At the November 24th Manchester Wellness Coalition Meeting, Ashley Tomasi representing the 5H Towns Foundation presented a first look at HIP Survey results (click HERE for more information on HIP), and one of the starkest statistics coming out of the results was the state of mental health experienced by the adult population of the Manchester area. Analyzing answers to multiple questions to assure accuracy, results show that at least 40% of Manchester’s adults suffer from poor mental health.

Contributing to the mental health crisis in Manchester is the lack of mental health services available in our community. While Manchester may be on the extreme end of the spectrum, other communities in Western Washtenaw are also suffering. As a result, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea (SJMC) recently announced the addition of four physicians to both inpatient and outpatient Behavioral Health Services (BHS) in Chelsea and Dexter.

“In a recent Saint Joseph Mercy Health System community needs assessment, more than half of key stakeholders from organizations who serve the poor and underserved in our communities identified mental health as the most significant need facing our communities,” said Nancy Graebner, president and CEO of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. “St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea has recognized the need and is poised to meet the increasing demand for these services.”

SJMC has provided comprehensive Behavioral Health Services for more than 40 years helping patients manage diagnoses including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, addiction, and schizophrenia. St. Joe’s in Chelsea is distinguished as the only hospital in Michigan with both a secured unit and an open unit. The unique open unit offers an environment with fewer restrictions while providing opportunities for safe and independent functioning.

Davita Burkhead-Weiner, MD, David M. DeVellis, MD, Iquo Olubukola Nafiu, MD and Laura K. Reese, MD have joined the existing team of physicians including Etienne Dehoorne, MD, Medical Director for Psychiatry Services at SJMC, Frank Pavlovcic III, DO, and Stacey Herbster, MD.

• Dr. Burkhead-Weiner is board certified in General Psychiatry. She graduated from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and completed her internship and residency at the University of Michigan. She also completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. Dr. Burkhead-Weiner is currently an attending psychiatrist serving child and adolescent patients at both Chelsea and Dexter Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic locations.
• Dr. DeVellis is a General Adult Psychiatrist. He graduated from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York and completed his residency at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont in 2014. Dr. DeVellis joined the medical staff of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea in July 2014 and sees patients on the inpatient behavioral health unit and provides psychiatric consultation to patients on the medical units.
• Dr. Nafiu is board certified in both general and geriatric psychiatry. She graduated from the University of Ibadan Medical School in Ibadan, Nigeria, then continued her clinical psychiatry training in England, immigrating to the United States where she completed her residency and geriatric psychiatry fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Nafiu is certified in Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT). She sees patients at both Chelsea and Dexter Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic locations and has particular interests in treating patients with dementia and older adults with substance abuse related disorders.
• Dr. Reese is board certified in General Psychiatry and certified in ECT. She graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed her Residency and Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry at University of Michigan Health System as well as a fellowship in ECT through Duke University. Dr. Reese joined the medical staff at St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea in July 2015 and is treating patients on the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit. She has a strong interest and expertise in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

SJMC Inpatient Behavioral Health Services is located at 775 S. Main Street in Chelsea. SJMC Outpatient Behavioral Health Services at two locations: 350 N. Main Street, Suite 150 in Chelsea and also at 7089 Dexter-Ann Arbor Road in Dexter. For more information, please visit their website or call 734-593-5251 for an appointment.

St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea (SJMC) is a not-for-profit hospital established in 1970. Located in Chelsea, Michigan, SJMC is a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. SJMC is nationally recognized for both quality of care and patient satisfaction by national ranking organization Press Ganey, and is accredited by the Joint Commission. SJMC attracts more than 300 physicians in almost all disciplines, with leading edge technology.

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea.  Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 13,400 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians.   SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $1.9 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, the third largest Catholic health care system in the country. Based in Livonia, Mich., Trinity Health operates in 21 states, employs about 95,000 people, has annual operating revenues of about $15.8 billion and assets of about $20.4 billion. Additionally, the new organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.