rmha Newsletter_S08-JT

ewsletter
RIVERDALE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
Spring 2008
Benefit to Honor Noted Psychiatrist Alan Manevitz
RMHA will celebrate its 49th Anniversary with the Annual
Spring Benefit on May 15th at The Water Club on Manhattan’s
East Side. Our friends and supporters are encouraged to attend
or show support with a Tribute Journal placement. All proceeds
from the event go in support of RMHA’s programs and services.
We are delighted this year to honor Alan Manevitz, MD, for
his outstanding work in psychiatry and in promoting greater public awareness of mental health issues. Dr. Manevitz is a clinical
psychiatrist at the Weill-Cornell Medical Center and an attending
psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian and Lenox Hill Hospitals.
He appears frequently on network television and in the print media commenting on mental health issues currently in the
news. He is renowned for his
clinical work in marital and family
therapy, psychopharmacology,
ADD, PTSD and fibromyalgia.
Dr. Manevitz volunteered
with emergency crews at the
World Trade Center in 1993, was
a first responder on the scene of
the TWA 800 disaster in 1996,
and the SwissAir 111 crash of
1998. He volunteered at Ground
Zero (9/11) from the first 24
Alan Manevitz, MD, 2008 Honoree
hours and was honored for his
extensive efforts by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. In 2005, he volunteered in the aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina with the Unified Medical Command in Mississippi.
Beloved by his patients, Dr. Manevitz has been ranked amongst
the Top Doctors in America by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. and
Best Doctors in New York published in New York Magazine.
This year, Dr. Manevitz will join an elite list of Super Doctors
published for the first time in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Dr. Manevitz serves on the Board of The Moth, a popular
not-for-profit storytelling organization founded in 1997 here in
New York City.
At the Benefit, we will recognize retailer Annie Sez for their
support of the community by partnering with RMHA’s Vocational
Services and hiring individuals with mental illness.
This year’s Benefit is presented by RMHA’s dedicated Board of
Directors and Co-Chaired by Marie-Jeanne Gwertzman and Clotilde
Rodriguez. Sheila Howard and Ralph Blumenstock Co-Chair the
Silent Auction and Gary Zucker and Dick Conley are Co-Chairs of
the Tribute Journal.
For more information on how you can show your
support for the 49th Annual Spring Benefit, email
alange@rmha.org or 718.796.5300 x106
The LifeWorks Project Combats Addiction
One of our newest programs, The LifeWorks Project, has recently drawn a great
deal of media attention. The Riverdale
Press published a front-page story about
this program and Bronx Channel 12 came to
RMHA to film a special feature segment on
the program, broadcast on February 12th.
Works offers help to both individuals with
substance abuse histories as well as their
families, spouses and partners, integrating
the principles of recovery with the tools
necessary for success in the workplace,
reducing isolation and anxiety while promoting positive choices and self care.
The LifeWorks Project is a 12-week
program that provides career and employment guidance to those seeking to make
healthy, stable career choices, but whose
lives have been damaged by the isolation
and low self-esteem caused by alcohol and
substance dependency.
The program provides counseling
and education on topics like conflict resolution and anger management as well as
computer training to equip people with
the skills necessary for successful re-entry
into the workplace.
The goal of LifeWorks is to integrate
the principles of recovery from addiction
with specific career strategies to help its
participants gain re-entry into the world of
work. Using a dynamic group method, Life-
Special thanks to Greentree Restaurant and Madison’s Restaurant our
neighbors on Riverdale Avenue, who have
graciously donated lunches to the program members, strengthening the sense
of community involvement and support
for our participants.
The program was developed collaboratively by Mark Sturgeon, LMSW, Assistant Director of The ReSolve Center for
Recovery and Rita Liegner, LMHC, MSEd,
Director of Vocational Services.
Did you know...?
•
RMHA’s clinicians have over
670 years of experience
combined
• Last year, RMHA provided
over 20,000 patient visits to
nearly 1,500 patients
• We are open Monday
through Saturday
Notable News
Robert
Brewster,
LCSW,
was
elected President of the Bronx Behavioral
Network, a coalition of mental health
agencies dedicated to coordinating and
improving services. Mr. Brewster was also
recently appointed to the Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery Committee, under
the auspices of the Coalition for Behavioral
Health, Inc., to support the city’s recovery
programs and measure outcomes.
Alan Felix, MD, RMHA’s new Medical
Director, has published a chapter in the
Clinical Handbook of Schizophrenia entitled “Housing instability and homelessness,” Guilford Press .
Donna Demetri Friedman, PhD,
LCSW, was invited to guest co-edit a special addition of the Clinical Social Work
Journal on Attachment-based clinical work
with children, published Spring 2009.
Mayra Estrada, LCSW, Director of
the Child and Adolescent Program, was a
featured speaker at the Community Board
8 Youth Committee meeting where she
discussed the array of services offered by
RMHA for children and adolescents.
Adrianne Lange, Executive Assistant
to the Board, was accepted to the Doctoral
Program in Clinical Psychology at The
Graduate Center, City University of New
York. She will remain at RMHA while attending the program.
Carmen Lopez, Case Manager for the
Innovative Services for Seniors Program,
was accepted to the MSW program at
Hunter College. Carmen provides bilingual and bi-cultural support for our senior clients through counseling, groups,
workshops and activities.
David Pincus, MBA, Coordinator of
the Direct Placement Program, in Vocational Services, was recently credentialed
as a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Practitioner.
Tracy Chutorian Semler, Vice President of RMHA’s Board of Directors, served
as Vice-Chair of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School’s search committee for a new
Head of School.
Gabrielle Thaler, Employment Specialist in our Vocational Services, was accepted to Wurzweiler School of Social
Work at Yeshiva University. Gabi will continue to provide job counseling at RMHA
while attending the program.
Message from the Executive Director
Welcome to the Spring Issue of RMHA’s Newsletter! As
I write this, we have just learned that RMHA been approved by the New York State Dormitory Authority for
$250,000. The funds will be used to purchase and install
Anasazi, a computer program which will allow us to move
both our clinical and fiscal recordkeeping into the 21st Century. This represents a significant step in our efforts to
update our technology infrastructure which will in turn
improve our efficiency and accountability. Our thanks to
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz for his assistance.
In this issue, you will learn about some of our newest initiatives such as The LifeWorks Project and Bronx WAVE, and read about updates on programs with which you
may be more familiar. In all of the services RMHA provides, our focus is to help individuals and families manage their challenges in ways that help them live more independently as well as to strengthen the communities in which we all live and work.
We look forward to seeing you at RMHA’s 49th Annual Benefit, May 15th at The
Water Club in Manhattan. We will be honoring Alan Manevitz, MD, and recognizing
retailer Annie Sez. The generosity of our friends and supporters is crucial to our goal of
providing quality care to all who rely on us.
Robert M. Brewster, LCSW
Executive Director Robert Brewster, RMHA Board President Sandra Lerner, Assemblyman Jeffrey
Dinowitz and Joyce Pilsner, honoree, at RMHA’s 48th Annual Gala
last year.
Photo: Jason Green
RMHA Celebrates
49 Years of Service
May 15th, 2008
at The Water Club!
Clinic Plus at RMHA Serves Local Schools
RMHA was named as a CLINIC PLUS
agency under the new State office of Mental Health (NYS-OMH) initiative, a move
which authorizes us to provide services onsite in local public schools .
Using a public health model, we offer
outreach and mental health screenings to
young children, with parental permission.
RMHA’s child therapists provide evaluation
and treatment, if indicated.
To protect client confidentiality, the office space our therapists use is licensed by
the NYS-OMH. To date, three of the school
sites have been licensed: MS 20, MS 80 and
Marie Curie Middle School. Five more
schools, all on the John F. Kennedy High
School Campus, await final approvals.
Arlene Klingman, LCSW, directs the
Clinic Plus Program and is assisted by bilingual social workers Esther Levy, LCSW
and Desiree Balbuena, MSW. Rosmery
Paulino, RMHA’s new office manager,
provides administrative and secretarial
support for the program.
Since January, we are pleased to have
provided screenings to approximately 100
children, of whom 20-30% have been
offered more detailed services.
For more information about Clinic Plus,
call Arlene Klingman, 718-796-5300 x114
Did you know...?
•
RMHA serves clients who
live throughout the Bronx,
Yonkers Westchester, and
Upper Manhattan
Get More Out of Your Donated Dollars
Short Reports
New Alternative Giving Column by Pamela Hort, CSW, RMHA Board Member
Fundraising is endless.
RMHA’s Annual Phonation ended in November
and we are still wondering where to get more
funds to
subsidize our
programs.
As I’m sure you can all imagine, local,
state, and federal funds are less available
today than in years past. Insurance companies, Medicaid, etc. pay fees that each company has decided are reasonable.
These fees always fall short of the real
costs of a clinical hour at RMHA, which includes clinician time, insurance, rent, administrative staff, electricity, telephones and of
course the inglorious costs of running a welcoming and thriving mental health center:
light bulbs, paper towels and soap. Also,
RMHA does not earn fees when a client
doesn’t show, no matter how good the reason, but we are still paying salaries, rent,
electric bills, etc.
If you’re reading this newsletter you’ve
most likely already been generous to RMHA.
How can you continue to help? Perhaps you
gave during the Phonation and now we
want to remind you we need more.
Ungrateful? Hardly, but we’re still in
need.
There are alternative ways to continue to be generous to RMHA, ways
you might not have thought of, ways
that RMHA is beginning to explore.
One way is to give shares of a stock
that you may have bought at a low
price which have done well. Were you
lucky enough to buy Microsoft at $5 a
share? If you sell you will incur a capital gain with a sizeable tax, however, if
you donate stock to charity, the
amount of your donation will be equal
to the worth of the stock at the time of
the gift. You will receive a tax credit
and there will be no capital gain taxes
to pay. Now may be the best time to
give, as the market is predicted to continue its decline.
RMHA will be exploring alternative
giving and keeping you abreast of the
possibilities. Fundraising is never over.
RMHA Welcomes Alan Felix
As New Medical Director
Dr. Donna Demetri Friedman, Deputy
Executive Director announced the restructure
of RMHA’s intake process designed to reduce
the wait lists previously experienced by clients. Using a team approach, the Intake
Service increased the number of cases reviewed for admission by 67% and decreased
the waiting list by 10%, all in two months.
Warm thanks to all of our Phonathon
Supporters and Volunteers. We raised
over $65,000! Gifts ranged from $5 to
$10,000 - every dollar a valued boost.
Special kudos to longtime Board Members
Marty Cooper and Dr. Joseph Lynch, CoChairmen of the event.
Special thanks to the children and parents of the Riverdale Nursery School and
Family Center and to Director Susan
Smelin. The children raised $500 at a Bake
Sale which they generously donated to
RMHA. It’s never to early to learn to give!
This year we were fortunate to receive
grants for our Early Childhood Program
from the Leir Charitable Trust, The Lincoln
Fund and the Glickenhaus Foundation.
Innovative Services for Seniors (ISS),
our specialized geriatric mental health
program now in its third year, is supported
by The Damman Fund, The Harry and Lucy
Moses Fund, The Jarvis and Constance
Doctorow Family Foundation and the
Metzger-Price Foundation, and two foundations who prefer to remain anonymous.
We are grateful for their continued confidence and support.
RMHA is delighted to announce that Dr. Alan Felix joined us in October as
RMHA’s new Medical Director. Dr. Felix takes over the position from Dr. Matthew Gudis who, after serving the position for 10 years, has stepped down to
devote more time to other interests. Dr. Felix, graduate of Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia and an Associate Attending Psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Previously, Dr. Felix was Medical Director of GodWe sadly report the death of Freda
dard Riverside Community Center, where he worked
Gillis, MD, after a long illness. Freda
primarily with the mentally disabled homeless
was an original member of RMHA’s Propopulation. He has special interests in developing a
fessional Advisory Committee and was a psychiatrist on the staff of
new RMHA
program in “Wellness SelfGrasslands Hospital in Westchester and the VA Hospital in the Bronx.
Management” with a strong drive towards recovery.
Condolences to the Zambetti Family on the loss of Felice Zambetti.
Building on his experience teaching, Dr. Felix has
Mr. Zambetti served on RMHA’s Board in 1972. The community lost
begun a series of seminars for RMHA’s staff on topa much beloved and highly regarded psychiatrist when Nancy Ward,
ics such as the anatomy of the brain, psychiatric
MD, died this past year. Dr. Ward was a member and supporter of
medications and how to prevent violence in a cliniRMHA for many years. We are all deeply saddened by the loss of
cal setting. He is planning another series on
Frank O’Brien, devoted husband of longtime RMHA bookkeeper
psychodynamic psychotherapy and is exploring the
Janice O’Brien. Frank was a familiar figure at RMHA, accompanying
possibility of creating a psychiatric residency proJanice to and from work. Frank was very proud of his service in Viet
gram at RMHA.
Nam and was active in the Veterans Association. He was a very genA major attraction for him in deciding to join
erous and kind man and will be dearly missed. Deborah Winner, a
RMHA was “the agency’s receptivity to new ideas
long-time volunteer and supporter, passed away June 25, 2007. We
and directions.” We are pleased Dr. Felix has joined
are very sorry to have lost her.
RMHA and look forward to his unique contributions!
Condolences
RMHA
5676 Riverdale Avenue
Bronx, NY 10471
RMHA provides comprehensive services addressing emotional and social issues affecting individuals of all ages. We provide high quality, affordable
care to those who may otherwise be unable to
receive essential services. By healing individuals,
we strengthen communities.
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
P A I D
WHITE PLAINS, NY
PERMIT NO. 7033
Robert M. Brewster, LCSW
Executive Director
Alan Felix, MD
Medical Director
Donna Demetri-Friedman, PhD, LCSW
Deputy Executive Director
www.rmha.org
rmha@rmha.org
RMHA - Healing Individuals,
Strengthening Communities
• Infant & Early Childhood Services
• Child, Adolescent & Adult Treatment
• ReSolve Center for Recovery - Treatment
for Alcohol and Substance Dependency
New LifeWorks Project for Career Strategies
• Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment Program
Services available
in Spanish
Los servicios estan
tambièn disponibles
en español
Mental Health and Alcohol / Substance Dependency
• Day Treatment Program
• Residential Program
• Vocational Services
• Innovative Services for Seniors
• Consultation in Schools & Area Agencies
5676 Riverdale Avenue
Bronx, NY, 10471
Call: 718-796-5300