Heather M. Thomas Email & Phone Number

Olympia, Washington, United States

Charleston, Sc

Olympia, Wa

Coordinator of grievances for BHR outpatient, inpatient, residential and crisis services programs in Thurston, Mason and Grays Harbor Counties. Responsible for managing BHR Grievance Hotline and accepting complaints/grievances from clients, families, community members, external providers and Ombuds services. Coordinate with BHR management, staff, and the grievant to address each issue and work to identify a mutually agreeable resolution if possible. Responsible for all grievance documentation, maintaining grievance/resolution logs, and reporting grievance statistics to the contracted regional support network (RSN).

Olympia, Wa

MOAB Training International Inc.Management of Aggressive Behavior (MOAB) Instructor for the outpatient staff of BHR, a private non-profit community mental health agency. MOAB is an in-depth training program that teaches principles, techniques, and skills used to recognize, reduce, and manage anxious, aggressive, and violent behavior. Levels of control management taught are preventing and diffusing conflict, managing physical confrontations, and strategies for controlling and restraining due to violent behavior.

Olympia, Wa

Employed at the BHR Thurston County Evaluation & Treatment Center, a 25 bed facility offering inpatient voluntary and involuntary acute psychiatric services and outpatient Crisis Stabilization services. Utilization Review responsibilities include clinical review for all admissions, assessing for medical necessity, identifying patient funding and referral needs, care coordination with psychiatrists and social workers, and concurrent review for ongoing treatment and length of stay authorizations. Quality Assurance responsibilities include assessing the quality, efficacy, and clinical appropriateness of services provided. Audit psychiatric medical records for compliance with state and federal laws and standards of practice. Generate chart audit reports for managers to monitor compliance with documentation standards. Monitor adherence to contract requirements and compile data for monthly deliverable reports and quarterly reports using quality indicators to measure overall program effectiveness. Provide consultation and educational training to staff upon program request. Facilitator of quality improvement teams for ongoing process improvement. Responsible for clinical forms development and management; member of electronic health record development team; and current Avatar systems E.H.R. super-user.

Chehalis, Wa

Coordinator of a three bed Hospital Diversion/Hospital Step-Down Program serving Lewis, Pacific, and Wakiahkum counties. Responsible for clinical oversight of program. Provided supervision for five full time staff, responsible for hiring/training of staff, designing and maintaining all documentation tools, and providing monthly and quarterly reports documenting compliance, use, and effectiveness of program services.

Chehalis, Wa

CMHC is a private, non-profit health center providing comprehensive mental health services to children, adults, and families with commercial coverage, Medicaid funding, and indigent status. Responsible for telephone and face-to-face crisis intervention, stabilization, and resolution services for individuals experiencing acute emotional distress or loss of behavioral control. Offered brief counseling and case management services, completed risk assessments, facilitated inpatient hospitalizations and referrals for evaluation for involuntary treatment, and provided pre-certification for hospital admissions. Coordinated the daily functions of the crisis services office to assure continuity of care from shift-to-shift.

Chehalis, Wa

Created CMHC Hospital Liaison program serving Lewis County residents. Provided brief case management services with patients to determine service needs and enroll in outpatient services. Completed intake assessments, participated in treatment and discharge planning, and coordinated follow-up care to assure smooth transition back to the community. Developed program protocols, created tracking & documentation tools, and coordinated care with community hospitals.

Chehalis, Wa

Provided case management services with adults with serious and persistent mental illness. Assertive community outreach, skill-building, counseling and advocacy to address housing, financial, medical, social, educational, and employment needs. Responsible for intakes, assessments, care plans, progress notes, psychiatric consultations, discharge planning, and maintaining clinical records.

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Rehabilitation Counseling

Activities and Societies: Honors: Summa Cum Laude (GPA: 4.0/4.0), Phi Kappa Phi, Presidential Honors

Major: Biology, Minor: Sociology