Tag: Q&A

Provider Spotlight: Jamie Wilson, LPC

Provider Spotlight: Jamie Wilson, LPC

Wilson hiking the Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, AZ

Barbour Behavioral Health continues to grow and develop to better serve the needs of Barbour County! In the past year programs such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Substance Abuse Counseling and our upcoming introduction of Neurofeedback Therapy have been expanding. To accommodate patients, we’ve also welcomed specialized and experienced team members to our Behavioral Health Program.

Enter our newest Behavioral Health team member, Jamie Wilson! Jamie has recently joined us here at BCHA as a counselor. We sat down with Jamie to get to know her a little better:

Q: What makes you qualified as a Licensed Professional Counselor?

A: I received my Bachelors in Psychology at the University of Maryland and got my Masters at WVU in Rehabilitation Counseling.

Q: Are you from Barbour County?

A: No, I’m originally from the Eastern shore of Maryland. Chestertown, it’s across the bridge from Annapolis.

Q: What drove your career decisions?

A: My mom lost her parents when she was young and spent time in foster care during her childhood which inspired me to start helping kids in Baltimore. Later I began taking interest in the mental health field when I was working with adults at Johns Hopkins. I made my decision to go to WVU, because of how much I loved West Virginia and the mountains here. It’s definitely different than living on the shore.

Q: How did you make your way to BCHA?

A: I was working at the United Summit Center in Preston County when I got my license and this opportunity came along. I love how progressive BCHA is and that they are working with neurofeedback. I am blown away with their focus on growth. My forty-five-minute commute from Reedsville to Belington is worth it!

Wilson hiking Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

Q: What do you hope to achieve through your role at BCHA?

A: I look forward to being certified in neurofeedback because we are really hoping to introduce that to the school population. It’s going to give us real time neurofeedback in the interventions we’re performing with clients.

Q: What are your specialties and professional interests?

A: I would love to combine therapy and exercise in the outdoors and develop some sort of Wilderness Therapy program.

Q: What are things you do that are part of your job that most people don’t see?

A:Definitely cultural immersion. There is a bit of culture shock moving from the city of Baltimore to rural West Virginia. When I moved here I took a quilting class, learned how to can, how to grow a garden, and completely immersed myself in the culture of West Virginia to become closer to patients. The people in this area are some of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever met and I’m happy to get to know them.

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: I love to camp and kayak. I also love Irish Road Bowling. I’m actually the 2017 West Virginia Irish Road Bowling Women’s State Champion.

Barbour Behavioral Health provides outpatient therapy and evaluation/assessment services for both children and adults and continues to grow with the addition of new accomplished staff members and specialized programs. Across the staff, there are therapists skilled in trauma, play therapy, parent-behavioral training, and substance abuse treatment among other specialty areas.

For more information on Barbour Behavioral Health or to schedule an appointment with Jamie, please call 304-823-4000.

Open Enrollment: What You Need to Know

Open Enrollment: What You Need to Know

It’s that time of year again, you are looking for all the best deals possible to cross off items on your Christmas list, but don’t forget to shop for health insurance! Tis the season for open enrollment across the nation. Barbour Community Health Association has been conducting outreach, education and enrollment into the ACA Marketplace for the past five years and is here to continue answering questions you have about open enrollment. To start you off – here is a quick guide to open enrollment:

Am I eligible?

If you are between the ages of 18-64 and are not already covered by Medicaid, an employer, parents or Veteran Affairs, you are eligible. Health insurance sources that use open enrollment include: Medicare, job-based insurance and individual market health insurance.

Return customers? Need to re-enroll?

Come and reenroll with us! New plans and prices are available, and plans may be more affordable than you think. In fact, some premiums are dropping in many parts of the country.

What to bring:

First time applicants should bring as many of the following to speed up the eligibility process:

    • • Social Security Card/Number, identification (i.e. drivers license, government issued photo ID, school ID with photo), proof of citizenship for the applicant (U.S. birth certificate, U.S. naturalization certificate, U.S. passport), proof of residency, proof of income, terminated income, proof of pregnancy, childcare bills, record of medical expenses, utility bills.

Dates to know:

Open enrollment began November 1st and runs until December 15th. Plans bought within this period go into effect January 1st, 2020. If you don’t act by December 15th, you won’t receive coverage for 2020, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Make a plan to enroll early and avoid the deadline rush! If you would like more information, to get a quote, to enroll or to re-enroll request an appointment at BCHA today by clicking here!

Provider Spotlight: Mark Tipton, Psy. D

Provider Spotlight: Mark Tipton, Psy. D

Barbour Behavioral Health provides outpatient therapy and evaluation/assessment services for both children and adults and continues to grow with the addition of new accomplished staff members and specialized programs. Across the staff, there are therapists skilled in trauma, play therapy, parent-behavioral training, and substance abuse treatment among other specialty areas.

Dr. Mark Tipton, Psy.D. recently joined the Barbour Community Health Association (BCHA) team and filled us in on his new role with Barbour Behavioral Health:

Q: What makes you qualified as a behavioral health specialist?

A: I have an MA in Information Sciences from Marshall University, an MA in Developmental Psychology from Antioch University and my Psy. D in Clinical Psychology came from Capella University.

Q: Are you from Barbour County?

A: I’m actually from a little town called Rosamond, California. I first came to West Virginia to attend undergraduate school at Glennville State University.

Q: Why behavioral health at BCHA?

A: I’ve been in this field over 30 years and I’ve come to love working with kids and younger patients. With BCHA I have room for growth and opportunity. I’m also thrilled to be working with such an experienced team of talented counselors and therapists.

Q: What do you hope to achieve through your role at BCHA?

A: The area I am hoping to enhance at BCHA is family therapy. I help parents set limits and teach them how to cooperate with each other in a way that allows their children to grow up in a healthy environment.

Q: What are your specialties or professional interests?

A: My specialties and interests include working with families, delinquents, substance abuse, depression/anxiety, and ADHD. I am looking forward to becoming more involved with neurofeedback and trauma.

Q: How do you personalize treatment?

A: I always critique myself after a session and do some research usually by reading journal literature. Another aspect is taking the initiative to connect with the client by finding out about their interests and then learning about them myself. This helps me connect with clients.

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: I enjoy hanging out with my wife and traveling to visit our kids. I read Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and like to do some interpretations and enjoy learning about the first-century Roman culture. In high school, I played multiple sports and I’ve been a runner ever since. All five of our kids are out of the house, so we recently decided to foster children, which has been a great adventure for us.

For more information on Barbour Behavioral Health or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tipton, please call 304-823-4000.

Provider Spotlight: Jennifer Parker, PA-C

Provider Spotlight: Jennifer Parker, PA-C

Barbour Community Health Association (BCHA) shines a light on employee Jennifer B. Parker, PA-C at ABU Wellness Center located on the Alderson Broaddus University (ABU) campus.  Jennifer opened up to us on her role at BCHA and the pride she has in knowing her efforts have a lasting impact on the community.

Because of the need to connect ABU students and faculty with healthcare services directly on campus and be easily accessible, ABU Wellness Center was established in the Fall of 2017. The Center provides acute medical care services and primary medical care for chronic health conditions and is located in Burbick Hall on campus.

Q. First of all, tell us a little about your current position and how long you’ve been at it?

A. My name is Jennifer Parker. I am a Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C) at the newly opened ABU Wellness Clinic on the Alderson-Broaddus University campus. I have been working for BCHA for five years, just opening the clinic at the campus in the Fall of 2017. Prior to that, I worked at Belington Medical Clinic. In addition to my PA duties at BCHA I serve in the roles of Patient Centered Medical Home Transformation Manager and Director of Quality Improvement. My education was completed through the Physician Assistant Program at Alderson Broaddus University and once finished I worked as a PA at WVU Neurosurgery, Spine and Pain Clinic. I currently sit on the Board of directors at National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and am studying Healthcare Administration at The George Washington University.

Q.What drove you to choose this career path?

A. I have always been drawn to the service of people and love the field of medicine. Before entering college, I considered many different roles in health care, but I decided to become a physician assistant because it would be a career that would allow me to provide care at the practitioner level, but would involve less schooling, more flexibility and a schedule that would still allow for time to spend with my family.

Q.What activities do you perform as part of the job beyond what most people see?

A. In addition to practicing clinically as a PA, I serve in a management role for our organization. I serve as the Clinical Director and the Director of Quality & Risk Management. Outside of work, I serve on the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistant Board of Directors.

Q.Misconceptions do people often have about your job?

A. The more troubling misconception is that one becomes a PA due to an inability to get into medical school. PA school is incredibly competitive with a difficult academic and clinical course load. The misconception seems to be more prevalent in older patients. My younger patients tend to have a better grasp on my profession, which I suspect is due to an increase in the number of practicing PA’s over the last decade.

Q.When not at ABU Wellness Clinic, what do you enjoy doing?

A. When I’m not at work I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family.

To contact the ABU Wellness Center or Jennifer call 304.457.0400.

Provider Spotlight: Jessica Weiner, PA-C

Provider Spotlight: Jessica Weiner, PA-C

A physician assistant (PA), at a glance, is an easily misunderstood role—becoming a physician assistant requires more than a four-year education, and it is likely you’ve been treated by a PA while assuming they were a physician. In reality, a PA typically has more time than a doctor to spend time with patients and provide care. To learn what it means to be a physician assistant, we spoke with one of our resident PA’s at Myers Clinic in Philippi, West Virginia, Jessica Weiner.

Q. First of all, tell us a little about your current position and how long you’ve been at it?

A. My name is Jessica Weiner. I am a physician assistant (PA) at the Myers Clinic. A PA is a medical professional who is licensed both federally and locally to practice medicine. My scope of practice includes examining patients, ordering and interpreting tests, performing procedures, and diagnosing and treating pathology under the supervision of a collaborating physician. I have been working a little over two years now at the Myers Clinic. Prior to that, I was in school for about seven years preparing for this career.

Q. What drove you to choose this career path?

A. I spent seven years as a Pharmacy Technician before deciding to become a Physician Assistant. A friend in the program recommended this direction and like many of my colleagues, I was drawn to this profession through a passion to help people. The broad range of options following graduation as well as the ability to take more time with each patient and not have a rushed schedule was appealing to me.

Q. Misconceptions do people often have about your job?

A. Some people assume PA’s have doctor status and that being a PA limits our ability to treat patients. One misunderstanding is that a PA is still in school or training to be a doctor. I respond by explaining that I already spent a lot of time in school in order to become a PA and that I am a fully licensed medical professional who has completed all requisite training. I want my patients to feel comfortable knowing they are being cared for by a well-trained, proficient professional.

Q. Most enjoyable part of the job?

A. Having a positive impact on someone’s life is the most rewarding part of the job. It is certainly not all happy times. I have stressful days, but the patient who sincerely appreciates your care quickly buffers any acidic memories.

Q. When not at BCHA, what do you enjoy doing?

A. Along with being a committee member for our local Young Life group, I enjoy spending time with my 18-month daughter and helping my husband with his involvement with the Alderson Broaddus University Cross Country and Track & Field teams.