Lauren Spelman of RHD’s CORE honored with EXCEL Case Management Award

Lauren Spelman, Resource Coordinator at RHD’s CORE, has been honored with an XCEL Award for Case Management and Service Coordination from the National Association of Case Management.

The National Association of Case Management (NACM) sponsors the Xcel Awards in Case Management highlighting the accomplishments of individual case managers, peers, supervisors, and programs. NACM is a not-for-profit national voice for Case Managers and Service Coordinators, and provides a network of practicing professionals who are advocates for community-based case management systems and provides Case Managers and other service coordination practitioners opportunities for advancing professional growth and for the promotion of case management.

CORE (Capitalizing On a Recovery Environment) is a long-term community residential program for individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues who returning from prison. CORE utilizes the ROSC (Recovery-Oriented System of Care) model. CORE provides innovative and effective re-entry services to people post-adjudication.

Lauren’s job consists of engaging the men at CORE in their own recovery and balancing support and assistance with encouraging and assisting them in developing the skills to be self-advocates in obtaining supports and resources.

“Lauren has shown herself to be adept at effectively engaging community stakeholders and the person in recovery, into planning and carrying out the plans to access resources for physical health, basic living needs, financial resources and housing,” CORE Director Kevin Kordzi said. “As the men we are working with have often left a trail of burned bridges to various community resources, a significant part of her role includes teaching the person in recovery how to be prepared for questions concerning their sincerity as well as how to be their own advocate without being aggressive. The amount of preparation that Lauren puts into the person in recovery developing the plans and incorporating community resources into the plan advance the person in recovery’s resiliency. “Lauren takes a matter of fact approach with the men that she supports within the CORE program. Her determination, willingness to seek out resources, openness to learning new options and resiliency when faced with obstacles are keys to her success.”