The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD

Mark your calendar! It's time to knock out your holiday shopping and support local entrepreneurs: The 3rd Annual Blueprint Holiday Market will be held on December 4th from 10AM-2PM at our 9401 Southwest location. Join The Harris Center for food, music, art, and all sorts of homemade goods made by artists with autism and IDD. See you there! ?

Check out our line-up of FREE IDD Learning Opportunities for December! To register for classes, call 713-970-7617. ??

In honor of Veterans Day, Sarah Strang, Director of the Mobile Crisis Outreach and Resiliency Teams, and Cornel Sims, Peer Educator, spoke with KPRC2 about the critical importance of mental health care for veterans. The Harris Center is proud to partner with the VA to ensure veterans receive the care they deserve. Through our Peer Program, we connect individuals with others who share similar lived experiences, providing vital support and fostering a sense of community. Watch this powerful segment here: https://ow.ly/7uUx50U4xLe #VeteransDay #MentalHealthMatters #VeteranSupport #PeerProgram

Honoring our heroes this Veterans Day! Today, we recognize the brave people who have served in our armed forces, including the amazing employees at The Harris Center who have dedicated their lives to both protecting our country and supporting mental health. Your courage and commitment inspire us every day. Thank you for your service!?? #VeteransDay #ThankYouForYourService #MentalHealthMatters

ABA–SkIP is an Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis day treatment program of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in partnership with The Harris County Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity. ABA-SKIP is designed for children ages 3-8 with autism spectrum disorders and delays in language, motor, academic and play skills. During their time in the clinic, the children will be working on an individualized plan to help teach skills that have been difficult for them thus far. Personal plans for reducing maladaptive/disruptive behaviors are also developed. While children are enrolled, parent training is required in ABA-SkIP's approach. During this time parents are taught to understand and utilize the basics of behavior analysis and how to implement their child's specific plans. For more information, please call (713) 970-SKIP (7547) or (713) 970-8237.

Have you heard of ECI-RISE? This program provides evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as speech, physical, and/or occupational therapies to babies between 0-3 years of age who did not meet eligibility criteria for traditional Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services. If you are interested in ECI-RISE, please contact 713-970-8777 for more information. You can view more programs in our Child & Adolescent Services at our website: https://ow.ly/QWQe50U1C9I

The Houston Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program, a four-year initiative, has significantly improved the lives of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) through coordinated care. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center, the University of Houston School of Social Work, and Harris County Probate Court 3 collaborated to help participants stabilize their lives, reduce emergency services usage, and save community resources. Key Accomplishments: Enhanced Mental Health and Stability: The program served 175 participants, leading to a substantial reduction in psychiatric hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Participants saw a 214% increase in stable housing, and 55.6% had zero hospitalizations. Medication adherence improved by 31.2%. Cost Savings: Cost per participant was less than half the cost of a single emergency room visit and psychiatric hospitalization, achieved through reduced emergency healthcare and law enforcement interactions. Improved Treatment Engagement and Stability: Treatment adherence rose, as did stable housing rates, employment, and educational engagement, reflecting increased life stability for participants. Successful Completions: Over 42% of participants completed the program successfully. Graduates were significantly less likely to be re-hospitalized than those who did not complete the program. Graduates like Jose Vazquez have noted the program’s transformative impact on their lives, helping them make better choices and stay out of the hospital. Looking Ahead: Program leaders emphasize the need for continued investment in comprehensive mental health services in Harris County. They advocate for expanded multilingual resources, stronger housing support, and the inclusion of individuals with lived experience to shape future mental health initiatives.

Welcome to November! ?? Check out our line-up of FREE IDD Learning Opportunities happening this month at The Harris Center - make sure to share to spread the word! This month's classes take place virtually and you can register by calling 713-970-7617.

?? Heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended the 2024 Transforming Lives Luncheon! ?? Your support, presence, and passion for our cause made this event a huge success. Together, we’re creating a brighter future and making a lasting difference in countless lives. Check out some highlights from the day below, and be sure to explore the full photo album here: https://bit.ly/4fujKpL

It's Red Ribbon Week! This week is all about spreading the message of living a drug-free, healthy lifestyle. Substance Use Disorder Program Director, Geoffrey Ball, recently spoke with KPRC2 about Red Ribbon Week and the programs/resources available to kids and adolescents here at The Harris Center. Watch here: https://ow.ly/QPe050TUWIm