[NYAPRS Enews] NYAPRS 2010 Year In Review

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: We're very pleased to share with our NYAPRS and broader
community our own review of some of the year's chief events and
accomplishments. Great heartfelt thanks to all of our friends,
colleagues, staff and volunteers who gave so much this past year to
advance our shared mission to promote the recovery, rehabilitation and
rights of people with psychiatric disabilities. While we face big
challenges ahead, we collectively bring great passion, compassion,
vision, skill, determination and love to the task. 

Special thanks to the incredible team we have and are growing at NYAPRS
for your extraordinary, widely valued talents and achievements. 

Wishing all of you a wonderful New Year's celebration and a year of good
health and success!

 

NYAPRS 2010 Year In Review

 

January

*         The NYAPRS 12th Annual Albany Legislative Day draws over 1,000
advocates for a rousing day of advocacy aimed at protecting funding for
community recovery services, held in partnership with the Association
for Community Living and the Mental Health Association in NYS and
supported by statewide mental health groups. 

 

February

*         NYAPRS members and staff continue strong budget advocacy;
Harvey Rosenthal becomes a steering committee member of Medicaid Matters
and supports MM's February 8th Albany Advocacy Day. 

 

March

*         NYAPRS members and staff continue strong budget advocacy: a
longtime leading member of the NYS Coalition for Adult Home Reform,
NYAPRS supports CIAD's annual Adult Home Resident Albany March 2
Speakout. 

*         President Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act into law, a measure strongly supported by national & statewide
mental health groups. 

*         Long strongly supported by NYAPRS, OMH's recovery focused
license PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services) expands into New
York City. By year's end, there are over 52 PROS programs in 16 counties
serving over 6,000.  

*         Harvey Rosenthal attends first Washington DC meeting of
SAMHSA's new Recovery to Practice initiative operated by DSG. NYAPRS
acts as a subcontractor and, through the efforts of Associate Executive
Director Chacku Mathai, offers a variety of consultative and webinar
based support. 

*         A board member of ACMHA: the College for Behavioral Health
Leadership, Harvey attends ACMHA's annual March 24-6 Summit in Santa Fe
and also participates in a video shoot that highlights OptumHealth's use
of NYAPRS Peer Wellness Coaches in its Queens-based NYS Chronic Illness
Demonstration Program initiative. 

*         Community and Economic Development Division Director Oscar
Jimenez presents on employment and asset development initiatives at a
conference sponsored by the Institute for Wellness and Recovery
Initiatives/Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey. 

*         Chacku helps to facilitate a Westchester County Department of
Mental Health's 2-day transformation program in White Plains.  

 

April

*         The 2010 NYAPRS Annual Executive Seminar, entitled
Transforming Systems and Services: From Policy to Practice, draws over
200 attendees in Albany.   

*         Thanks to the great leadership of Community Access' Carla
Rabinowitz and her talented team of area NYAPRS advocates, the Annual
NYAPRS NYC Film Festival draws an enthusiastic crowd at St. Francis'
College in Brooklyn. 

*         NYAPRS is very pleased to welcome David Chancey as our first
Chief Operating Officer. 

*         Thanks to strong advocacy led by Carla and Chacku, a VESID NYC
Consumer Advisory Council is established. 

*         NYAPRS members and staff continue strong budget and
legislative advocacy. 

 

May

*         NYAPRS members and staff continue strong budget and
legislative advocacy. 

*         NYAPRS re-organizes into 5 Divisions: Policy, Services
Transformation, Peer Services, Community and Economic Development and
Administration. 

*         Adding a new contract with OptumHealth to provide Peer Bridger
services in NYC and LI for identified Medicaid Managed Care
beneficiaries to our OMH state hospital Peer Bridger Project and our
OptumHealth CIDP Peer Wellness Coaching initiative, our Peer Services
Division expands to promote Elizabeth Stone to Downstate Peer Services
Coordinator and Coleen Mimnagh to Downstate Peer Support Specialist. 

*         NYAPRS starts an initiative to train parent/provider group
leaders on Wellness Recovery Action Plans, as part of the Mental Health
Association in New York State's Parents with Psychiatric Disabilities
Project. Chacku and consultant Rita Cronise present at several series of
regional trainings. 

 

June

*         NYAPRS continues strong budget and legislative advocacy. The
NYS Legislature approves a simple extension of extension, rejecting
proposals to expand or make permanent Kendra's Law. 

*         Under leadership of Collective Assistant Director Ruth
Pasillas-Gonzalez, NYAPRS co-sponsors the Annual NYC Peer Specialists
Conference Cultivating A New Generation of Peer Leadership, held at
NYU's Kimmel Center. 

*         Harvey helps honor Judi Chamberlin's great legacy at the
annual Mental Health Association of Westchester's conference and joins
Coleen Mimnagh in presenting at the annual Orange County Wellness
Conference. 

*         Harvey is appointed to another term on the Board of Trustees
at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. 

*         Chacku joins Optum's Sue Bergeson and the Annapolis
Coalition's John Morris on a Recovery to Practice webinar Emerging
Trends in Program and Workforce Development.

*         Chacku begins a series of presentations on Building
Integrated, Recovery Oriented Outpatient Services, as part of our work
with NDRI's Center for Excellence in Integrated Care.

*         The NYAPRS PROS Task Force meets to review recent developments
and formulate training and advocacy priorities. 

 

July

*         Strongly supported by NYAPRS, OMH opens its second peer run
Recovery Center operated by the MHA of Rochester. Buffalo's Restoration
Society opened its RC the previous fall. 

*         NYAPRS launches a revised new website featuring a broad array
of timely information of interest to our community and to those
interested in our services. 

*         NYAPRS is very pleased to welcome Mira Bowin to our Community
and Economic Development Division. Oscar and Mira launch a new PROS
Works! Initiative funded by New York Makes Work Pay, aimed at helping
PROS and other community providers to become Employment Networks.  

*         New York and our mental health community are deeply saddened
by the passing of beloved Senator Thomas Morahan. 

*         Harvey joins the Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery's Dr.
Courtenay Harding in filming mental health training content for use by
prison and mental health staff in the Department of Corrections' mental
health facilities. 

*         Peer Services Division Director Tanya Stevens and Chacku
conduct Peer Bridger training in Birmingham, Alabama. 

*         Oscar and Peer Employment Support Facilitator Donna Izzo
launch a series of webinar as part of our Real JOBS initiative, a
project with the Workforce Development and Burton Blatt Institutes. 

*         With support from consultant Teena Brooks, the NYAPRS Cultural
Competence Committee held a a teleconference discussion of Bebe Moore
Campbell's 72 Hour Hold. 

 

August

*         The NYS budget is approved and included numerous items backed
by NYAPRS back to our January Legislative Day, including no across the
board cuts to community recovery services or entitlements and increased
funding for PROS, Recovery Centers, employment and Medicaid Managed Care
mental health clinic rates. 

*         Thanks to the efforts of David Chancey, NYAPRS is accepted
into the Maidstone Foundation's cross mentoring program. 

*         NYAPRS is pleased to welcome Ronda Jeffer to head our Albany
Peer Bridger Team. 

*         New NYAPRS/Optum Peer Bridgers graduate from Peer Wellness
Coaching certificate program at the City University of New York; the
project goes live. 

*         Chacku attends SAMSHA's Behavioral Health Recovery Dialogue in
Washington. 

*         Oscar and Mira launch a series of regional We Can Work/We Can
Save Campaign Peer Facilitator Trainings

 

September

*         At our Annual Meeting, NYAPRS honors outgoing co-Presidents
Robyn Kruger and Bill Sullivan and welcomes new President Doug Hovey

*         Over 750 attendees make our 28th Annual Conference, Whole
SELF, Whole HEALTH, Whole LIVES, a highly acclaimed success, thanks to
the efforts of chairs Michelle Jensen and Melissa Firmes and our
dedicated staff. 

*         NYAPRS welcomes Don Olsen as our new Regional Organizer/Policy
Specialist. Don begins work on filling Regional Coordinator vacancies
and supporting the Regional Caucus leadership efforts chaired by Melissa
Firmes and Kellie Trombley. 

*         Oscar launches new Peer Employment Support initiative in
conjunction with the Nathan Kline Institute and Columbia University. 

*         Chacku attends OptumHealth's Consumer Advisory meeting in
Washington. 

*         Harvey hosts a webinar on CMS' revised Home and Community
Based Services Option 1915.i program for the Coalition to Implement
Olmstead in NY (CTIONY).

*         Harvey and Liz present on Peer Wellness Coaching/Bridging at
the annual Alternatives Conference in Anaheim. 

*         Harvey receives the Judi Chamberlin Joy in Advocacy Award from
the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery. 

*         Oscar presents at conferences hosted by Boston University and
at New York Makes Work Pay's Albany conference. 

*         Our Cultural Competence Committee holds a teleconference on
"Meeting the Recovery Needs of Young Adults."

 

October

*         Don and Harvey begin our annual series of regional forums at
Riverhead, Amityville, New York City, Newburgh, White Plains, Carmel,
Syracuse, Buffalo and Westport that feature a presentation by Harvey on
'Getting Ready for Health Reform, Health Homes and Managed Care.'

*         Harvey and Ruth present at a NYAPRS co-sponsored Mental Health
Recovery: Practice, Services and Research conference hosted by the NYU
Social Work Department. 

*         Harvey represents New York at the Pillars of Peer Support II
meeting held in Atlanta's Carter Center that looked at expanding state
Medicaid funded peer specialist services. 

*         Chacku offers keynote at the MHA of the Southern Tier's
SPARKLE conference.

 

November

*         Over 275 attendees come out for NYAPRS First Annual PROS
Implementation Academy. 

*         NYAPRS welcomes Dr. Edye Schwartz as our new Director of
System Transformation Initiatives. 

*         The Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council releases '10
Report & '10-12 Plan. 

*         Chacku delivers Peer Bridger training to additional Alabama
group in Mobile. 

*         Teena and Carla deliver testimonies on Kendra's Law before a
City Council committee. 

*         NYAPRS Secretary Steve Coe convenes new Healthcare Reform Task
Force which arranges to hire consultant Dick Dougherty to write pieces
on 'Building Recovery Homes' and on maximizing roles for rehabilitation
and peer support in the emerging managed care environment. 

 

December

*         With NYAPRS as a longstanding active member in the Mental
Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement coalition, Harvey attends
MHASC meeting with staff from the Commission on Quality Care and
Advocacy for People with Disabilities in Schenectady. 

*         A group led by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey and NYAPRS is awarded an OMH contract to serve as TA center for
NY's new Recovery Centers. 

*         NYAPRS welcomes David Fuller as new Peer Forensic Services
Coordinator, a project of the OMH Bureau of Forensic Services. 

*         NYAPRS mourns the passing of Bob Burns, husband of former
longtime staff Helen. 

*         Thanks to a donation from OptumHealth, NYAPRS will be
supporting efforts by BasicNeeds Ghana to link peer groups from that
nation and those in NY and nationally to advance opportunities for
recovery. 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://kilakwa.net/pipermail/nyaprs_kilakwa.net/attachments/20101229/42b36dac/attachment.html>