“I didn’t know that there would be a job that could feed my soul. Helping people achieve better mental health outcomes, you know that’s a process. I’m proud to be able to watch people grow every day.”
Dionne Johnson is what we like to call a Heartland Alliance “lifer.” She first came to work for Heartland Alliance back in 2001 and would welcome and intake patients at our Heartland Alliance Health North Side Health Center. Since then, she’s been a case manager for the homeless, a dental assistant, and is now the Senior Mental Health Specialist for our Pathways housing program.
The Pathways program believes that housing is a fundamental piece to the puzzle for greater overall health. Through congregate housing, comprehensive case management, and connection with clinicians, the participants in this program have an opportunity to address the mental health and substance use issues they struggled with while experiencing homelessness.
As the senior mental health specialist, it’s Johnson’s job to be the face of the program. It takes substantial work to help people heal and trust has to be built over time. Johnson has spent years building relationships with participants through daily check-ins, family-style lunch gatherings, outings, and holiday celebrations.
“People have always known that they can come to me in a judgement free zone, they can be open. That’s the only way harm reduction can work, through honesty and vulnerability.”
Now, in a COVID-19 world, much of the work has changed. The participants in the program often have a number of chronic health issues so their protection from the virus takes precedence. Social distancing has removed the opportunity for group gatherings and meals are now served door to door, but Johnson’s belief in community remains.
“This is truly hard. To not be able to have people over, to have to isolate, this is very difficult for our folks who already deal with so much. I believe it’s my responsibility to make sure people still feel connected and hopeful.”
Pathways is, first and foremost, a program steeped in the philosophy of harm reduction. As fear and frustration rose as the pandemic emerged, some participants found themselves returning to old habits and ways of life. Johnson saw these changes and found new ways to help bring back a sense of normalcy and community. She added more flexible contact opportunities with friends and family by helping people access digital forms of communication to stay in touch with friends and family.
Telehealth in particular has been an incredibly helpful tool. Our participants have had the opportunity to connect with their clinicians on the same schedules as they had before and many even find the process more effective.
“Having the camera and being able to see people has been really refreshing for our participants. For some reason, people are really responding to telehealth. People are really engaged with their treatment, and it’s been inspiring to see people choose to engage and be vulnerable.”
For those who have experienced homelessness in the past, pausing the healing process isn’t an option. Johnson understands that the people she serves have spent far too much time already isolated from the greater community. Johnson has made it her mission to find as many ways as possible to retain that sense of connection for her participants because she knows that comradery and connection is the best solution to any crisis.
“Participants start to realize over time that we really care about them. Harm reduction is about giving people the chance to build themselves up, on their terms. We just want these people to be here tomorrow, and then we get that chance to work on it again.”
