case manager

caregiver

registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

support worker

Highland Rivers Behavioral Health

I worked in the Cobb County Crisis Unit. The work is meaningful and I was excited to be part of a resource that gave so much back to the community. However, constant workplace politics and embarrassingly low pay turned a job I was excited to come to every day into a job that I was embarrassed to work at. 

Once I had been there long enough, the in-office and company-wide mismanagement began to show itself. Bosses and employees would have multiple (more than 4) write ups for rudeness and unprofessionalism to both other staff and individuals under our care, and corporate wouldn't bat an eye. There is an extremely high turn-around rate for nurses and support staff due to the horrendous pay. It was hard to find anybody who had been there for more than a year, and there were ALWAYS staffing issues that not only put the staff in danger, but sacrificed the well-being of the individuals under our care. 

People were regularly left in intake rooms for over 12 hours before being able to meet with a clinician. Patients went hungry because the kitchen staff was never informed of dietary restrictions. Patients would be left unsearched in empty rooms for entire night shifts, and our managers would show us videos of the entire night shift asleep for over 3 hours at a time. 
That wouldn't be so bad if anybody cared.

The job itself was pleasant and straightforward, and I have positive memories of being able to help people in need. However, towards the end of my tenure, staff was so busy trying to keep their head above water that the people we were paid to care for took a back seat.

Don't expect to get a pay increase. That never happens here even though Highland Rivers have enough money for that. When an employee tells management about someone on the unit they by pass it like the techs don't know what they are talking about. Not everyone who comes in here are mentally ill and management acts like they are. When an employee is uncomfortable with a individual on the unit and tells someone, that needs to be taken seriously and not be told that they are "sick".  Management always talks about don't gossip but they are the ones that always gossip! Employees are never told thank you or feel appreciated by any one higher up and they wonder why there is always a high turn over rate. Highland rivers employees need better pay with everything they put up with.  Oh let's not forget about the mold. Inside the walls there is mold! When they come and "fix" it, they really just cover it up. Building needs to be tore down. The owner doesn't care and he is cheap, just like highland rivers. They don't want to spend money on anything.

Company committed to helping Individuals, ages 8 and up, in their recovery process. This is a good company to have a career in, not just a job. This company believes in continuing education and training. Management is trying hard to make the organization better and be more of an all levels of employees involved place. The diversity in the work place culture is awesome. Every one feels included. You are able to make your own schedule, as long as it covers your Individuals.The hardest part of this particular job, SST, is you have to have self-motivation and be willing to get out there and travel and do your job. The biggest con is that the benefits are not great. You earn PTO hours and that's it. Vacation, sick, whatever has to come out of these hours. You can be employed for 10 years and not have enough hours to go on vacation with your family unless you take it without pay. The most enjoyable part of the job is getting to work with a wide range and type of Individuals  in the community.

Managment in this company seem clueless. The staff members who do the right thing are treated poorly while the staff that hardly work are treated like gold. There is a high turnover rate because of this. When expressing concerns, expect to be called in the back to feel harrassed. Also expect to hand over your phone as the clinical nurse coordinator is paranoid and thinks you are recording. Do not expect to be recognized for your work here. I worked alongside an employee with higher credentials and though we did the same job, that employee was thanked for working that day. No pay increases. The crisis unit is old and dingy with mold and a sewage system that backs up every few months. The shining light is that your immediate coworkers are like family but at the end of the day it doesnt matter because this company treats you like a modern day slave.

One thing that says the most is '$12 an hour'. Hired in through a staffing company, told the pay would never change unless promoted. They got rid of staffing co., pay still $12/hour, no indication of it ever being different. Mgmt is so cold and walled off. No emotion, no chance for a friendship with them. Loved people I worked with and loved my job as scheduler. When they got rid of staffing co. and hired us through HRBH they took away all PTO accrued, started us over and said we couldn't use any newly accrued for 90 days, they took away our insurance for a month and didn't pay us any better than the first day we started working there. Lost my job for taking a trip I gave them 2 months notice for. Whether it's all worth working here depends on your priorities and your tolerance. Being as outspoken as I am, especially when something isn't right, it was a given that they wouldn't keep me for very long. Mgmt seems to not like people who speak up for themselves and their co-workers. Go figure....

Working at Highland Rivers as a CSW is a great experience. The individuals are very interesting and keep you busy. This job consists of taking care of individuals with disabilities. The level of care they need differs between each individual but as you get to know them it's a great job. I believe I learned a lot about the IDD community that can only be obtained through experience. The management at Highland Rivers is absolutely awful, always prioritizing themselves and taking the cheapest easiest way out even if it's not the best option for the sake of their individuals. there are a lot of protocols that they only follow when it suits them and they WILL fire you for doing the exact same things they do and/or verbally tell you are okay. I will have to say as long as you do everything by the book and never listen to any member of the IDD management team you will be fine as a CSW for Highland Rivers. \

So admittedly, based on my salary offer (13.25/hr) I wasn’t going to take the job. However, I can do my internship at this site also in a few months, and I really needed something ASAP. 

I absolutely love the work, I care deeply about the clients, and I think the company has so much potential. But people are seriously underpaid at this company. I even know some higher ups who need a second job to make it through. 

I’m amazing at my job (though I’m fairly new to the company) & I love the work. It would be a dream if the pay was worth it… and it’s just not. 

Add onto the low pay that the clinical staff are all pay-for-performance which means you need a certain number of billable hours to get your full paycheck. Say you need 20 hours, you have 20 appts lined up but 10 cancel… you’re getting half your paycheck. YEP. idk how it’s legal if I’m being honest. 

So because of this I’m looking for a new job, because I need to make a real income. 

Job is relatively easy and it can be occasionally rewarding to have an impact on the patient's life. Pay is good, especially for low stress the job is most of the time. Benefits are especially good. Unfortunately growth is nearly nonexistant. While fellow staff CAN be good, there is little reason for them to be. The vast majority of coworkers follow their own version of the rules, and often the only time they are on the same page is in a collective drive to do as little as possible, and blame any problems on the patient, sometimes hurting their recovery. 

Management and clinical staff seem very involved in their jobs, but are often too busy in their work to have any oversight on house parents. Upper management are generally very positive and helpful, so it likely varies on location. Great job for a retiree or student. 

This job entails guiding individuals, ignorant of the community resources, to be more self dependent. Staff members are valued mainly as over glorified life coaches. Other than the humanitarian aspect there are very few benefits to working for this company at this day in time. In efforts to maintain, management is persistent in demanding productivity in lieu of quality of care.  Over the years there have been few, if any, attempts to retain both staff and staff interest. Those who leave were either forced due to no financial security and medium to high risk of life or  to unprofessional behavior among staff. Those staff left are either those who cannot afford to leave or the die hards who believe that the quality of care shall return.

A typical day includes getting to work at 1:30 and trying to squeeze in an array of activities before 9pm for a very poor paycheck. Some activities include picking up individuals from day centers, bringing them home, filling out paper work, taking them on outings, making their dinners, giving medications at two different times, giving showers, making beds, washing clothes, washing dishes, cleaning up after individuals, changing incontinent individuals multiple times, transporting to any doctors appointments, dealing with support coordination, making sure the individuals every need is met, sweeping and mopping floors, typing notes, answering phone calls, etc. I do not see how I did this job for as long as I did.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Case manager 8 salaries reported	$18.25 per hour
Caregiver 16 salaries reported	$11.90 per hour
Registered nurse 2 salaries reported	$32.75 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 4 salaries reported	$29.88 per hour
Support worker 1 salary reported	$17.00 per hour

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