For Further Information Contact
Steve Hamerdinger, Director
Office of Deaf Services
Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.
Steve.Hamerdinger@...

1 February 2005

Montgomery, AL

A year and a half in planning… nine months in remodeling… Now it is
almost ready. The Office of Deaf Services at the Alabama Department
of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, along with Greil Psychiatric
Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama announces the approaching opening of
the Bailey Deaf Inpatient Unit @ Greil.

This 10 bed unit will serve deaf people from all around Alabama who
have mental illness or who have co-occurring mental illness and
substance abuse. Two of the 10 beds will be used for crisis
stabilization for people who need immediate short term help. The
program will begin accepting consumers in the spring of 2005.

Not only will this unit be the first of its kind in Alabama, but it
will also be a major source of employment for people who are deaf or
people who are hearing and sign fluently and want to work in mental
health. It will showcase innovative approaches to acute care and
crisis stabilization for deaf people. We are just waiting for
furniture and equipment, such as phones with amplification, TTYs,
cable TV, D-Link videophones, and computers with high speed internet
access, to be placed in the unit. We are also waiting for staff to be
hired.

Twenty qualified applicants will be needed to fill out the full-time
positions soon as possible, to start training and team building prior
to an official opening of the "deaf-friendly" unit. Deaf people and
hearing signers are encouraged to apply. All staff of the Bailey
Unit will be full-time state employees of the Department of Mental
Health/Mental Retardation, with a full state benefits package. The
positions to be advertised are: Social Worker, Psychological
Associate, Communication Specialist, Interpreter, Administrative
Assistant, Recreation Therapist, RN nurses (4), LPN nurses (2), and
Mental Health Technicians (8).

The unit program director, Dr. Frances Ralston will soon be sending
out job announcements. Look for the job announcements here or on
other listserves.

If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact Dr.
Ralston via email, at drfralston@..., or regular mail at:

Frances Ralston, PhD (Licensed Clinical Psychologist)
Program Director, Bailey Deaf Unit
Greil Memorial Psychiatric Hospital
2140 Upper Wetumpka Road
Montgomery, AL 36107

334-262-0363 (voice or relay to leave a message – Direct TTY number
coming soon) or 334-834-4562 (fax)