TN Voices long-term mental health center opens in Jackson providing support, structure

A plan two years in the making, "Jackson Manor" is the second in-home mental health care facility in the state opened and operated by TN Voices, a nonprofit, following the Nashville location's opening in 2020 and with a third coming soon to Chattanooga.

TN Voices opened the facility, categorized as an Intensive Long Term Support center in Jackson on Feb. 28, providing intensive 24/7 mental health support and care for those discharged from a regional state facility.

The 21-bed, co-ed facility is exclusively for individuals deemed competent by a state mental health facility to be discharged and placed in ILS care. In this case, all residents will be transferred from the Western Mental Health Institute in Bolivar to the new center.

Funded by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, TN Voices is one of six agencies offering ILS programs throughout the state.

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TN Voices' long history in state

Also known as TN Voice for Children, the nonprofit was founded in 1990 by Tipper Gore to advocate for and promote children's health and education services.

They work closely with families, children in the care of the Department of Children's Services (DCS), and justice-involved youth.

Its mission has since expanded to additionally offer support for those with mental health needs.

"Over time we have grown into all kinds of new areas of the population mostly because the need for mental health care has grown unfortunately," said TN Voices CEO Rikki Harris.

"Part of the reason for that is, since the pandemic, it's been unbelievable how much need there is in the community."

Serving every age range from babies and their mothers to elderly individuals, TN Voices has continued its statewide outreach efforts with Jackson Manor.

Specifically with ILS programs, a resident has to be at least 18-years of age, but the spectrum of ages they serve is vast.

"These are people who have had a lot of opportunity to rehabilitate in the mental health institution and so they've received a great deal of treatments, rehabilitations, and they are getting, what I feel like, is their second chance at living a more normal life."

The ILS facility operates as a seemingly transitional step for those released from a regional state facility but would otherwise be without support.

"A lot of them don't have family or don't have a home to go to so we act as a support system for those people," Harris said.

"Some of them have been waiting for an opportunity to live in the community for years."

Life at Jackson Manor

Each person's needs and treatments are highly individualized, so there is no designated tenure for how long a resident may spend in ILS care.

Some older residents may stay through the remainder of their life while others may be released after a few years.

Currently, six residents are getting acclimated to life at the ILS center before the remainder are transferred incrementally from WMHI.

Jackson Manor Program Director Tishika Jarmon says that medication management and adhering to a schedule are their two main focuses in providing care.

Beginning every morning at 6 a.m., residents do chores like laundry, washing dishes, and cleaning to help teach basic life skills and live a structured life,

Smoke breaks, snack provisions, and all meals are scheduled at designated times. Jarmon says this helps residents maintain a sense of structure and "get accustomed to the real world."

"When they don't have structure, it's hard to control them, so it's about getting them on a schedule," she said.

Bible study is on Wednesdays along with things like music therapy and yoga while weekly group activities range from tie-dying T-shirts to bingo.

They can work and go to school if they so choose, but transportation is typically provided by TN Voices.

A registered nurse previously working at Jackson General Hospital, Jarmon is passionate about mental health and says working at an ILS facility will allow her the opportunity to see progress in her patients.

"I like that I can get to help people long-term," she said. "It's rewarding because even the smallest things, they are so humble and thankful for."

Bringing new life to old location

The Jackson Manor building, conveniently located downtown near several outreach programs and resources, has a deep history.

Its location at 441 E. Chester St was the location of the Milton Brown estate in the 1870s before serving as a boarding house in the 1890s for women of the Methodist Conference Female Institute.

Following the boarding school's closure, the property was eventually destroyed after being left vacant through the early 1930s. Mr. Griffin of Griffin Funeral Home purchased the property in 1935 and operated there until the 1990s.

It has since been used as both commercial and residential property before.

Nonetheless, its location is close to multiple first responder buildings, public transportation access, and other community outreach services.

"We recognize that it was at one point in time a funeral home," Harris said.

"For us it's like turning a sad place into a place of life and rehabilitating the life of that building from something that seemed sad and, to some people, scary into something that provided opportunities to live a full life and there was meaning there for us."

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Mental health: Jackson Manor opens giving residents structure, support