Cobb and Douglas County Community Services Board

MARIETTA — Most people can’t help but feel a pang of regret when they hear of an incident like the one involving 22-year-old Ryan G. Peeples, who took his own life while holding Cobb police at bay at his home in Kennesaw last Wednesday.
People like Rise Sims of Smyrna, who feel they could have helped Peeples, feel that pain a little more profoundly.

Ms. Sims is an operator for the Access Center of the Cobb and Douglas Community Service Boards. Her job is to handle mental health crisis calls to the center, as well as referring people with no health insurance to the appropriate channels to receive help.

“(The workers at the center) were all shook up by that event,” Ms. Sims said. “(Peeples) could have been helped if he knew where and who to call. You can’t save everyone, but he might have had a chance (had he called our center). ”The access center, located on North Marietta Parkway in Marietta, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a team of counselors with master’s degrees, and nurses with mental health backgrounds, like Ms. Sims.

Gary Gregg, Access Center coordinator, said there are four operators on call during daytime hours and two during the evenings. One person mans the phones overnight and on the weekends, so there is always someone available to help.

The center has been incredibly busy, Gregg said, averaging 4,300 calls per month. Most are from current clients setting up routine appointments for doctor visits or other services relating to their care needs in the areas of mental health, mental retardation or substance abuse; however about 10 calls daily are emergency situations that result in the hospitalization of the caller. According to Gregg, a recent caller told an operator she had locked herself in the bathroom of her Smyrna home and ingested two bottles of pills.

Staff photos by Jim Bolt Above: Dottie McCoy of Powder Springs juggles two callers

The operator kept the woman on the line, talking through the problems. Meanwhile, the operator contacted 911. Emergency medical technicians were able to get to the woman in time and save her life. “In a crisis, we can set up an appointment the next day, then check to see if they follow through,” Gregg said.

The center also refers callers to providers — private practice physicians — in Cobb and Douglas counties. Gregg has headed up the Access Center for the past 14 months. He was with the WellStar system for eight years in inpatient and outpatient settings and served as Director of the Open Gate Children’s Shelter. The Access Center was a real breakthrough for the local mental health community.

“There wasn’t a 24-hour call center for mental health emergencies (prior to 1997),” Gregg said. “After hours, people had to get to an emergency room or psychiatric center. “The greatest advantage isthe consistency of care a caller receives through our line to actually receiving care. We manage the case all the way through and then follow up.”

Gregg said the employees are selected through the Georgia Merit System and are employees of the state.Above all else, Gregg said the operators have one thing in common. “I would say all of the people that work in the center have a passion about what they do,” he said.

Ms. Sims has worked at the center for four years, since Georgia Mental Health Services closed its doors.“The center was looking for help and it was located in Cobb, so it was a perfect fit,” she said. Ms. Sims said working at the Access Center gives her no small amount of personal fulfillment. “It’s just a great feeling of being able to help people who don’t often have the resources to get help,” she said. “It is very satisfying.”She said she works a lot of weekend hours, where the calls are less likely to be patients looking for a mental health referral or appointment. “There’s definitely a higher percentage of calls dealing with crisis intervention (overnight and on weekends),” Ms. Sims said.

The number to call to reach the access center is (770) 422-0202.

The Cobb & Douglas Community Services Boards provide mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services to more than 12,000 residents of Cobb and Douglas counties annually.