Psychiatric Solutions' Virginia Facilities Donate Clothing to Richmond Community Resource

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - (April 29, 2010) - A friendly clothing drive competition among 10 of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI) Virginia facilities resulted in an approximate 3,000-item donation to Daily Planet. Through the cumulative effort of those facilities, Daily Planet is able to clothe the Greater Richmond, Va., homeless community.

Inspired by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's call to assist the mentally ill community, the Virginia PSI full-service behavioral health facilities banded together to help Daily Planet, a nonprofit organization that cares for the ever-changing medical and mental health needs of the homeless population in the area—including basic survival needs like putting shirts on their backs. For Cuccinelli, a proponent of mental health reform for the betterment of the community, Daily Planet is an excellent example of an organization that cares for the needs of the community without relying on government support. According to George Welch Jr., Daily Planet Board of Directors president, Daily Planet is in greater need of financial and community support; in the past year, it has seen nearly double the need for services from the homeless community. The donation from the PSI facilities is only one of many that keep Daily Planet's doors open for those in dire need of medical and mental support.

While the ultimate winner in this clothing drive was Daily Planet and the individuals it serves, First Home Care in Portsmouth, Va., donated more than 1,600 articles of clothing during the four-week collection period. First Home Care, a member of the PSI family, is a community- based organization providing therapeutic care programs, foster care placement and adoption services to children with behavioral health needs and their families in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

"I'm so proud of the staff at PSI facilities statewide for really stepping up to this challenge to help such a deserving organization like Daily Planet in its time of need," said Troy Bailey, chief executive officer at First Home Care. "The staff at First Home Care and all the Virginia PSI facilities recognize the advancements Daily Planet is doing for the homeless and mentally ill in our communities, and we are honored to open our hearts and wallets to be a part of the efforts."

In addition to First Home Care, the staff at the following PSI facilities helped raise the much needed and greatly appreciated clothing items: The Pines Residential Treatment Center, Jefferson Trail Treatment Center for Children, Hughes Center for Exceptional Children, North Spring Behavioral Healthcare, Liberty Point Healthcare Center, Cumberland Hospital, Poplar Springs Hospital, Crawford First Education, and Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center. HillTop Promises, another community resource in Richmond, worked in conjunction with the PSI facilities to house the donations for Daily Planet.

"To be able to assist an organization like Daily Planet is truly humbling, and it reminds us just how lucky we are that organizations exist to help the mentally ill living on the streets of our communities," said Christina Hawkins, vice president of business development at Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. "PSI has a very strong presence in Virginia, and to be able to reach out and help Daily Planet is a way for both our organizations to work for the greater good of our community. In this economy, organizations like Daily Planet are even more challenged to find the resources necessary to operate. We know that through the generosity of our PSI staff members, Daily Planet will be able to better serve the needs of the mentally ill and homeless in our area."

About First Home Care
First Home Care (FHC) was established in 1991 to provide community-based placements for children with a history of out-of-home, behavioral health treatment. FHC offers a system-of-care approach through a continuum of services that enables children and families to receive the care they need in their homes and communities, thereby reducing the need for more costly and restrictive levels of care and placements. Its services target those children deemed "hard to serve" due to multiple system involvement or clinically complex treatment histories requiring access to an array of mental health services and supports. For more information, please visit www.firsthomemediapsi.com

About Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI)
Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. offers an extensive continuum of behavioral health programs to critically ill children, adolescents and adults and is the largest operator of owned or leased freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities with more than 11,000 beds in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PSI also manages freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities for government agencies and psychiatric inpatient units within medical/surgical hospitals owned by others. For more information, please visit www.psychiatricsolutionsmedia.com

About Daily Planet
Daily Planet is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in 1969. For more than 35 years, it has been a leading provider of services to the Greater Richmond homeless population. The Daily Planet is committed to providing the highest quality service in the most cost-effective manner while continually adapting the services it provides to best meet the ever-changing needs of its clients.

Jennifer June
(o) 615-780-3316
(c) 615-419-8000
jennifer.june@dvl.com

Kristin Hampel
(o) 615-780-3365
(c) 615-275-7926
kristin.hampel@dvl.com

209 Seventh Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37219

This release was published on openPR.