Not so New Normal 2020 | Page 13

Risk Reduction
Due to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 , virtual counseling became the method of service delivery . Implementing virtual counseling was a seamless transition for staff and participants and has proven to be extremely valuable . DCS Day Reporting Centers ( DRC ) and field office Behavioral Health Counselors created schedules to ensure participants can overcome any connectivity issues and remain engaged .
DURING COVID , THE IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL COUNSELING SERVICES FOR DRC PROGRAMMING WAS A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FOR MACON DRC STAFF AND PARTICIPANTS .
- DCS DRC Administrator Nakeycha Hooks
The combination of the technology expansion with substance use and cognitive services prevented the individuals from having a gap in program services and communication with staff . Additionally , virtual counseling has broken barriers for participants who struggle with transportation .
Another data-driven decision implemented prior to the pandemic which steadied the Department throughout the 2020 pandemic was the programmatic evaluation for the Department ’ s DRCs . Led by University of Georgia ( UGA ) Associate Professor Orion Mowbray , researchers from the UGA School of Social Work developed and implemented a comprehensive process to evaluate operations of centers that serve both urban and rural areas in the state . From the evaluation , the researchers established an authoritative assessment tool and demonstrated that better assessment scores were associated with better outcomes for DRC participants , including fewer positive drug tests , fewer felony charges and fewer probation revocations . Throughout the state , DRCs consistently scored well in areas of leadership , staff characteristics , program resources , program support , substance use programming , cognitive behavioral programming , mental health services , workforce services and aftercare services . Areas needing improvement included DRC participant assessment , case management and the delivery of family services . In addition , the researchers found no differences in the outcomes of positive drug tests , felony charges and probation revocations between persons who attended the rural grantfunded reporting centers – GDRCs – and the urban-based DRCs .
Georgia DCS — A Not so New Normal 2021