Donna’s story

Donna is a young woman who had previously been a participant in South Park Inn’s Medical Respite behavioral program. When she was last here, she was still struggling to come to terms with her mental health symptoms and accept available family support.

Coming to us for the second time, Donna was able to fully participate in her mental health program through Hartford Hospital, and she was better equipped to understand the nature of her mental health challenges. Through the Medical Respite program, Donna continued her mental health treatment far beyond where she had previously dropped out.

This time Donna thoroughly weighed her options and was less defensive about receiving support from her family. She accepted the conservatorship through her mother which opened up new doors to address her financial and health-planning difficulties.

Thanks to the staff at South Park Inn, Donna found an apartment and obtained funding for her security deposit. She was given the resources to buy necessities to make her new apartment feel like a true home.

Donna could have easily fallen through the cracks and become another hopeless statistic. Now she no longer needs costly crisis intervention services. She has regained her human dignity and now lives in a place of her own and off the streets. Medical respite makes a real difference in the lives of our community members.