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Daymark Recovery Services reports expanded DSS casework, new questionnaire and early survey results
Summary
Daymark told commissioners it has moved one position to serve Davidson County DSS full time, added a third DSS case manager starting Nov. 17 and launched an anonymous client questionnaire. The report covered referrals, case counts and Clinical Care Assessments (CCAs): 403 referrals since 2022, 52 referrals in the July–September quarter, 87 active
Cheryl Sawpall, outpatient center director for Daymark Recovery Services, and Kevin Williams, Morris director, presented the program’s quarterly updates to the commissioners on Nov. 6. Their presentation covered staffing changes, new data collection tools and early survey results from a new client questionnaire launched near the end of the reporting quarter.
Cheryl Sawpall said Daymark consolidated a county/school position to create an additional DSS‑dedicated case manager and reported 4 of 5 case‑manager positions were filled with a third DSS case manager joining Nov. 17. Kevin Williams said the third hire has more than 15 years of child‑welfare experience.
On data and outcomes, Daymark said the program has received 403 referrals since its 2022 launch and that 52 referrals arrived in the July–September reporting quarter (the period covered in the slides). Daymark reported 87 active cases at the time of the presentation and said it had completed 151 Clinical Care Assessments (CCAs) since program inception; of those CCAs, staff recommended outpatient services in 135 cases and residential psychiatric placement in 16 cases. Daymark reported diagnostic mixes of about 60% mental health, 32% dual diagnosis (mental health and substance use), and 8–9% substance‑use only among assessed clients.
Daymark also described a newly redesigned client questionnaire that it began sending by link (anonymously or with name) to improve response honesty. The vendor said it sent 30 surveys during the pilot month and received 10 completed responses (about a 33% response rate). Preliminary results showed 7 of 10 respondents said meetings with case managers helped them move toward personal goals; the report included verbatim, anonymous feedback about needs such as housing and dental care. Staff emphasized the questionnaire will be a rolling monthly tool to increase sample size and to identify systemic needs for operational follow‑up.
DSS Director Trish Baker attended and described Daymark’s role as an operational partner, saying Daymark staff provide 24‑hour crisis response and help de‑escalate high‑need placements and transport situations. Commissioners praised the partnership and asked staff to continue improving data dashboards and to return with additional metrics on outcomes and service demand.
No formal county action resulted from the briefing; commissioners thanked Daymark and asked for the next progress update and continued data tracking.
