Five County February 2014 Newsletter

Submitted by Nicky Chavez on

REFLECTIONS FROM 2013

Five County has had a Therapy Pup for several years now but a new visitor came to the facility to help out! A horse was brought in to the facility’s outdoor area to do some equine therapy. The horse was greatly received by the residents. They learned about care for horses, horse temperament and the ABC’s to learning how to ride. Several of our residents were already very familiar with horses and also assisted with the teaching process. It was a great time by all and proved to be something we will look at doing again in the future. 

We would like to congratulate our newest POST graduates, Spencer Oliverson and Jared Simpson. Spencer started at Five County in June of 2012 and Jared started on June 2013. They put in a lot of hard work at the POST Academy and we want to congratulate them. We also want to thank them for their hard work and dedication at our facility!

DBT Skills Corner

Have you ever noticed that when you don’t take proper care of yourself, it affects how you deal with others? The skill I’d like to introduce you to is the PLEASE Skill: 

PL : Physical Illness: I don't know about you, but when I have a cold, I get very grumpy.  Any ailment, from a hangnail to a terminal illness will affects our mood and sensitivity.  Following your doctor's guidance by taking prescribed medications, and doing what they recommend to cure or manage whatever might ail you improves your mood.

E: Balanced Eating: Certain foods, and the amount of food you eat have a direct connection with your emotions and mood.  Depending on what we eat, our bodies create brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.  We know that three of these (Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serotonin) affect our mood.  In fact many antidepressants work to change these in our bodies.  Even without medication, though we can take advantage of certain foods to improve and even stabilize our mood.

A: Avoid Mood Altering Drugs: While many of us use drugs and/or alcohol to feel better, these substances have an adverse effect on our minds and bodies.  Aside from causing various physical ailments and decreasing how our organs function, it can negatively affect our brain chemistry making our moods more difficult to manage.

S: Sleep: Sleep is a biggie.  About 50% of all adults have had, or still have problems sleeping.  A good night sleep means getting enough (6 - 9 hours for healthy adults), high quality sleep (staying asleep the whole time), regular times (getting to bed and waking up about the same time each day). 

E: Exercise: Rigorous exercise can stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain, and act as an antidepressant.  With regular rigorous exercise (20 - 30 minutes each day), our bodies process nutrition better giving us better access to necessary vitamins and minerals, we use calories more efficiently keeping our weight down, and improves the quality of our sleep.

If we use this skill, we minimize our vulnerabilities and can all be more pleasant to be around. We think clearer, have better people skills and feel a whole lot better! Dedicate yourself to give this a try. You won’t be sorry!

Director of the Year

Five County Youth Rehabilitation is very proud of their Director Nicky Chavez! Mr. Chavez attended the IJJA (Idaho Juvenile Justice Association) Conference and was in for a big surprise during the annual banquet. He was announced the District 7 Administrator of the Year for 2013, which was nominated by his peers in the Juvenile Justice field.  This is a prestigious award in the state of Idaho that recognizes those leaders who go above and beyond their duties and gives them the recognition they deserve. We are all so proud of him. He has dedicated so much of himself to our facility. He is a great leader and genuinely cares for his employees and the residents at the facility. He puts high quality training and quality treatment at the top of his priorities and it shows with the success of the residents that receive treatment at 5-C. Congratulations Nicky Chavez! We are proud to call you our leader!

Picture of our fearless leader Chavez

Employee of the Quarter

We are pleased to announce our Employee of the Quarter as Emma Flores. Emma started working as Reserve status in June 2013 . She has helped us out in many areas of the facility. Emma speaks fluent Spanish and is great to translate for us whenever the need arises. She has filled numerous shifts for us at the last minute when we are in need of extra help, shift coverage and vacations for full time employees. She has proven to be a very valuable employee to our facility. Thank you Emma for all your hard work! We would also like to mention our Honorable Mentions: Janeen Elliot, MoNee Harrigfeld and Patricia Asper. Our staff and their hard work are greatly appreciated! 

Mountain Man Rendezvous Activity

Some of our residents were able to experience and learn about some of the history and culture of the fur trapper era by attending the Mountain Man Rendezvous in France, Idaho.  Mike Hogle, supervisor at Five County has been active in the rendezvous for many years and arranged for the experience. The residents were first escorted to the Historical Sight of Camp Henry where on display there are rocks signed by Andrew Henry and his fellow trappers. The group then was escorted to “Trader’s Row” on the parade grounds. Here they were able to see demonstrations on the proper way of fire starting with flint and steel, black powder muzzle loading rifles, archery and tomahawk and knife throwing. They were able to look in some of the “trader’s” tents to see how trader’s lived, see the clothing attire worn in that era as the “trader’s” were wearing for the occasion and feast at Aunt Ruthie’s Kitchen on buffalo burgers and Dutch oven baked beans. It was a great experience and fun for all involved. A big thanks to Mike Hogle for making this possible!
 
Education
A review of our Education Successes!
We had a lot of residents this year working hard to further their education. We had five contract residents earn their General Education Diploma’s (GED) and eight residents earn their High School Diploma. Graduation Ceremonies were held throughout the year and these are always a high light at the center. It is also a great time for parents and other family members, staff and peer’s to acknowledge their success and congratulate them. When residents are finished with these accomplishments, if they have three months or more still in custody, they begin college courses if desired. A lot of credit goes to our education department and Greta Lenz who oversees all areas of education including testing, individual education plans (IEP’s) and graduations!