Health Department | Page 22

Healthy People. Healthy Choices. Healthy Lake County. Williams Consent Decree Program William Paolella has a favorite destination in his life. On a daily basis he walks to the Recovery Center in Waukegan, where he can see his friends and engage in social activities. He has such a sunny disposition, it is hard to imagine that in a dark period of his life, Paolella attempted suicide several times and underwent psychiatric hospitalization. Like many clients of the Williams Consent Decree program, he lived for numerous years in a mental health institution. His daily life was structured; he followed a strict schedule from taking showers to eating meals to taking medications. The confinement and lack of privacy caused him to continually dream of escape. After a decade of living in this controlled environment, Paolella learned about the Williams Consent Decree program at the health department. The program provides individuals living in state-funded mental health institutions a chance to live independently with professional support. Clients receive daily case management to help reintegrate them into the community and improve their independent living skills. With the help of program staff, Paolella moved into an apartment and began visiting the program’s Recovery Center on a daily basis. Consumer run, the Center is designed to provide a nonclinical environment for individuals to socialize, receive support fr