When Trish Collett joined the staff of Community Care of West Virginia as a physician’s assistant, she was the fourth medical provider on a staff of 23 people. Now, 24 years later, she is the CEO, running a sprawling operation that employs about 555 people.
Community Care’s services include primary, behavioral, and dental care, multiple pharmacies, and 50 school-based operations.
Popular descriptions of West Virginia include “Almost Heaven” and “Wild and Wonderful,” as outdoors enthusiasts know. However, the state is also known for its high rates of poverty in some areas and afflictions such as addictions and mental health problems.
The difficult conditions make hiring and retention challenging, but Community Care has found ways to succeed. “We have brought a lot of hometown people back to their communities,” Collett said.
Beyond that, they get some employees while they are still young. Community Care developed a summer internship program for high school students that starts a week after school ends. The six-week program brings students in to work part-time in various settings, ranging from the information technology department to the pharmacy. Some have returned after graduation to work as pharmacy techs and in other roles, Collett said. “We’re really proud of them,” she added.
Community Care has family-friendly policies that give staff a lot of flexibility. Some receptionists and other office staff have flexible schedules that allow for telecommuting. “Your family always comes first,” Collett said. Such policies help with staff retention, and most of the medical providers have been on board for 10 years or more.
Dr. Kevin Junkins, a psychiatrist who serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health, said staff retention is important for mental health practitioners because West Virginia is dealing with a high incidence of everything from depression to overdose deaths. “It’s a perfect storm…we’re in a mental health epidemic here,” he said.
Staffing includes six psychiatrists, about 50 therapists and a “small army of case workers,” Junkins said.
The case workers work directly with patients, staying in touch with them and coordinating services within Community Care and local social services agencies. They also take on administrative tasks, which allows providers to focus on seeing patients, Junkins said.
“We don’t want to be battling with insurance companies. It has really helped our providers be productive–but more importantly–be happy,” he said.
The effort has paid off in terms of staff retention. “We’ve not ever lost a psychiatrist,” Jenkins said.
Meanwhile, Community Care has worked closely with West Virginia Wesleyan College to launch a new clinical mental health master’s degree program. Students will gain practical experience at the health center and receive employment upon graduation.
Collett, the center’s CEO, said collaborative programs such as the new degree program and Community Care’s partnership with West Virginia’s Mountaineer Food Bank give staff an intense sense of satisfaction. “This job is amazing. I don’t know how I’ll ever retire from it.”