COVA View – Fall 2012

Transcription

COVA View – Fall 2012
RENEW wins health care award | page 2
COVA honored with agency award | page 4
Powerful PhotoVoice project returns | page 6
COVA participant returns to
provide peer re-entry services
Danny Shelton graduates from Columbus State
Community College.
It’s fitting that Danny Shelton’s recovery
journey took a major turn at a bus stop.
While chatting with another bus passenger, Danny learned about COVA’s services
and decided he needed to check it out.
A few short years later, Danny has
returned to COVA as a peer employment
specialist with a new Delaware area
re-entry program, which aims to reduce
the high rate of recidivism for men and
women with mental illness who are
exiting the prison system.
“It’s incredible. COVA has meant so
much to me, and now I get to help other
people,” Shelton said. “Right now, I’m
building relationships with four people
who will be leaving prison in the next few
weeks. They need to get to know me and
be comfortable for us to work together
when they get out.”
COVA vocational staff worked with
Danny when he was a participant to map
out a path to his career goal – becoming a
counselor. In his 50s, he enrolled in
college and set about earning his degree.
Along the way, he shared his story of
recovery with the community through
COVA’s PhotoVoice mental health
awareness project.
fall 2012
Expanded services for different challenges | page 3
CELEBRATING
His younger classmates at Columbus
State attended the PhotoVoice opening at
the Rhodes State Office Tower and
interviewed him for their composition
assignment. He spoke with students at
the opening of the exhibition at Ohio
Wesleyan University, and talked with
newspaper reporters.
As a peer specialist, his personal
history and recovery are key to forging
relationships with his new clients. He will
be their mentor, their guide and their
PEER RE-ENTRY t 4
Tailgate FUN-raiser:
September 15!
Columbus Foundation
funds expand vocational services
It’s a great team – Buckeye football and
COVA. Join COVA staff and volunteers at
RiverJam, the official tailgate party on
Lane Avenue. COVA staffs the party and
receives a sizeable donation (about
$6,000 the last two years)
from the event organizers.
For more info, contact
Sally Tyler at
614-291-0191 or
styler@cova.org.
Several funds managed by the Columbus
Foundation are supporting expanded
vocational services for central Ohio
residents with mental illness.
The Florence E. K. Hurd and Derrol R.
Johnson funds of The Columbus Foundation is providing a $75,000 match through
ADAMH to fund a vocational rehabilitation
program, WorkPath, provided by COVA.
The matching dollars access additional
federal funds managed by the Ohio
Rehabilitation Services Commission.
WorkPath is designed for consumers
with significant mental health disabilities
who want to work. Participants work with
COVA career developers on personalized
services, which can include: determining
work goals, expectations and limitations,
a job search, resume and interview skills
development, worksite experiences and
retaining meaningful employment.
The program has a special focus on
serving the needs of residents in the
Weinland Park area of Columbus. COVA
EXPANDED t 7
Receive COVA View by email to help COVA reduce paper and postage costs! Contact Mark Poprocki at mpoprocki@cova.org today!
Collaborative RENEW program
earns award
The RENEW program, which helps participants between the ages of 18 and 25
who have experienced their first hospitalization for mental health issues,
garnered the Innovator-Process award in Business First’s Health Care Heroes
series.
Three agencies — COVA, Concord Counseling Services and Dublin Counseling
Center — collaborate to provide RENEW participants with case management,
psychiatry, counseling and vocational rehabilitation to help them get back on
track and avoid future hospitalizations. Early results indicate success, as participants’ re-hospitalization rates
have plummeted from 47
percent to just 14 percent,
with collaborators expecting
that rate to continue to drop
to five percent.
Recently, the ADAMH
board awarded the project a
$75,000 grant. Corporate
support from Huntington
Bank and foundation support
first through seed money
from The Columbus Foundation and currently from the
Ingram-White Castle and
Central Ohio Primary Care
foundations has enabled
RENEW to expand and
enhance behavioral health
and vocational rehabilitation
services.
COVA’s Board
of Directors
T. Patrick Halaiko, P.E., Chair
Custom Air Conditioning & Heating Co.
Sandra F. Cannon, LISW Chair-elect
State of Ohio and Franklin County
Jack Tresoline, Past Chair
Prudential
Patrick Knott, Treasurer
U.S. Bank
Katie Feick, Secretary
Ohio Health
Harry Farver
Huntington Bancshares, Inc.
Matthew Fish
International Business Machines, Inc.
Mark Freeman
City of Columbus
Katherine C. (Katie) Hamilton
AETNA
Shawn P. Richard, MLHR
The Palmer-Donavin Mfg. Company
Sara Neikirk retires
Sara Neikirk, a longtime friend, advocate and ally, has
retired from COVA’s Board of Directors. As an
award-winning force of change in Central Ohio for
more than 50 years, she has helped break the cycle
of disadvantage and poverty by optimizing chances
for children’s success in school, finding families
homes, and helping individuals achieve employment.
Sara, a YWCA Woman of Achievement, served the community as the
executive director of Communities in Schools and HandsOn Central
Ohio, facilitated the development of the Interfaith Hospitality Network
and developed Beyond the Freeway Tours, among many other initiatives.
We’ll miss her greatly, and are honored to have worked with her.
Issue 1, Fall 2012
COVA View is produced by the COVA Marketing Department.
Please contact us at info@cova.org or 614-294-7117.
Center of Vocational Alternatives — www.cova.org
Franklin County — 3770 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43214
Delaware County — 27 W. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015
2
Sarah Thompson
YWCA USA
New Board
Member
Dave Wagoner
As the enterprise architect at Scotts
Miracle-Gro Company, Dave Wagoner brings
more than 27 years of technology, leadership and performance analysis experience to
COVA’s Board of Directors. He also holds
two master’s degrees from Antioch University’s MacGregor School and Cleveland
State University, and has completed his
doctoral coursework in computer science at
Wright State University.
“I’m excited for this opportunity to serve
on the board of this organization, which
helps thousands of Ohioans and makes a
tremendous impact on the Columbus
community,” said Wagoner.
COVA serving new groups with different challenges
GAIN program collaboration
focuses on issues of the
homeless
Barbara Schmitzer has been directing
COVA’s readiness groups for more than a
decade. She encourages, nudges and
guides participants through the early
stages of their recovery journey – the
steps critical to individuals committing to
a successful program.
She teaches them about their illness or
disability, gives them strategies to
manage their health and assesses their
work capabilities. And when they are
ready, she will guide them to the next
phase to take on the full vocational
journey.
Her work with thousands of
participants with mental illness and
addiction issues is expanding to serve
people battling chronic homelessness
through a collaborative project between
COVA, the Community Housing Network
and Concord Counseling Services.
Project GAIN (Growing Abilities for
Independence Now), provides integrated
housing, counseling and vocational
COVA chosen as provider for
statewide Recovery to Work
initiative
Four state agencies have pooled their
resources to integrate vocational rehabilitation services with addiction and mental
health treatment through the new
Recovery to Work program. COVA was
selected to be the vocational rehabilitation provider for Delaware County
residents participating in the statewide
Recovery to Work initiative.
“COVA was founded on the principle
that work is part of the recovery process.
It’s gratifying to see the state embrace
our core approach and begin integrating
not only the treatment approach, but to
bring together strong agencies to work
collaboratively in the new model,” said
Judy Braun, COVA president and CEO.
“Recovery to Work gives COVA the
opportunity to share our expertise with
clients in addiction treatment, in addition
to our traditional mental health population.”
Braun said the approach in Recovery
to Work is similar to COVA’s role in the
Central Ohio Supported Employment
Collaborative, where COVA’s vocational
specialists are embedded with the staff
services to two CHN communities in
Columbus. The program is part of the
community-wide Rebuilding Lives
program to stabilize housing and health
needs of participants while helping them
secure employment.
“Many of the participants don’t have a
specific mental health diagnosis, but their
chronic issues make them ideal candidates to follow a similar readiness
program,” Schmitzer said. “Our program
has been refined over the years and has a
history of success.”
CHN’s leadership is impressed with
the initial results.
“We are pleased with the partnership
with COVA and Concord with the project
GAIN program,” said Anthony Penn, chief
operating officer of CHN. “We are particularly excited with the new hope and
enthusiasm for employment that this
program has brought to our tenants
participating in the program.”
Participants selected by CHN staff
meet with Schmitzer to do an initial
vocational assessment, then begin phase
I of the program, a four-week readiness
class that covers topics key to starting a
job search, including: goal setting,
managing health and stress in the
workplace, social skills and networking.
Louis Hamer, COVA peer employment
specialist, is the featured presenter early
in Phase I to share his recovery story.
“When the class meets Louis, they now
know someone who has walked in their
shoes and built success,” Schmitzer said.
Those who complete the first course,
move on to Phase II, which can include a
career class, COVA Job Club or computer
skills courses.
“The first group has completed
phase I, and participants are at a variety
of levels heading to the next phase,”
Schmitzer said. “One woman is ready to
go directly to Job Club and begin applying
for work. Others need additional classroom work to be ready.”
Phase I is conducted at the two
housing communities to remove barriers
to class attendance. Phase II takes place
at COVA to take advantage of the
computer classroom and to build the
participant’s skills in using public transportation and meeting specific time schedules.
at the treatment facilities. In Recovery to
Work, COVA is partnering with Maryhaven in Delaware.
The four state agencies – the Ohio
departments of Mental Health and
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services,
along with the Ohio Rehabilitation
Services Commission and the Ohio
Association of
County Behavioral
Health Authorities
– have experimented
with unifying
eligibility procedures
and electronic billing
and case documentation protocols.
“COVA’s systems expertise is our 30
years of vocational rehabilitation and case
management experience and ability to
navigate the eligibility determination
process of ORSC, with Recovery to Work
adopted,” Braun said. “The process
involves a thorough vocational assessment that is then evaluated through the
lens of the state mandate to serve the
most significantly disabled first. Keeping
prospective participants engaged during
the process and potential waiting periods
is a challenge many treatment providers
have not faced.”
Through the first five months of the
program, 4,013 participants have begun
the process through the next four steps –
Current applicants: 1,649
Eligibility and order of selection determined: 989
Vocational plan approved: 1,145
Consumers employed: 86
Leaders of the four state agencies
released a joint statement:
“This program represents
a real paradigm shift in
how we are approaching
recovery as we consider
the social and emotional
benefits employment can
have on achieving recovery.”
For COVA, with a mission to assist and
support the community in overcoming
mental, emotional and other challenges
to a productive life, focusing on employment, economic stability and life skills, it’s
validation of its 30-year-old service model
and an opportunity to serve a new
population in need.
“It can be challenging to bring together different philosophies, but in the end
this new model brings together the
diverse services needed to help clients
with multiple needs,” Braun said. “We are
able to combine and share our resources.”
3
Accepting COVA’s award (left to right) front row: Sheila Mercer, Meg Griffing, COVA Board Chair Pat Halaiko, Judy Braun, Dawn Kuhn; back row: Jamie
Noon, former COVA Board member Sara Neikirk.
COVA staff honored for success
of first formal United Way campaign
As a new recipient of United Way funds, COVA launched for its
first formal employee campaign to raise funds for the community
organization in 2011 and has been saluted for its rave results with
the United Way Agency Award of Excellence.
The award, United Way’s highest honor, is presented each year
to a company and an agency in recognition of the overall achievement in their philanthropy efforts for United Way.
Over the years, COVA board members and other supporters
have selected COVA to receive their workplace campaign
donations. In COVA’s 2011 campaign, the focus was on overall
participation … and having fun.
Co-chairs Meg Griffing and Dawn Kuhn planned two events to
bookend the campaign. A Halloween potluck launched the
campaign and was a preview of the closing dessert party and
basket raffle. Each of the organization’s 10 departments put
together a basket to raffle as did the president and a program
manager.
Each staff member participated in the raffle through donations,
ticket purchases or requests to friends and colleagues for raffle
PEER RE-ENTRY (cont’d from pg. 1)
4
inspiration to begin their own recovery
journeys.
“Utilizing peer specialists for persons
returning from incarceration is a new and
exciting venture for our community.
Danny’s experience and commitment is
making this program a success,” said
Steve Hedge, executive director of the
Delaware Morrow Mental Health and
Recovery Services Board. “We look to
build upon this success to reintegrate
ex-offenders with mental health conditions back into their home community,
items. A healthy competition grew across departments as they
planned and filled their baskets. As employees spoke with
others, they shared the message of our support for United Way
and our organization’s services.
The co-chairs achieved the goal of 100 percent employee
participation and far surpassed the number of donors and the
amount our campaign raised. Employees donated at least $1,000
of in-kind support for baskets and events.
The 2012 campaign launched Jan. 27
on National Chocolate Cake Day, with chocolate cake for all as an
additional thank you for a successful campaign and for COVA’s
nomination for the United Way Agency Award of Excellence.
A February Chili Cook-off introduced
the 2012 chair, Jamie Noon, and a first United Way fund raising
initiative for the new year.
COVA’s success in its first campaign earned the organization a
nomination for the Award of Excellence, United Way’s recognition
of agencies who embrace educating employees about the
agency and promote leadership giving.
obtain employment, re-engage with their
family and supports.”
Danny’s story is now inspiring thousands following his March graduation
from Columbus State, where he received
his associate’s degree in Mental Health/
Chemical Dependency/Addiction Studies.
David Harrison, CSCC president, cited
Danny’s story during the commencement
ceremony, and the college posted photos
and details on its web site.
“Danny’s courage to share his story
impacts participants in profound ways,”
said Judy Braun, COVA’s president and
CEO. “COVA began hiring peer specialists
five years ago. It’s one of the best
decisions we ever made – and we
continue to look for ways to incorporate
more peers into our services.”
When the Delaware Morrow Mental
Health and Recovery Board received
re-entry program funding from the Ohio
Department of Mental Health, COVA
immediately proposed peer support
services.
For now, the program is part-time, but
that works for Danny. He’s starting work
this fall on his bachelor’s degree in social
work at Capital University.
Thank you
Individual Donors
Mary & Albert Acierno
Elizabeth Aino
Heather C. Allen
Clare L. Anderson
Cathy Blackford
Margaret & Carl Bogenschutz
Sharon Rose Bond
Judy & Ben Braun
Sarah Braun
Saundra G. Brennan
Dianna L. Brenstuhl
Carol A. Brown
Helen Jane Brown
Eddie Brunson
Matthew Burchett
Joseph E. Burke
Rose M. Cacioppo
Sandra F. Cannon
Jeffrey B. Carlson
Janeen A. Carson
Lisa M. Cini
Paula Clay
Randi Cohen
Kristine Devine
Anne-Marie Dujardin-De Buck
Linda M. Dull
Sheryl S. Ellcessor
Harry Farver
Harriet Feick
Katie Feick
Thomas Feick, Jr.
Thomas W. Feick
John Finch
Courtney & Matthew Fish
Larry A. Fontanini
Carrie Foster
Mark A. Freeman
Mary & Peter Frenzer
Sally L. Gardner
Louise Gary
Florence Goldman
Carol A. Gravelle
Celeste A. Grone
Jennifer R. Guthrie
Pat Halaiko
Katie Hamilton
Robin Hepler
Rosemary L.M. Hill
Ginger Howard
Anita Hoy
Jill E. James
Jady Johnson
Sharelle T. Jones
Jennifer Journy
Lalita Kapoor
Antoinette Kerins
Leslie & Patrick Knott
Raenita & Ralph Kownacki
Patricia Kreici
Christine A. Kunk
Linda G. Larrimer
Robert Larrimer & Mary Tarantino
Jill Levy
Theresa Lockhart
Carmen C. Long
Cecilia L. Mikla Loper
Dorothy L. Martin
Michelle R. Martin
Suzanne S. Martin
Mary E. McCleer
Ava, Edward & Jordan Mendelson
( Galpern-Mendelson
Family Foundation)
Jennifer L. Miller
Mary C. Mills
Kathy J. Minkin
Sara Neikirk
Alicia & William A. Nolan
David K. O’Carroll
Robyn Pollina
Margaret & Darwin Port
Jean Puckett
William Reiber
Shawn P. Richard
Kari Riskedahl
Sharon J. Riskedahl
Jeffrey R. Robek
Anne Robinson
Carolyn & Ron Rowland
Dean M. Russ
Suzanne D. Saunders
Lenore Schneiderman
Robert A. Short
Carolyn & Rick Smith
Justin Tyler Spicer
Paula A. Stepleton
Julie Stoltz
Katherine Streblo
Julia F. Talks
Sarah S. Thompson
to our generous
2011 donors
Jack Tresoline
Sally Tyler
Karie S. Urban
W. Bruce Walsh
Jennifer L. Wendell
Mary White-Predieri
Kathryn L. Wiley
Stephanie M. Wilkerson
Terri B. Wilkinson
Joan M. Wilson
John & Marsha Wolverton
Karen E. Woods-Nyce
Sondra & Mark Zardus
Cory Zumbar
Anonymous (2)
In Honor Of
COVA Board of Directors from
Sally Tyler
COVA Staff from Katie Feick
Katie Feick from Harriet Feick
Pat Halaiko from Cathy Blackford
In Memory Of
Pam Buford from Katie Feick
Bruce Powelson from
Katie Feick
Corporate Donors & Sponsors
Aetna & Aetna Foundation
Alexander Chiropractic
Barnes and Thornburg LLP
Battelle
BCS Event Productions
Custom Air Conditioning
and Heating Co.
Huntington Bank
Jackson Team,
Keller Williams/Capital
Partners
Kemba Financial Credit Union
Kroger
Park Your Paws
Prudential Foundation
Richardson Printing
Schneider Downs & Co. Inc.
US Bank
Foundation Donors
The Columbus Foundation
Ingram-White Castle Foundation
Osteopathic Heritage Foundations
Puffin Foundation West, Ltd.
Organization & Government
Donors & Sponsors
Civitan Club of North Columbus
Community Health Charities
of Ohio
Greater Columbus Arts Council
NAMI of Franklin County
North Broadway United
Methodist Church
100+ Women Who Care
(Cols. Metro)
United Way of Central Ohio
United Way of Miami/Dade Cty.
United Way of Rochester, NY
In-Kind Gifts
Judy Braun
Maggie Brooks
Comfort Keepers
Custom Air Conditioning
and Heating Co.
Katie Feick
Food for Good Thought
Chelsie Giambrone
Robin Hepler
Hilton Garden Inn
In Good Standing
Beth Kishiro
Marilyn Kohn
Dawn Kuhn
Mettler Toledo
Lyn Morrow
Jamie Noon
Carolyn Smith
Kathy Streblo
ThisWeek Newspapers
Sally Tyler
University Plaza Hotel
Vienna Ice Café
Sondra Zardus
Anonymous (1)
Your support helps us continue our mission
If we inadvertently have omitted your name from our list, please accept our apology and contact the development department at 614-291-0191. Thank you for your donation.
5
Second
PhotoVoice
project underway
COVA’s 2009 PhotoVoice exhibit was such
an incredible success — and is still being
requested by employers and community
groups for showings — that sponsors have
been lining up to support PhotoVoice II:
Voicing our Individual and Collective
Experience.
Nine COVA participants bravely committed to telling their recovery journeys in
2009 through photo essays and writings.
The resulting art exhibition, Mental Health
Recovery: Through Our Lens and Pen, has
been used to shine the light on the
day-to-day challenges of people with
mental illness. Universities, advocacy
groups and local employers have used the
display to educate their stakeholders.
Local photographer Tom Etter (www.
etterweb.com) will provide professional
photo instruction to participants selected
later this year to join the next group of
storytellers. Amy Beavis, an experienced
career developer with proven counseling
skills and Barb Schmitzer, a seasoned
group session facilitator and social worker
of more than 17 years, will lead the
10-week group project and provide clinical
direction for a process that can be painful at times
as participants recall their journey and struggles.
A sneak peek of the exhibit is scheduled to
coincide with COVA’s 30th anniversary celebration in
October. PhotoVoice II will officially open in November in U.S. Bank’s downtown offices, before being
exhibited in other high profile venues such as Riffe
Gallery, the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s
downtown branch and Grange Insurance’s main
building.
For more information, visit www.cova.org.
nity Fe
mu
val
sti
Com
PhotoVoice II sponsors include:
INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS:
The Richard Family
Sally Tyler
Sara Neikirk
Richard and Carolyn Smith
6
EXPANDED (cont’d from pg. 1)
staff works with several Weinland Park
community groups and other social
service agencies working in the neighborhood to identify residents who would
benefit from the services.
Program created to address
serious unmet need
The Ingram Family Fund of The Columbus
Foundation will provide $15,000 to
support vocational services offered
through the renew program, a collaboration of COVA, Concord Counseling and
Dublin Counseling.
The Ingram Family provided the funds
through the Big Give program, generating
an additional $2,300 to support the
program services for the coming year.
Renew (Recovery-Engagement-Networking-Employment-Wellness) has
demonstrated dramatic outcomes,
improving the lives of very high-risk
transition age youth in central Ohio.
Renew is the only program in central Ohio
which specifically addresses in an
integrated manner issues of transition
youth ages 18 to 25 who are being
discharged from their first psychiatric
inpatient hospitalization. The program can
serve up to 144 young adults yearly.
In its first 13 months, ending June 30,
2011, renew collaborators achieved a
re-hospitalization rate of 14 percent for
120 participants, far better than the 47
percent rate for those in the local 18 to 25
year age group in 2009, prior to the
program’s inception. Preliminary statistics
for calendar year 2011 indicate the
re-hospitalization rate will fall to around 5
percent.
COVA’s role is providing vocational
services and benefits consultation since
employment is a key motivator for young
adults to pursue recovery. Dublin Counseling Center provides counseling
services and Concord Counseling
Services handles case management,
including linkage to educational resources
and psychiatric services.
Services are offered at no cost to
participants. Behavioral health services
are paid through Medicaid and restricted
allocations from the Alcohol Drug and
Mental Health Board of Franklin County
(ADAMH). COVA services are paid
through portions of several grants and an
increase this year in COVA’s allocation of
ADAMH funds.
Additionally, the ADAMH board granted
an additional $75,000 to support the three
collaborators’ work for calendar year 2012
and to further study the integrated
treatment model, which uses vocational
outcomes as motivation for the young
adults to sustain their treatment programs.
To refer participants to these
programs, contact Jill Jones
at COVA, jjones@cova.org, or
call 614-294-7117.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ DMMHRSB grant for tech tool to
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ help position COVA for the future
$$$$$$$ During the past two years, COVA aggres- responding to the emerging health care
$$earn
$$$$us
$$Help
environment through the purchase and
$$$$$$$$$$$$$ sively enhanced the capacity of its
$$donations
from
information technology and business
implementation of a leading business
$
$$
$$
$$
$$$$$$$$
reporting with an integrated financial and
intelligence software. This will allow
by$$$ clinical information system, and upgrading COVA managers to have access to
$$$$
$$$$$$just
$$Kroger,
human resources and payroll/time and
real-time, comprehensive reports to
$$$$$$$$$$$$$ its
$$shopping!
labor systems to web-based platforms. As
assist in better decision making related to
$
$$
$$
$$
a
result,
COVA
has
fully
converted
to
an
resource allocation (e.g. caseload
$$
$$
$$
$$Go to www.KrogerCommunity
electronic
health
record
and
significantly
assignment) and monitor key service
$
$$
$$on
to put
COVA
$$
$$$$$$
$$Rewards.com
indicators (e.g. outcomes, timelines of
your Kroger Plus card — it’s easy $ enhanced the timeliness and accuracy of
$$
$$
$$
our
service
information
and
reporting.
services), resulting in better use of
$$
$$
$$and$$
free! Or download our info
With
a
grant
from
the
Delawareresources allocated by DMMHRSB, and
$
sheet
quick
instructions
$$$$$$ Morrow Mental Health & Recovery
$$
$$
$$with
$$
ultimately improving services available to
at www.cova.org/kroger.pdf
$
$$
$$
Services
Board,
COVA
is
once
again
participants.
$$
$$
$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
COVA adopts electronic clinical record system
COVA staff spent 2011 implementing the
CareLogic integrated electronic clinical
record system that links treatment
planning tools and case note documentation within the context of the plan,
scheduling and billing.
Program directors began work the year
before identifying every discrete billing
code and treatment component to be
included in the system structure. IT and
finance input all the corresponding billing
information for electronic transfer and
receipt of payments from county funders.
Having the system in place positions
COVA to explore Medicaid and other
large-scale funding sources and improves
the quality of documentation, client
record keeping, accountability and better
decision making.
The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
provided a $50,000 capital improvement
grant to support training and development
of components that can be shared among
other vocational providers in Ohio.
COVA, as a hybrid agency that provides
vocational rehabilitation services within
the behavioral health community, found
itself between the record keeping needs
of the different industries. In the end,
COVA chose an online product tailored for
the behavioral health world, and added in
the vocational elements.
All service systems in the state are
moving more toward a medical model,
and CareLogic positions COVA to have
the infrastructure in place to change with
its funders.
LIKE
us at www.
facebook.com/
COVAOhio for
more news about COVA,
mental health & employment.
7
RENEW wins health care award | page 2
COVA honored with agency award | page 4
Powerful PhotoVoice project returns | page 6
fall 2012
Expanded services for different challenges | page 3
COVA’s Benefits Services helps
participants navigate benefits maze
COVA continues to be a leader in benefits
services to participants in Franklin,
Delaware and Morrow counties, and
throughout the state (funded by the Ohio
Rehabilitation Services Commission),
despite a loss of funding due to the
expiration of the Social Security Administration’s Work Incentives Planning and
Assistance (WIPA) program. More than
100 WIPA projects/agencies nationwide
were affected.
COVA assists those who want to
become or stay employed by determining
how benefits will be affected by earned
Center of Vocational Alternatives
3770 N. High St.
Columbus OH 43214
Our Mission
To assist and support the
community in a culturally
competent manner to
overcome mental, emotional
and other challenges and lead
a productive life, focusing
on employment, economic
stability and life skills.
income. We also assist people not ready
for immediate employment.
Our Benefits Specialists show
participants the income levels they can
earn to maintain benefits, and explain
how by increasing their monthly income
they may be able to gradually transition
off benefits and move to independence.
COVA is also experienced in all phases
of applications for Medicaid, SSI and SSDI
benefits and can assist participants with
assembling and reviewing the appropriateness of their applications. Assistance
with Medicare options, including Part D
prescription coverage, is also offered.
Other services available include
Financial Foundations to help participants
understand banking and personal finance,
and WEB Group to assist participants
with making good decisions about
disability benefits, employment, managing mental health issues and resources
available in the community.
COVA also offers free Ohio Benefit
Bank services, including tax preparation,
financial aid form help and other benefits.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Columbus, OH
Permit No. 7074