NYWe-works: Issue No. 16

An electronic circular of the New York Work Exchange

The New York Work Exchange, a project of the Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies, Inc., provides assistance to the New York City mental health provider community through demonstration projects, information updates, expert trainings, focused technical assistance, and evaluation.

August 2005

(See all NYWe-works Issues)

This issue:

• Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies
• NYSOMH
• SAMHSA
• VESID
• WRAP

• NY State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives
• NY State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

• American Association of People with Disabilities
• Howie T. Harp
• Rehabilitation Services Administration
• Social Security Administration
• SAMHSA
• US Department of Education
• US Department of Health and Human Services
• US Department of Labor
• US Senate Appropriations Committee
• VESID

• Boston University
• Campaign for Mental Health Reform
• Center for an Urban Future
• Community Voices Heard
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs
• Recovery Journal
• SAMHSA
• Supportive Housing Network of NY

Education:

• Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies will be hosting a three hour presentation on August 22nd at 1PM on Medicare Part D with an opportunity for ample questions and answers. Representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration will be facilitating. Pre-registration is required. For more information call the Coalition at 212-742-1600, ext. 104
• NY State Office of Mental Health's Division of Forensic Services is soliciting applications from localities/communities aimed at developing competencies and integrated strategies for adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders who are on probation. "Promoting Recovery for Persons with Serious Mental illnesses and Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Disorders on Probation or in ATI Programs" is a NYS OMH initiative utilizing Connect, a staff development and technical assistance program of the New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. Included with Connect are CDs, manuals, and a Wellness and Recovery component. Applications from localities by a designated representative are due September 14th. For more information go to: www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/connect/index.htm
• SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services has made available (August 2005) the spring 2005 Self Direction Education Training Series webcasts including topics on the relationship between self-direction and mental health and funding possibilities in self-direction services. To access go to: www.connectlive.com/events/samhsa
• VESID, the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE), and RRCEP-Buffalo will be conducting a Statewide Supported Employment Training Symposium on November 17th. Save the date! Supported Employment providers are encouraged to attend this one day session in Albany to discuss the relationship between supported employment and VESID's "Designing the Future" initiative. More information will follow in a future circular.
• WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) designed by Mary Copeland was the focus of a user friendly presentation using the Internet for self-help and wellness at the Northeast WRAP Conference in July 2005. To access the PowerPoint go to: www.peoplewho.org/documents/frank.internet.ppt

Funding and Grant Opportunities:

• (8/15) NY State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives seeks applications under its program "Supervision and Treatment of Specialized Offender Populations/New York City" for funding to be awarded to one or two specialized programs providing services to temporary homeless, primarily Spanish-speaking and/or mentally ill NYC offenders that are at risk for incarceration. To access go to: www.dpca.state.ny.us
• (8/20) NY State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance seeks applications under its program "Emergency Services" for funding to be awarded to organizations that meet the needs of homeless individuals and families and those at risk of becoming homeless. For more information go to: www.dos.state.ny.us/info/register/2005/july20/pdfs/availability.pdf

News Briefs/Events:

• American Association of People with Disabilities: 743 organizations have co-signed a statement both commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and stressing a more complete use of this piece of legislation. To access go to: www.aapd-dc.org/News/adainthe/solidarityada.html More information on the ADA including links and action alerts can be obtained at Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law at: www.bazelon.org/issues/disabilityrights
• Howie T. Harp will be holding its annual Health Fair for the mental health community on Friday August 19th from 10 AM- 2 PM at 163 W. 125th Street. The community is welcomed and organizations are urged to attend and table their service information. For more information call 212-865-0775, ext. 125
• Rehabilitation Services Administration has released a summary of its reorganizational plans and program structure stemming from recent funding cuts. The executive summary can be accessed at the Association for Persons in Supported Employment's home page: www.apse.org
• Social Security Administration has implemented changes to benefits that include a shorter wait time on application decisions and elimination of the reconsideration step of the appeals process. These changes rolled out on the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26th). For more information go to: www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/dib-process-pr.htm
• SAMHSA announced the alignment of resources by the federal government to help expand opportunities of recovery for individuals with mental illness. This collaboration involves the meeting of 6 cabinet level departments followed by a federal executive steering committee designed to guide the work of mental health transformation. To read more do to: www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050722_ActionAgenda.htm


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has expanded its "Elimination of Barriers Initiative" website (EBI) to include 19 consumer vignettes. EBI is an 8 state demonstration project addressing stigma associated with mental illness. To access the vignettes go to: www.allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/mystory.html

and-

SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center) is offering a teleconference on August 11th from 3:00 PM- 4:30 PM Easter Time on issues of stigma unique to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. To register go to: stopstigma.samhsa.gov/regpage.cfm
• US Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has announced the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Long-Range Plan for Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Comments are being solicited on the plan that includes a focus for research on new approaches for defining disability and age-related disabilities. Comments are due by August 26th. To access go to: a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-14741.htm
• US Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Surgeon General released (July 2005) the first-ever call to action, "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities" on the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act. To view go to: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/disabilities
• US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy website has various links to fact sheets covering topics on accommodations. Topics include "Investing in People: Job Accommodation Situations and Solutions" and "The Job Accommodation Process: Steps to Collaborative Solutions". To access go to: www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm
• US Senate Appropriations Committee recently made cuts into the next year to Projects with Industry (PWI) and Supported Employment (SE), two key sources of federal dollars assisting people with disabilities in areas of employment. PWI was cut approximately 9.5% and SE was cut 20%. SE will continue for another year as a separate program while PWI funds will no longer be separate, shifted to the VR State grant. To view the actual text from the Committee go to Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research under Title III, Department of Education and scroll down to PWI and SE at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&db_id=cp109&sid=cp109G9Nkr&r_n=sr103.109&item=&sel=TOC_834628&
• VESID has sent out a "Request for Information-Unified Contract Services (UCS) Needs Assessment" to community providers. The goal is for providers to review current services provided to VESID and inform VESID of services deemed to be necessary but not included in new UCS contracts. Response is optional however current providers who have identified services which are not under a new UCS contract with SED/VESID are encouraged to apply to ensure an appropriate contracting process identifying such service. SED/VESID will collect the information and compare this to the local needs in its District Offices. Responses are due by September 30, 2005. For more information call VESID at: 518-486-4035

Publications:

• Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation's first of two landmark volumes, "Recovery from Severe Mental Illnesses: Research Evidence and Implications for Practice, Volume 1" (July 2005) presents over 30 years of evidence challenging the long term view that severe mental illness has a poor prognosis marked by continuous deterioration. Included are long-term outcome studies, personal accounts, and articles. Edited by Davidson, Harding, and Spaniol including contributions from Anthony and Deegan, this can be purchased at: www.bu.edu/cpr/catalog/books/titles/rsmi-1.html
• Campaign for Mental Health Reform made up of mental health organizations across the country is a coalition seeking to make mental health a national priority with early access and recovery in mental health services. "Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis" (July 2005) lists 28 action steps in a report presenting Congress with a roadmap to correct the failings within the country's mental health system. To access go to: www.mhreform.org/news/7-27-05reportrelease.htm
• Center for an Urban Future has released a report called "The Road to Good Employment Retention: Three Successful Programs from the Jobs Initiative" (June 2005). Best practices in employment and training programs located in Seattle and St. Louis including individuals with disabilities who are under-employed or unemployed are examined. To access go to: www.aecf.org/publications/data/employment_retention.pdf
• Community Voices Heard, a community organization primarily made up of women with experience on public assistance, has released a report called "The Revolving Door: Research Findings on NYC's Employment Services and Placement System (ESP) and It's Effectiveness in Moving People from Welfare to Work" (July 2005). The report examines the effectiveness of job readiness and placement services in NYC through the ESP, Human Resources Administration. To access go to: www.cvhaction.org/english/reports/The%20Revolving%20Door%20-%20Full%20Report.pdf
• Kaiser Family Foundation has made available documents pertaining to the history of Medicare and Medicaid (July 2005) to mark the 40th anniversary of these two pieces of legislation. Included are interactive timelines tracking the evolution of Medicare and Medicaid and key statistics. To access go to: www.kff.org/medicaid/40years.cfm


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An updated guide to assist consumers in disputes regarding health plans is available through Kaiser (August 2005). "A Consumer Guide to Handling Disputes with Your Employer or Private Health Plan, 2005 Update" includes state-by-state details on external review programs and outcomes from consumers' appeals to these programs. To access the guide go to: www.kff.org/consumerguide/7350.cfm
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has available "NIMH Research Roundtable Discussion on Exploring Options to Assess Treatment Safety: Community Assessment of the Safety of Psychotropic Medications in Children and Adolescents" (November 2004). The report examines the strengths and limitations of psychotropic medications for this age group. To access go to: www.nimh.nih.gov/scientificmeetings/psychotropicmeds.pdf
• Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) in conjunction with the Canadian Mental Health Association (Ontario), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Ontario Peer Development Initiative has released a report called "Consumer/Survivor Initiatives: Impact, Outcomes and Effectiveness" (March 2005). The report demonstrates the effectiveness of Consumer Survivor Initiatives (CSIs) within the mental health system in Ontario. To access go to: ofcmhap.on.ca/drupal/files/CSIpaper_final.pdf
• Recovery Journal, Dr. Patricia Deegan's blog, has posted "Relationships Can Heal" (January 2005). This site has a number of articles by Dr. Deegan including "The Importance of Personal Medicine" and "Spiritual Lessons in Recovery". Services, products, and links are also available. To access articles go to: www.patdeegan.com/blog/archives.php
• SAMHSA has five papers related to self-directed care within behavioral health available on its website (May 2005). Topics include transformation of behavioral health care into self-direction, consumer-directed health care, and challenges for families with youth with serious emotional disturbance. To access go to: store.mentalhealth.org/consumersurvivor/publications_sdc.aspx


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SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services has made available the "Employer Mental Health Toolkit" (July 2005) which invites businesses to examine the mental health of its employees and how this can affect productivity and outcomes. To access go to: www.allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/business.html


• Supportive Housing Network of NY has released the "Guide to Supportive Housing Resources in New York" (June 2005) which lists and describes the 35 funding sources used by not-for-profits to build supportive housing in New York State including federal, state, and local resources. To access go to: www.shnny.org

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NYWe-works is a monthly electronic newsletter for mental health and rehabilitation providers in New York City. NYWe-works contains news briefs, information on publications, funding information, and educational resources.

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