Lakeview Center Success Stories

Behavioral Health Services

Terry O’Connor is among those who have been helped by Lakeview Center. By the time she was first hospitalized at the Behavioral Medicine Center, she had lost a good job, the custody of a child and her independence. That was nearly five years ago. Over the course of several hospitalizations, Terry’s doctors were able to find the right balance of medications, stabilizing her condition and enabling her to focus on recovery. She then received outpatient counseling from a Lakeview therapist Terry describes as “amazing.”

At the suggestion of that therapist, Terry got involved with a local support group for people with depression and bipolar disorder. It was there that she first learned of an intensive, 40-hour course to train people with mental illnesses to help their peers. “That course literally changed my life,” she said. “It changed my perspective about myself, my life, my possibilities.”

Read more about Terry O’Connor

Child Protective Services

Merrie and David Schwartz are to parenting what snowboarding and rock climbing are to sports: Extreme.

Every waking hour is devoted to their children. There are the usual activities: giving baths, changing diapers, washing clothes, fixing meals. Then there are the extreme ones: cleaning ventilators, administering tube feedings, suctioning tracheotomies.

Each of the five youngsters in the Schwartz household has – or has had – complicated medical needs. Three of them are adopted; the other two are foster children. “I felt such a calling to these kinds of children,” says Merrie, who gave up her nursing career to care for kids. “I felt it was God’s purpose for me.”

Read more about Merrie & David Schwartz...

Vocational Services

Jonathan Hurley works for the Gulf Coast Enterprise (GCE) contract at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. He was the unanimous choice for the Employee of the Year award that was announced by GCE President Rich Gilmartin during the 2011 Leadership Conference in January.

Hurley was nominated for the honor by his contract's project manager, Rodney Novak. "The No. 1 thing about Jon is his infectious smile and his ability to make everyone feel good at work," Novak said. "He's a go-to guy. If I need something done right away, that's who I go to."

Read more about Jonathan Hurley...