Recreational Services
At Orchard Village, our program participants and residents want to enjoy life, be healthy and learn new skills. Recreational activities like creating artwork, playing board games or bingo, and Special Olympics help people find fun and meaningful ways to engage socially.
Behavioral Health
Orchard Village launched a Behavioral Health Clinic for underserved people who have a dual diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and mental illness.
Within Orchard Village’s residential program, over 60% of the individuals served are dually diagnosed with IDD and mental illness. People with IDD are often ostracized and do not get the support they need, and they are less likely to have developed coping skills due to their adaptive and cognitive disabilities. While specialized services, like residential or vocational services, exist for those with developmental disabilities, there continues to be a significant gap in what is available for behavioral health, particularly since people with IDD often require more acute care.
The limited communication skills of some individuals with IDD can further complicate their treatment, as they are unable to portray their feelings or experiences through words fully. Without specific training, clinicians are often unaware of the possibility of dual diagnoses and fail to ask the appropriate questions and take the proper steps in addressing their clients’ issues, leaving their patients either untreated, undertreated, or even treated with the wrong methods. In addition, medical complications can be perceived as challenging behaviors. For these reasons and many others, there is a need for behavioral health clinics that specifically serves individuals with developmental disabilities.
Our new clinic also allows us to close the gap in available behavioral clinical services for our clients who receive Medicaid funding. It is difficult to find providers who will see our clients based on their insurance. Often, providers who accept our clients have a very long waitlist, leading to limited options for where and when clients can receive behavioral health services. We have seen the impact of behavioral and mental health challenges on the people we serve, particularly in this time of COVID-19. We want to ensure that individuals who need behavioral health services have a place to receive therapy and develop stronger coping skills.
While our behavioral health services are initially being offered only to Orchard Village clients and residents, our goal is to open it up to the disabled community in the surrounding areas, providing a much-needed service to an underserved population that will have a lasting effect on the community. COVID-19 has ravaged the mental health of a significant part of the world’s population. At Orchard Village, we recognize the importance of good mental health and providing the resources to achieve it. Therapy is a valuable service that can benefit every person.