Organizational Structure for Hope House - Research Paper Example

Introduction

Based on the initial proposal for the Hope House, Inc. the following aspects of organizational management are being presented. These elements help provide more clarity in the aspects of Hope House, Inc. and its interventions for the management of in-house teenagers suffering from substance abuse. The following questions are presented to guide this paper.

Main Body

a) Goal or objective of proposed change

The goal or objective of the proposed change would be to improve the responsiveness of Hope House, Inc. in responding to the needs of teenagers with substance abuse problems. The proposed change is to involve the community in solving substance abuse problems and ensuring the availability of in-house rehabilitation facilities for these teenagers. This proposed change is an important change for many mental health facilities around the world because of the worsening substance abuse issue among teenagers (Rose, Chassin, Presson & Sherman, 2015).

b) Resources needed to implement solution

There is a need to secure sufficient funding for Hope House, Inc. and for communities where involvement in rehabilitation efforts can be generated. This would mean that there is a need to lobby legislative bodies in order to secure funding for the organization and for communities. This would come under the heading of mental healthcare services which the government is obligated to provide to their constituents (Meadows, et al., 2015). Other private and non-government organizations can also assist in securing much needed funds. Letters asking for their financial assistance can therefore be sent out. The financial resources would be needed in order to secure facilities for in-patient rehabilitation (Meadows, et al., 2015). This would include funds allocated for infrastructure (building which would house rooms for in-patient residents, staff, recreation rooms, therapy rooms, offices, emergency services, supply rooms, as well as recreation facilities) (Meadows, et al., 2015).

Funds would also be allocated for the wages of staff. The staff would include mental health experts, nurses, nursing attendants, doctors, dietitians, office clerical staff, pharmacists, medical technologists, transport aid, canteen, and other healthcare personnel (Meadows, et al., 2015). The number of medical personnel working at Hope House would have to be sufficient to meet the needs of the in-patient residents. The funding for Hope House would therefore have to be sufficient to pay the salary of the staff. The organization also has to be ready to hire additional staff in case there is an increase in the number of in-patient residents. The mental healthcare personnel working in the organization has to be expertly trained in their assigned tasks within the facility (Meadows, et al., 2015). The center has to have sufficient funds to train and update the training of their staff in the management of in-patient residents. Sufficient funds have also to be available to the retention of mental health consultants who can supplement the mental health services being provided by the facility. At present, Hope House, Inc. does not have sufficient funds available to support its much needed resources. The facility needs additional staff and infrastructure in order to be an efficiently functioning in-house rehabilitation facility. Financial assistance is therefore needed from the government as well as the government and NGOs.

Such funding is also needed to engage members of the community to supplement the in-house rehabilitation efforts provided by Hope House, Inc. Allocation for meetings with community stakeholders would have to be made (Kidd, Kenny & McKinstry, 2015). Minimal allocation for food, stipend for community leaders, police officers, and social workers would have to be made in order to ensure that these community stakeholders’ immediate needs while rendering assistance to Hope House in the community setting would be made available.

In order to implement the proposed change, there is also a need for different agencies and organizations to work with each other (Kidd, Kenny & McKinstry, 2015). This would mean that Hope House, Inc. would have to work with the government, with the private sector, and with non-governmental organizations. A liaison officer is needed to ensure that all the parties would work with each other to meet the objectives and to promote patient outcomes (Kidd, Kenny & McKinstry, 2015). The needs of the different agencies would have to be communicated with each other and solutions coordinated in order to promote efficient working relations.

c. Is this weakness universally viewed as a problem at the agency?

The weakness of responsiveness for Hope House, Inc. is not viewed as a problem at the agency. Instead, it is viewed as an area which can be improved further in order to increase responsiveness. In this context, there is a need for the agency to secure increased funding from government, private organizations, and NGOs in order to ensure that its goals of improving its responsiveness can be met. The issue of responsiveness is an issue which the agency can still address without it being a problem for the agency (Goodwin, Savage & Horgan, 2016). At present, the organization has sufficient funds to provide in-house rehabilitation services for its current patients. However, there is a huge possibility that there would be more teenagers suffering from substance abuse who may be referred to Hope House for in-patient rehabilitation. The center may not be able to accommodate these teenagers. Moreover, the current mental health personnel may require additional training in mental health care in order to meet the needs of the teenagers (Goodwin, Savage & Horgan, 2016). The center may not be adequately funded to financially support such training.

The current bigger problem for the organization is its poor community engagement. This is a weakness which is affecting its efficacy as an organization in providing a more holistic substance abuse rehabilitation for teenagers (Goodwin, Savage & Horgan, 2016). Hope House has not sufficiently connected with communities and therefore its activities are not aligned with community stakeholders who can actually potentially help the organization in the rehabilitation of the teenagers. Eventually, these teenagers would go back to their communities and would be faced again with the same challenges which may have driven them to their addiction (Bell, et al., 2015). Under these conditions, these teenagers need to have a strong support system within their community in order to ensure a smooth transition into the community setting (Bell, et al., 2015). Hope House has not established efficient community linkages in order to complete its holistic rehabilitation program for teenagers addicted to prohibited substances.

Communities may not be too keen to assist in the transition process of these teenagers. This can cause setbacks in community plans (Bell, et al., 2015). Nevertheless, the parents and family of the teenagers would be supportive of these community transition plans because it would help the addicted teen ease into his normal activities. Some legislators may also not be supportive of the need for additional funding for Hope House, Inc. This can set back the improvements which the center can implement. With limited government support, the quality and quantity of services offered by the center would likely be compromised (Meadows, et.al., 2015). Nevertheless, some NGOs may favor the goals of the organization, especially if it also aligns with their own plans related to addressing the substance abuse issue. The people in general may also be supportive of this plan because of the overall benefits it can bring for addicted teens and for the community at large (Bell et al., 2015). Some legislators may also be in favor of the improved responsiveness of Hope House. They would support Hope House because of its greater potential in helping reduce substance abuse and related criminality in society.

Teenagers addicted to dangerous substances may also be in favor of the improved responsiveness of Hope House. The center is their hope for overcoming their addiction and eventually getting a chance at a normal life and future (Bell, et al., 2015). With improved responsiveness, they can transition better into normal society, they can gain community support, and they can get the best mental health services. These teenagers would also be in favor of the improved responsiveness of Hope House because they would also be able to enjoy the semblance of a normal life, one which is away from their addiction, and away from criminality (Bell, et al., 2015).

d)What might be the long term (3-5 years) and short term (the next year) expected outcomes resulting from the change?

Long-term expected outcomes

Long-term expected outcomes would include the following:

1. Yearly legislative allocation from the government, private institutions, and NGOs for Hope House.

2. Building of additional infrastructure to house the increasing number of patients being admitted to the facility.

3. Regular conduct of mental health training for the staff and personnel of Hope House, mostly training which would support the rehabilitation of teenagers suffering from substance abuse.

4. More supportive communities assisting Hope House in rehabilitating teenagers suffering from substance abuse.

5. Additional mental health staff recruited to accommodate the increased number of teenagers admitted to Hope House, Inc.

6. Improved alliance and coordination among the different stakeholders (Hope House, in-patients, community leaders, police officers, social workers, patient’s families, mental health providers, teachers, spiritual leaders, private institutions, government officials, legislators, and NGOs) in improving the responsiveness of Hope House.

Short term goals

The short term goals of Hope House would be to:

1. Ensure that it would have sufficient funding to cover its infrastructure needs in housing and accommodating its current in-patients and to cover the wages of its health personnel atleast for the next 2 years.

2. Ensure that its current staff would be able to respond to the needs of the in-patients and are sufficient trained to implement the in-patient rehabilitation plan for the in-patients.

3. To coordinate with community leaders, social workers, and spiritual leaders who can assist in the transition of in-patients who are ready to return to the community.

4. To ensure that the employment retention rate is low. This can be ensured by ensuring that the staff have good and supportive and safe work environments. The wages of the staff must also be adequately compensated in order to prevent them from considering other work in other institutions.

e)How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your solution? Namely, how will you know whether or not your solution made a difference? What will be the definition of success and how will you measure it?

In evaluating the effectiveness of the solution, I need not look further than the patients themselves and the gains they have achieved in terms of being productive members of the community (Goodwin, Savage & Horgan, 2016). The best sign of effectiveness can be seen in terms of former patients not using again any prohibited substances, not being arrested for the commission of crimes which may be attributed to their substance abuse. Effectiveness can be seen in terms of how well these teenagers reintegrate into society, possibly returning to school or finding work without being drawn into substance abuse (Goodwin, Savage & Horgan, 2016).

The effectiveness of the solution can also be seen in terms of the successful lobbying with legislators which would materialize in terms of funding allocated to Hope House, Inc. A continued yearly allocation would be a significant gain for Hope House as this would help ensure the continued operationalization of the organization for a number of years (Meadows, et al., 2015). Effective lobbying with private and non-government organizations would also be seen in terms of the contributions which would be made by these organizations (Meadows, et al., 2015). The fact that they would help finance the activities of Hope House would translate to improved responsiveness of the center.

The improved responsiveness of Hope House would also be apparent in terms of additional infrastructure for Hope House (Meadows, et al., 2015). With additional funding, another building can be built for Hope House. This would mean additional rooms and facilities for the use of the in-patient residents. With better responsiveness, Hope House would be able to increase its capacity, and admit more in-patient residents. Successful outcomes can also be seen in terms of the number of medical health personnel working in the facility (Meadows, et al., 2015). The more medical personnel hired, the mental health care provided for the in-patients would be better as well as more accommodating to their needs and specifications. The proportion of staff to patient would be improved, with fewer patients assigned to each medical personnel (Green, et al., 2015). Under these conditions, the patient would enjoy more time under the mental health care of the medical personnel and the staff would not be overwhelmed by the number of patients assigned to him/her. It is important to ensure that patient-medical personnel ratio is at a reasonable proportion in order to promote better efficacy and responsiveness to patient needs (Green, et al., 2015). It is also important to promote quality facilities for these in-patients in order to ensure their comfort and to facilitate a therapeutic setting for effective rehabilitation.

Conclusion

Based on the above points, Hope House, Inc. can potentially provide better and more improved in-house rehabilitation services for teenagers suffering from substance abuse. These improvements would largely emanate from additional funding for Hope House. Through such funding, the facilities of the House can be improved, more rooms can be added to accommodate the influx of in-patients, more staff can be hired to render mental health services, and a better retention of staff can be achieved. These are important aspects of responsiveness which can ensure better outcomes for teenagers suffering from substance addiction. With quality and improved facilities and responsiveness, eventually, the teenagers would be able to enjoy promising and successful prospects for their future and recovery.