CLUB NOTES

December 2007

 

Clubhouse of Suffolk and Synergy Center wish you and your families

 a Healthy and Happy New Year!!

 

Holidays in our clubhouse communities are always warm and inspiring despite of the stresses that holidays hold for many people in recovery. Gatherings on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day as well bring a lot of singing, great food, families and friends, reflections and appreciations, and joy. Staff and members work hard and together to make the holiday times into special times.   We hope that you also got our beautiful holiday card made this year by Club-Ronk member, Karlie.

 

Two of our long-time leaders and innovators are making life and position transitions at Clubhouse:

 

v      Kate Scope-Burggraf will be taking leave in late January from her work to enjoy with Greg their first child due in later January. Kate has been with Clubhouse for nearly 15 years and has helped to grow and develop our practices in both of our clubhouse programs. In 2001, she became Program Director for our then-new Supportive Case Management program which -- under her leadership -- grew from 35 clients to now serving nearly 400 people with psychiatric disabilities. Our SCM program has distinguished itself in a region of our County that had historically been viewed as challenging for its geography and its unique culture. Kate's work has built bridges that were previously non-existent due to those challenges. After her transition to motherhood, Kate has decided to also transition to a new role with our SCM Program when she returns in the Spring, Director of Client Engagement Services. In this role, she will be able to provide clinical and case management assessment and initial engagement and service planning services for all people referred to our SCM Program.

 

v      Ann Schehr, our Director for Curriculum and Staff Development will be reducing to part-time status as of the New Year. Ann has been an extremely profound contributor to the way in which Clubhouse of Suffolk goes about providing our services with our participants. She came to Clubhouse in 1993 as a graduate student intern from Hofstra University and fell in love with our clubhouse. Following graduation, she became a full-time psych rehab practitioner in our Pathways Project IPRT and later became the Program Director as original PD Paula Fries was promoted in the agency. Along the way, Ann developed curriculum for …and delivered...literally hundreds of phenomenal classes that came out of the lives, wishes, and dreams of our members. Ann's unique gifts for connection and inspiration, even in the most challenging of times, have been admired and appreciated by all who have been fortunate enough to connect with her. Ann developed our linkagse with the County Departments of Social Services and Department of Labor to help people who are homeless or under mandate from DSS to pursue employment.  As a Master of Psych Rehab training in the BU tradition, she provided staff with training on fundamentals of recovery and skills of psychiatric rehabilitation.

 

We are indebted to Kate and Ann for their contributions, wish them well in her transitions to new roles, and look forward to more contributions for the benefit of our clients.

 

Responding to the frightening data about the early mortality rates and high co-morbidities with high-risk medical problems, Club-Ronk and Synergy center have engaged 12 people into intensive wellness programs. These programs – called Club Well in Ronkonkoma and the Eli Lilly Wellness program at Synergy Center – are designed to help people with at-risk co-morbidities (such as obesity, diabetes, and/or cardio-vascular disease) to reduce body mass and gain life health skills. For more information, contact Tara Fredericks in Ronkonkoma (x1347) or Lisa Koop at Synergy (x1207).

 

In addition to traveling the country giving presentations or consultation, Tobacco Cessation Program leaders Tara Frederick and Bernadette Cain have been working with NYSOMH Central Office staff on designing a Statewide Wellness initiative called SPAN, which stands for Smoking, Prevention, Activity, and Wellness. Watch for many creative initiatives to emanate from this important initiative.

 

Our 15^th Annual Mental Illness Awareness Day was a great success with nearly 600 attendees. Event photos are on our website as is an inspiring and provocative 8 minute video message from Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a national leader in the cause for mental health services equity. Please feel free to download the video and share it with as many people as possible who might also become advocates for national mental health parity. Planning is already underway for MIA Day #16 to be held on Friday, October 17, 2008 at the Hilton.

 

Every Holiday season, Synergy Center works with the local Salvation Army office to supply members with opportunities to work as Bell-ringers at local shopping centers to help raise funds for that important organization. Our Bell-ringers, and Employment specialist Emily Safos were featured on the front page of the Southampton Press last week.

 

Speaking of Synergy Center, please watch for a gathering of Family and Friends sometime in late Winter or early Spring!!

 

Following up on a successful, free webinar on Cognitive Remediation, Assistant Ronkonkoma PROS Program Director Diane Schiano will be working with a few other organizations to implement a CR program. Our project was developed by Diane under the guidance of Dr. Susan McGurk of Dartmouth College. For more information, contact Diane at x1327

 

Many agencies around New York State have been calling and visiting us about our transitions of our clubhouse programs to PROS (Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services) licenses. Like every new program, agencies need at least one year to work out kinks and address challenges – and PROS is no different. We are fortunate to have the great leadership, skills, and perseverance of Deputy Director Paula Fries, Associate Director Roni Dekoning, Synergy Director Lisa Koop, and Controller Kim Koster to make this transition successful. And, we must credit NYSOMH for their commitment of staff and resources – like recent rate hikes (!!!) -- to work with us and other Suffolk agencies on implementing this unique, rehab & recovery-driven license. Members talk about their pleasure with new and expanded offerings and, thanks to a lot of work by all parties, we are beginning to see the opportunities we had envisioned for responding more effectively to the changing needs of people with psychiatric disabilities.   

 

Fund raising events planned for Clubhouse this Spring and Summer include a “Strokes Against Stigma” Kayaking event on the Peconic River in June and a Special Evening to be hosted by our Board of Directors in the summer. If you are not on our mailing list, please contact Mayra Spruill at x 1305.

 

 

SAVE THE DATE:  MIA DAY XVI, Friday, October 17, 2008

 

“Clubhouse of Suffolk’s mission is to assist people who are affected by serious mental illness to lead healthy, productive, and satisfying lives”