Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Minh-Thy Chu | NORTH CHICAGO, Il. (April 26, 2022) Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Program...... read more read more
On April 26, 2022, the Facilities Management team and Building 66 staff members gathered for the ribbon-cutting to mark the official opening of the newly renovated kitchen for the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Program - Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center.
This update was the first enhancement the kitchen had seen in 30 or so years, according to clinical psychologist and MHRRP-DCHV Program Manager Dr. Noam Wittlin. Building 66 serves as a home for otherwise homeless veterans but also as a facility where they receive support for areas including substance use, anger management, vocational skills, and mindfulness. The staff working there is a fully multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, recreational therapists, psychiatrists, and peer support specialists.
“Having a fresh new space for residents to eat their food and converse with fellow residents should improve general mood and wellbeing,” Wittlin said. “We are affected by the environment that we live in, and this is a space where they spend plenty of time.”
Residents of building 66 use the kitchen for snacks and beverages between meals at the patient cafeteria in Building 6. The total renovation included new cabinets, flooring, ceiling grid, kitchen appliances, LED lights, electrical outlets, furniture, and a fresh paint job. From start to finish, the Facility Management team logged roughly 60 hours of labor over the course of two weeks.
“Huge thank you to the leads of the project, Facility Operations Specialist Derrik Heinzen who was a strong supporter of pushing the project and to Carpenter Tom Arndt, another main contributor,” Wittlin said. He also credited the rest of the Facilities team who worked on the kitchen and thanked them for their dedicated work.
Laborer Alex Diaz is a new addition to Facilities Management and worked on the Building 66 kitchen as his first project with the team. “It feels satisfying and gratifying,” Diaz said. “We’re giving back to our veterans to put them in a better situation and make them feel like we care, and that our main priority is their recovery and wellbeing. When you give them a nicer, cleaner environment, it’s a statement that we care.” Diaz looks forward to working on more projects at Lovell FHCC in the near future.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2022 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 421057 |
| Location: | NORTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 202 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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