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An electronic circular of the Coalition's Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery
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No. 57, January 2010
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The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery provides assistance
to the New York City mental health provider community through
expert trainings, focused technical assistance, evaluation,
information dissemination and special projects.
THE DIRECTOR’S NEW YORK MINUTE Rediscovering Fun! With all the challenges going on in the system plus the holidays, stress and anxiety abound. Everyone is scurrying around frowning and worrying with dozens of questions for which there are only a few answers. What we all have forgotten to do is to have fun. Fun? Yes, I really said “Fun!” The job of our Center and the Coalition is to support both the leadership and staff of agencies hoping that they, in turn, will have enough rebound energy to support other staff more creatively. When staff is appreciated then the people whom they serve become healthier…in fact everyone becomes healthier and happier. Norman Cousins, a former editor of the Saturday Review, became even more famous after he was deathly ill and in pain. He signed himself out of the hospital while recuperating with heavy pain medications and moved into a hotel next door because the hospital staff didn’t want the laughter of his friends “disturbing” the rest of the patients. Situated in the hotel, they could play silly movies whenever they were needed and laugh whole heartedly. Very soon, his need for pain medication dropped dramatically. He lived to write a book about the experience and to join a medical school faculty to teach doctors about the power of fun (1). This is also one of the messages in the movie, Patch Adams (2). In the movie, Robin Williams, playing the part of a real life doctor in training, put on a clown nose and got somber kids with cancer to laugh and walked down the aisle at graduation with his gown opened in the back mimicking a hospital gown. Poking fun at us by ourselves and being playful are very powerful secrets. It is time we lighten up while we are doing serious business. 1.) Norman Cousins. Anatomy of an Illness- as perceived by the patient. New York: W.W. Norton, 1979. A Ticket to Work Upgrade According to policymakers at the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), the improved Ticket to Work program is a valuable resource for providers of Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) and other programs which seek to help people with serious mental illness recover through work. OMH is encouraging providers to become Employment Networks (ENs), which would enable providers to expand their services. In addition, under the improved Ticket program, ENs would be paid more frequently and at higher amounts for the services they provide. Many providers have been concerned that receiving payments for Ticket related services and Medicaid reimbursement constitutes “double dipping” and would be disallowed. This concern was addressed at the Ticket to Work Mental Health Summit held in New Orleans in November 2009 which Center staff members, Aaron Vieira and Margie Staker, attended. At this event, they noted that representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced publicly that receiving Medicaid service money and ticket payments does not constitute an overpayment of federal funds. This policy clarification paves the way for providers to fully benefit from this potential new revenue stream. The Center will be presenting a Ticket to Work training in February to help agency leaders learn more about this program. To register for this training, please see the Education and Training section below or visit the Center’s website. We hope to see you at this event! Call for Proposals: New York City’s Fourth Annual Mental Health Peer Specialist Conference “Taking the Lead: A New Generation of Peer Leadership” The Peer Specialist Conference Planning Committee is currently seeking proposals for NYC’s Fourth Annual Mental Health Peer Specialist Conference to be held at New York University’s Kimmel Center on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. This conference will provide an opportunity for working peers to enhance their knowledge and skills, advance their careers, and create greater balance and harmony in their lives and the lives of the people they serve. The audience for this conference will be Peer Specialists, Peer Advocates, Peer Bridgers, Peer Counselors, Peer Educators, Peer Providers, Peer Benefit Counselors, Peer Recovery Facilitators and Peer Wellness Coaches. We invite abstracts that reflect national, statewide and local innovative programs, practices, and initiatives that support the future development of the peer workforce. We encourage submissions from working peers who can provide insight on the future development of the role of peers in the workplace. All workshops are 75 minutes. For more information or to receive a submission form, please contact Carmelita Thompson: cocbcet@omh.state.ny.us or Celia Brown: oncsceb@omh.state.ny.us Submission deadline: Friday, January 15, 2010 The Peer Specialist Conference Planning Committee includes members from: New York State Office of Mental Health, Bureau of Recipient Affairs; New York City Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Consumer Affairs; New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Office of Behavioral Health; Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy Center; The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc., Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery; The Empowerment Center; New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS); F.E.G.S. Health and Human Services System Center Welcomes New Staff, Timothy Joseph, Administrative Assistant The Coalition’s Center for Rehabilitation of Recovery would like to extend a warm welcome and formally introduce to the community of mental health our newest staff member, Mr. Timothy Joseph. He will fill the position of Administrative Assistant. Mr. Joseph came highly recommended to us through our member agency, Goddard Riverside, where he served as Office Assistant. With Timothy on board, we look forward to collaborating on many projects, such as updating the Center’s employment guide, The WORKbook, and maintaining our registration process so that we may continue to maintain the high standard of service that we provide to our members.
Ticket to Work: Expanding Services and Revenue This full day training will offer valuable information on the revised Ticket to Work program. Participants will learn the program basics and the role of Employment Networks (ENs) in helping people with serious mental illness recover through work. The training will provide information on how to become an EN and how to use the new outcome-milestone payment system which enables ENs to be paid sooner and in greater amounts for the employment services they provide. The Ticket program may be of particular interest to providers of Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) programs. PROS programs may use ticket revenue to finance employment services, such as the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of Supported Employment. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and learn about the improved Ticket program which can benefit both consumers and the agencies that assist them. Target Audience: Program Managers and Employment Directors Date/Time: Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 9:30am-4:30pm To register for any Center training or presentation, please go to: www.coalitionny.org/the_center/training/ Note: If you are typing the URL in your browser, the space between “the” and “center” is in reality an underscore symbol “_”.Other Community Events & News Social Security Administration, Ticket to Work Program Title: New York, NY Ticket Express Event Association for Community Living, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services and Mental Health Association of New York State (co-sponsors), with The Coalition’s of Behavioral Health Agencies’ support. Title: Albany Legislative Day to Protect the Mental Health Safety Net New York City Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Consumer Affairs Title: Queens Consumer Forum on PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Application for Financial Support Title: Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance 2010 National Conference and Chapter Leadership Forum Seedco Seedco, a nonprofit organization that assists low-income people and communities, is currently offering FREE tax preparation assistance services at the three below locations. Income guidelines and limitations are as follows: $20,000 a year for individuals and couples without dependents and $50,000 a year for individuals and couples with dependents. Title: Free Tax Assistance Preparation
*You may also find a full list of all of the VITA sites in NYC at http://www.nyc.gov/html/ofe/html/poverty/taxassistance.shtml. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Boston University, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) |
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Some agencies have remembered fun in the midst of intense implementation of new ideas and programs and have taken their staff for a day of go-carts, or sent flowers, or done something else that makes people laugh and smile. Laughter is the balm for a tired spirit …. Laughter is contagious… laughter is universal. The Coalition Home | Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery | Site Map
Tel: (212) 742-1600 Fax: (212) 742-2132