Tamuning group home helps caseload

by Janjeera Hail

In accordance with an order from District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall, Mental Health employees today transitioned additional consumers into its Guma IFIL (Institute for Independent Living) program.  Department Director Dr. David Shimizu says a second residential group home in Tamuning was identified to accommodate existing Guma IFIL consumers in order for more consumers to transition into the group home in Asan.

Said Shimizu, "What it basically does is to try and take our consumers from a very restrictive environment it's a hospital remember it's a mental hospital, its in-patient and take them into a residential area in hopes of eventually successive approximation of where you ultimately want them coming back as a contributing member of society."