam Grabe - MHA Butler County MH/MR