Showing posts with label Mental Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mental Health. Show all posts
Mental Illness Awareness Week 2011
Criminal Justice Residential Initiative
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has selected The Bridge as one of five agencies for a new initiative to provide housing and services to men and women released from State Correctional Facilities. Through this initiative The Bridge will dedicate 14 residential beds to this special population. In addition to providing housing, The Bridge will offer mental health and substance abuse treatment, vocational and related rehabilitation services, and primary health care. The new initiative is the latest Bridge response to meet the needs of seriously mentally ill men and women in the criminal justice system. While the census in New York’s State psychiatric facilities is now less than 4,000, there are many more thousands with serious mental illness in the correctional system.
Seven years ago, The Bridge pioneered the Iyana Project with Bedford Hills State Correctional Facility in which a Bridge in-reach team works with inmates nearing release and provides post-release permanent housing and services. The agency also participated in the Frequent User Service Enhancement (FUSE) Program, a New York City initiative to provide housing to criminal justice clients. FUSE targets individuals through data matching that identifies people with multiple stays in both the jail and shelter systems, and places them in supportive housing.
We are pleased to participate in this new initiative designed to meet the critical needs of an especially vulnerable population.
New York Medicaid Reform
In the Summer 2011 edition of Mental Health News, Peter Beitchman, Executive Director of The Bridge, writes about New York’s Medicaid reform which will have far-reaching effects on behavioral health services delivery. The Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo is currently looking to slash $3 billion from the state’s $58 billion Medicaid program.
Dr. Beitchman explains that the plan outlined calls for, “a 2 year period, beginning in October of 2011, when regional Behavioral Health Organizations (BHOs) will be established (a total of 5 or 6 statewide). Although behavioral health services will continue to be paid on a fee-for-service basis during this period, BHOs will have a significant role in promoting continuity of care by monitoring both inpatient behavioral health hospitalizations and recipient transitions between hospitalization and community agency services. In 3 years, BHOs will be replaced by a full managed care system for both behavioral and health care services.” Both the recipient and provider communities are very concerned about how this major restructuring of the system will unfold. This is an issue that needs continuous monitoring. The effectiveness of this new system will not be known for some time.
Dr. Beitchman explains that the plan outlined calls for, “a 2 year period, beginning in October of 2011, when regional Behavioral Health Organizations (BHOs) will be established (a total of 5 or 6 statewide). Although behavioral health services will continue to be paid on a fee-for-service basis during this period, BHOs will have a significant role in promoting continuity of care by monitoring both inpatient behavioral health hospitalizations and recipient transitions between hospitalization and community agency services. In 3 years, BHOs will be replaced by a full managed care system for both behavioral and health care services.” Both the recipient and provider communities are very concerned about how this major restructuring of the system will unfold. This is an issue that needs continuous monitoring. The effectiveness of this new system will not be known for some time.
Recipe Contest Features Bridge Urban Farm Produce
CROPS WE ARE GROWING RIGHT NOW-
LEAFY GREENS:
- Collards & Arugula
- Lettuce & Cabbage
- Spinach
- Kale & Kohlrabi
- Mustard Greens & Swiss Chard
VEGGIES:
- Cucumbers & Pickling Cucumbers
- Radishes & Turnips
- Sugar Snap, Snow Peas & Black Eyed Peas
- Yellow Wax & Green Beans
- Sugar Baby Watermelon & Cantaloupe
- Mini & Large Pumpkins
- Spaghetti, Yellow & Butternut Squash
- Zucchini & Purple Eggplant
- Carrots
- Blue & Sweet Corn
- Orange Bell & Sweet Green Peppers
- Cherry & Heirloom Tomatoes
GRAINS:
- Quinoa & Amaranth
HERBS:
- Basil & Thai Basil
- Rosemary & Italian Parsley
- Chamomile & English Thyme
- Marigold & Nasturtium
- Dill & Lavender
- Pineapple Sage & Spearmint
- Oregano & Cilantro
- Chives & Nutmeg
Veterans Poetry
The Bridge is proud to announce that its long-established Poetry Program has been the seed for a similar venture. When Patricia Thackray, Director of the Bridge Poetry Workshops lectured at the International Society For The Psychological Treatments of The Schizophrenias And Other Psychoses (ISPS), she inspired one member of the audience, Barbara J. Davidson, to found and run a similar program at James J. Peter's Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in The Bronx.
Barbara J. Davidson, LCSW, Clinician in Schizophrenic Treatment and Research (STAR) said, "Patricia Thackray's work and that of her clients influenced us to explore poetry in our own VA writing group. Our veterans enjoy reading published poems as well as writing their own." We at the Bridge are happy to play this role in enriching veterans' lives.
Ms. Davidson anticipates that her clients' work will appear in the quarterly national publication Veterans' Voices, the only publication dedicated solely to veterans' writings. This magazine was created by the Hospitalized Veterans Writing Project (HVWP) to further veterans' art and writing. Similar to the focus of our Bridge Poetry Workshop, HVWP's therapeutic writing program acknowledges veterans' experiences and helps to build self-esteem through creative expression.
The Bridge Poetry Program provides clients with the ability to express themselves through an art medium that they are unable to express in any other way. The clients learn about themselves through their poetry, and their self-confidence and feelings of well-being are increased through their creative experiences. The Bridge Poetry Workshop meets twice a week and has been headed by Patricia Thackray for the past 25 years.
The Bridge has long supported veterans. In an innovative partnership, The Bridge, Community Preservation Corporation Resources (CPC-R) and The Briarwood Organization, successfully came together to develop a large parcel of City-owned land in the Melrose section of The Bronx for the Melrose Commons veterans' residence project. This ambitious project will include the development of affordable family housing for the community, senior housing and Bridge housing for 60 homeless veterans who have experienced significant challenges in returning from service.
NAMI Walks 2011
The Bridge team will be participating in the NAMI Walks 2011 event on May 7th. This walk, put on by NAMI NYC Metro, of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will raise awareness about our country's need for a world-class treatment and recovery system for people with mental illness. Please contact Carole Gordon to sponsor The Bridge for this walk or to participate e: CGordon@thebridgeny.org or t:212-663-3000 ext. 378.
Elderly Mental Health Housing
Little attention has been focused on elderly mental health housing. Older persons who have serious mental illness with co-occurring serious medical conditions require integrated mental health and health care that comprehensively addresses their complex needs for an improved life. In the Spring 2011 edition of Mental Health News, Peter Beitchman, Executive Director of The Bridge, writes about the achievements of our Sheridan Hill House for elderly and the psychiatrically and medically frail as a model for success.
As opposed to a typical nursing home, the elderly mental health housing model of the Sheridan Hill House costs only $23,000 per resident annually, which is a small fraction of the $130,000 average annual cost of a nursing home in New York City. As a cost-containment model, the program has documented a sharp decrease in the number of emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations by residents. The rate of missed medical appointments is currently close to zero and there is a very high rate of medication and treatment compliance. Many residents whose health was previously highly unstable have been maintained in the residence without significant medical emergencies.
As opposed to a typical nursing home, the elderly mental health housing model of the Sheridan Hill House costs only $23,000 per resident annually, which is a small fraction of the $130,000 average annual cost of a nursing home in New York City. As a cost-containment model, the program has documented a sharp decrease in the number of emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations by residents. The rate of missed medical appointments is currently close to zero and there is a very high rate of medication and treatment compliance. Many residents whose health was previously highly unstable have been maintained in the residence without significant medical emergencies.
Treatment for The Seriously Mentally Ill
Does Jared Loughner, the accused Tucson shooter, have a mental illness? We don’t have an official diagnosis, but we do have a wealth of reports and information from a number of sources that suggest that he might. Assuming that he might, what lessons can we take from this terrible act of violence?
First, while it is true that people with serious mental illness commit acts of violence at a slightly higher rate than persons with no mental illness, in case after case it is consistently those who are not receiving treatment for their condition who commit such acts.
In New York City we had the high-profile case of Andrew Goldstein who pushed a woman to her death in front of a NYC subway in 1999, and more recently a number of other acts of violence, all committed by persons who were not engaged in care or receiving treatment. In the case of Andrew Goldstein, he was desperately and unsuccessfully seeking treatment for weeks before committing the act of violence that made headlines. In fact, when one compares acts of violence committed by persons with serious mental illness who are receiving treatment to acts committed by persons with no mental illness, the mental illness group receiving treatment commits fewer acts of violence.
So treatment is an essential deterrent to violence and as far as we know, Jared Loughner was not in treatment. We have to ask ourselves, if this is true, why this is so, particularly since there have been so many press reports from the community college he attended and from friends attesting to his increasingly troubling behavior.
While we don’t know whether anyone made a serious attempt to have Mr. Loughner psychiatrically assessed, we do know two things about our culture and the state of our national mental health care system. First, we know that there is continuing stigma towards persons with mental illness which often leads to reluctance to seek treatment when it is needed. The stigma toward the mentally ill persists unabated despite almost six decades of progress in treatment and rehabilitative techniques.
Second, we know that there are far too many gaps in our mental health service system. The national vision of the Kennedy administration in the early 1960’s that a national network of community mental health centers would be created to serve every hundred-thousand population area was abandoned long ago. Falling through the cracks in a system with so many gaps, as happened to Andrew Goldstein, is an outcome in far too many cases.
So here are the lessons: we must address the stigma of mental illness so that families and friends will not hesitate to seek treatment for those clearly in need and we must address the gaps in services that leave persons with mental illness, even those who acknowledge their condition and understand their need for treatment, too often stranded without services.
At The Bridge, where 1800 men and women with mental illness thrive, the events in Tucson are especially painful. We know the benefits of treatment and services, we see every day that people with serious mental illness can live productive, positive lives in the community; and we so regret tragedies like the one in Tucson which might have never happened if our social attitudes towards mental illness and our commitment to recovery were more fully realized.
We encourage you to share your reactions on our blog; this is an important discussion for all of us.
First, while it is true that people with serious mental illness commit acts of violence at a slightly higher rate than persons with no mental illness, in case after case it is consistently those who are not receiving treatment for their condition who commit such acts.
In New York City we had the high-profile case of Andrew Goldstein who pushed a woman to her death in front of a NYC subway in 1999, and more recently a number of other acts of violence, all committed by persons who were not engaged in care or receiving treatment. In the case of Andrew Goldstein, he was desperately and unsuccessfully seeking treatment for weeks before committing the act of violence that made headlines. In fact, when one compares acts of violence committed by persons with serious mental illness who are receiving treatment to acts committed by persons with no mental illness, the mental illness group receiving treatment commits fewer acts of violence.
So treatment is an essential deterrent to violence and as far as we know, Jared Loughner was not in treatment. We have to ask ourselves, if this is true, why this is so, particularly since there have been so many press reports from the community college he attended and from friends attesting to his increasingly troubling behavior.
While we don’t know whether anyone made a serious attempt to have Mr. Loughner psychiatrically assessed, we do know two things about our culture and the state of our national mental health care system. First, we know that there is continuing stigma towards persons with mental illness which often leads to reluctance to seek treatment when it is needed. The stigma toward the mentally ill persists unabated despite almost six decades of progress in treatment and rehabilitative techniques.
Second, we know that there are far too many gaps in our mental health service system. The national vision of the Kennedy administration in the early 1960’s that a national network of community mental health centers would be created to serve every hundred-thousand population area was abandoned long ago. Falling through the cracks in a system with so many gaps, as happened to Andrew Goldstein, is an outcome in far too many cases.
So here are the lessons: we must address the stigma of mental illness so that families and friends will not hesitate to seek treatment for those clearly in need and we must address the gaps in services that leave persons with mental illness, even those who acknowledge their condition and understand their need for treatment, too often stranded without services.
At The Bridge, where 1800 men and women with mental illness thrive, the events in Tucson are especially painful. We know the benefits of treatment and services, we see every day that people with serious mental illness can live productive, positive lives in the community; and we so regret tragedies like the one in Tucson which might have never happened if our social attitudes towards mental illness and our commitment to recovery were more fully realized.
We encourage you to share your reactions on our blog; this is an important discussion for all of us.
Impact of Racism on Mental Health Professions
Racism is so pervasive that people of color often can’t express its impact on them because it is imprinted in their experience and is normalized. The impact of racism on mental health professions most commonly takes the form of the client’s often unexpressed feelings of powerlessness. When clients have internalized racism and come into treatment, there is an issue of hierarchy and power in the therapeutic relationship. A white therapist may be perceived as having the power because of their color, education or class. Clients will react to the same experience in therapy that they do in their normal environment, unless the clinician has the proper training and awareness.
Training, awareness and the sensitivity to these issues in the mental health professions are required for greater success in treatment.
Cardiometabolic Risk
With the Holiday season in full swing, it might be hard to think about how cardiometabolic risk (CMR) could affect you. Cardiometabolic risk refers to your chances of having diabetes, heart disease or stroke. People with mental illness are at higher risk for developing these conditions.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people with mental illness. Diabetes is also an especially prevalent disease that can lead to many other health problems. It is important to know what your level of risk and how to decrease that risk for a longer and healthier life. Lowering your cardiometabolic risk can help prevent more serious health problems down the road.
Studies have shown that people who have serious mental illness died on average 25 years younger than the general population. We have a multi-pronged approach to addressing this problem. The William F. Ryan Health Center, a federally qualified health center, operates a primary care clinic at The Bridge. Through this partnership at The Bridge, we carefully monitor cardiometabolic risk factors among our clients. We also promote good health and health prevention through our Wellness Self-Management, Diabetes Management and Smoke Stop Programs and through our exercise and nutrition programs. These programs have made a significant difference at The Bridge where our clients enjoy much better health outcomes than the general population of persons with mental illness.
Healthy lifestyle changes can make a difference in lowering your cardiometabolic risk. Quitting smoking, eating healthier, and exercising can help. It can be hard to rely on will power alone to help make these lifestyle changes. Incorporating healthy practices into your life gradually, and making them automatic habits like brushing your teeth, can improve your chances of keeping them up for the long run.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people with mental illness. Diabetes is also an especially prevalent disease that can lead to many other health problems. It is important to know what your level of risk and how to decrease that risk for a longer and healthier life. Lowering your cardiometabolic risk can help prevent more serious health problems down the road.
Studies have shown that people who have serious mental illness died on average 25 years younger than the general population. We have a multi-pronged approach to addressing this problem. The William F. Ryan Health Center, a federally qualified health center, operates a primary care clinic at The Bridge. Through this partnership at The Bridge, we carefully monitor cardiometabolic risk factors among our clients. We also promote good health and health prevention through our Wellness Self-Management, Diabetes Management and Smoke Stop Programs and through our exercise and nutrition programs. These programs have made a significant difference at The Bridge where our clients enjoy much better health outcomes than the general population of persons with mental illness.
Healthy lifestyle changes can make a difference in lowering your cardiometabolic risk. Quitting smoking, eating healthier, and exercising can help. It can be hard to rely on will power alone to help make these lifestyle changes. Incorporating healthy practices into your life gradually, and making them automatic habits like brushing your teeth, can improve your chances of keeping them up for the long run.
Full Time Nurse Services Aids Mental Illness Recovery
The primary goal is to help empower clients to take charge of their own health. The majority of her time is spent seeing clients in the community residences for extra support because these clients are in charge of their own doctor appointments and medications. She also works with clients in apartment treatment, graduate housing and individual scatter-site apartments.
Suzanne’s biggest roles are as an educator on good health practices, and communications liaison with residence and case managers about specific client needs. As part of the full time nurse services, Suzanne will go to doctor appointments with clients acting as their patient advocate to aid communication, and put an action plan in place after the visit. Suzanne also holds information sessions during community group meetings at the residences on various topics such as diabetes care, high blood pressure, and smoking issues.
Full time nurse services allow The Bridge to offer treatment for mental illness recovery that is inclusive of the physical wellbeing of clients. This can decrease client dependence on emergency room services, catch early warning signs, and keep the health of the clients on track.
Green Mental Health Housing
The Bridge is moving on up with green mental health housing upgrades to be completed by December 31st of 2010. Through innovative re-financing secured through Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Bridge was able to secure $5 million of capital necessary to upgrade residence buildings that were opened between 1983 and 1992. This undertaking is called the 202 Revitalization Project and involves the renovations, upgrades and energy-efficient/green additions to 5 Housing and Urban Development (HUD 202) mortgaged properties that Bridge bundled together under this one project.
The project has immeasurably enhanced the quality of life for the 76 tenants who are mentally ill, formerly homeless and aging. The green housing upgrades include new energy star windows, elevator and fire alarm upgrades, new kitchens and some bathrooms, new low flow toilets and shower heads, mailboxes, energy star appliances, new energy efficient lighting in the apartments, stairwells and all common areas, weatherproofing and some re-pointing as needed, insulation and white roofs, painting (using low VOC paint and adhesives), and handicap accessible hardware for all entry doors.
Energy audits were conducted by EME Group and each green mental health housing building qualifies for NYSERDA incentives by reaching 20% reduction in energy costs. This was a difficult project in that the tenants remained in place. Every level of the agency staff including administrators, finance, housing directors, area directors, managers and line staff as well as facilities and maintenance staff worked together to accomplish the project which will be completed by December 31, 2010 in order to meet the LIHTC requirements and secure the tax credits.
Richman Housing Resources is the syndicator; Nixon Peabody LLP is the counsel; DeLaCour & Ferrara Architects P.C. is the architectural design firm; P&P Contracting Corporation is the general contractor; and Aaron Lewit is the owner's representative.
The project has immeasurably enhanced the quality of life for the 76 tenants who are mentally ill, formerly homeless and aging. The green housing upgrades include new energy star windows, elevator and fire alarm upgrades, new kitchens and some bathrooms, new low flow toilets and shower heads, mailboxes, energy star appliances, new energy efficient lighting in the apartments, stairwells and all common areas, weatherproofing and some re-pointing as needed, insulation and white roofs, painting (using low VOC paint and adhesives), and handicap accessible hardware for all entry doors.
Energy audits were conducted by EME Group and each green mental health housing building qualifies for NYSERDA incentives by reaching 20% reduction in energy costs. This was a difficult project in that the tenants remained in place. Every level of the agency staff including administrators, finance, housing directors, area directors, managers and line staff as well as facilities and maintenance staff worked together to accomplish the project which will be completed by December 31, 2010 in order to meet the LIHTC requirements and secure the tax credits.
Richman Housing Resources is the syndicator; Nixon Peabody LLP is the counsel; DeLaCour & Ferrara Architects P.C. is the architectural design firm; P&P Contracting Corporation is the general contractor; and Aaron Lewit is the owner's representative.
June Housing Highlights
20 new scatter-site beds to be located in the Bronx
Deutsche Bank to fund housing development activities
Special Note: During this past year (July 2009- June 2010) our agency opened 167 new beds.
These beds were awarded by NYS Office of Mental Health for chronically homeless adults who have a serious mental illness or who are diagnosed as mentally ill and chemically addicted. The program will provide quality housing and support services to ten chronically homeless men and women referred from city shelters and ten persons referred from Manhattan Psychiatric Center and Rockland Psychiatric Center. These will be scatter-site apartments in the Bronx, either studios or shared two bedrooms. We will begin leasing units this fall and anticipate 100% occupancy by the end of 2010. With these 20 beds, The Bridge will have 744 beds in operation in Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.
Deutsche Bank to fund housing development activities
The Bridge was recently selected as a recipient of Deutsche Bank’s SHARE (Supportive Housing Acquisition and Rehabilitation Effort) Round V awards with $150,000 in grant funds and $75,000 in loan money over three years. These funds will be used to support upcoming housing development projects including our 60-bed homeless veterans project in the Bronx and our 60-bed Brooklyn program for young adults and adults with serious mental illness.
Special Note: During this past year (July 2009- June 2010) our agency opened 167 new beds.
We have rebranded!
We are very excited to announce the launch of our new brand. Over the past 56 years we have grown from a small self-help organization to a leading New York City-based agency providing services to over 1,800 individuals a year and growing – and our outward identity has not kept pace! With the help of a team of volunteer marketing and advertising professionals from the Taproot Foundation and a committee of board and management staff, we have updated our name and revised our logo, tagline and mission statement. Check out the video below debuting our new brand.
Our updated name is ‘The Bridge’; we have dropped the ‘Inc’. We remain a crucial bridge from homelessness, hospital and disability to recovery and rehabilitation. The icon in our logo is a viaduct; the viaduct is designed as a delivery system to assure that life-giving support flows across it like the life-affirming services we offer to our community. The icon also conveys progress and forward motion which reflects the positive changes we strive for in our clients, agency and our community. Mental Health and Housing Solutions is our new tagline that describes what we do and distinguishes our bridge from the many other bridges in New York.
We have also updated our mission statement: The Bridge’s mission is to change lives by offering help, hope and opportunity to the most vulnerable in our community through mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing, vocational training and job placement, healthcare, education and creative arts therapy. We encourage you to join our online community and stay informed about recent news and events at The Bridge.
Before we launched our new brand at our gala last night we had a celebration with staff and clients. Check out some of the pictures below!
Along with a special lunch of turkey, stuffing and green beans,clients celebrated with a special cake!
So excited to show off our new brand!Recognition for Integrated Health Initiative
Pathways to Wellness, a chronic illness demonstration project that provides intensive case management to individuals who are heavy users of health and behavioral health services, has received a Platinum Point Award presented jointly by Dorland Health and the Commission for Case Manager Certification. Out of 6 finalists, this collaborative project is the winner of The Disease Management/Population Health category which is "for the program that manages patients with chronic medical conditions in order to decrease exacerbations and improve quality of life." The Case In Point Platinum Awards is an awards program which recognizes case management departments and initiatives around the country that provide a superior level of medical management services.
The project, in which The Bridge and five partners collaborate under the lead of the Institute for Community Living, is designed to have participants enroll in a medical home in which they will receive comprehensive primary and preventive care. On average participants receive 4.2 interventions per month - with comprehensive condition-specific health education, lifestyle counseling and care management all a standard part of the patient’s wellness efforts. The hoped-for result will be improved quality of life of the participants and reduced costs of care. Pathways care managers and nurses coordinate this “feet on the street” project by reaching out to participants in Manhattan and Brooklyn, helping them manage their health and behavioral health conditions. This three-year demonstration project is an initiative of the New York State Department of Health.
Click here to read more about the awards program and to view the winners and honorable mentions of the other 24 categories.
Program Profile: SHACT
As of January 1, 2010, The Bridge has implemented a first-of-its-kind program, SHACT – Supportive Housing and Assertive Community Treatment, but before you can understand SHACT, let’s discuss ACT, Assertive Community Treatment Program.
ACT
This program was created to respond to the needs of people with serious mental illness who do not do well in conventional programs. The ACT program responds to these circumstances by providing highly individualized treatment, support and rehabilitation services to people in their natural living settings, usually where they live. ACT brings the services to the consumer instead of the consumer attending programs at the agency site. The program uses a multi-disciplinary team approach made up of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, substance abuse specialists, vocational counselors, and a peer support workers. Each day teams visit consumers in the community and work with them to meet recovery goals set in their service plans (i.e. educational goals, employment skills and opportunities, improving family relationships); at least one team member is on call for emergencies. Services are not time-limited; clients may utilize the services of ACT for as long as they need them. The Bridge Act team is one of 43 teams in the New York City region and 78 across the state of New York.
SHACT
SHACT will be implemented by The Bridge in the Bronx. 68 clients will be enrolled in ACT and will be able to live in 68 supportive housing beds being created for the project. SHACT will offer an essential housing resource to ACT participants many of whom are in shelters, newly discharged from hospitals without housing or are living in substandard environments. ACT agencies across the New York City region will be able to refer ACT clients to The Bridge SHACT program in the Bronx to receive housing in addition to ACT treatment, support and rehabilitative services.
Not only do ACT and SHACT offer a solution to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations and visits to the emergency rooms, but they offer individuals an opportunity to live more independent and productive lives within our community.
Read More About ACT
For more information check out:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
New York State Office Mental Health
ACT
This program was created to respond to the needs of people with serious mental illness who do not do well in conventional programs. The ACT program responds to these circumstances by providing highly individualized treatment, support and rehabilitation services to people in their natural living settings, usually where they live. ACT brings the services to the consumer instead of the consumer attending programs at the agency site. The program uses a multi-disciplinary team approach made up of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, substance abuse specialists, vocational counselors, and a peer support workers. Each day teams visit consumers in the community and work with them to meet recovery goals set in their service plans (i.e. educational goals, employment skills and opportunities, improving family relationships); at least one team member is on call for emergencies. Services are not time-limited; clients may utilize the services of ACT for as long as they need them. The Bridge Act team is one of 43 teams in the New York City region and 78 across the state of New York.
SHACT will be implemented by The Bridge in the Bronx. 68 clients will be enrolled in ACT and will be able to live in 68 supportive housing beds being created for the project. SHACT will offer an essential housing resource to ACT participants many of whom are in shelters, newly discharged from hospitals without housing or are living in substandard environments. ACT agencies across the New York City region will be able to refer ACT clients to The Bridge SHACT program in the Bronx to receive housing in addition to ACT treatment, support and rehabilitative services.
Not only do ACT and SHACT offer a solution to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations and visits to the emergency rooms, but they offer individuals an opportunity to live more independent and productive lives within our community.
Read More About ACT
For more information check out:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
New York State Office Mental Health
Thank You to Our 2009 Supporters!
We are grateful to the following funders for their contributions to The Bridge's $25 million annual budget that gives 1,800 men and women the opportunity to lead more independent lives.Public:
- NYC Council
- NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- NYC Department of Homeless Services
- NYC Human Resources Administration (HASA)
- NYS Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services
- NYS Office of Mental Health
- NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
- NYS Office of Vocational and Educational Services to Individuals with Disabilities
- Public Health Solutions
- US Department of HUD
- AstraZeneca
- Burpee Foundation
- DeLaCour Family Foundation
- DSJJ Fund of Tides Foundation
- Educational Foundation of America
- Fay J. Lindner Foundation
- Glickenhaus Foundation
- Helen M. DeMario Foundation
- Herman Goldman Foundation
- Irma L. & Abram S. Croll Charitable Trust
- J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation
- Taproot Foundation
- United Way of NYC Emergency Food Shelter Program (HPNAP)
- van Ameringen Foundation
- And many business and individual donors!!!
I Want! I Want!
Last year, poets from The Bridge Poetry Workshop explored the topic of wants and desires as they pertained to their own life. Their discussions turned into lines and the lines were written down on paper and the group of lines grew into the poem, "I Want! I Want!"
With the generosity of Judith Young-Mallin, her friend Robert Warner, curator and master printer of Bowne & Co., Stationers and Patricia Thackray, Founder/Director of The Bridge Poetry Workshop "I Want! I Want!" came to life in a publication which is in the museum collection at The Philadelphia Museum of Art as well as the Poets House which was gifted by Judith Young-Mallin in memory of Stanley Kunitz and his wife Elsie Asher.
The Bridge Poetry Workshop meets twice a week to read, critique, and most importantly, to write poems and experience what Bridge poet Gwendolyn Simms call "moments of composed sanity."
Music credit: "Say" - John Mayer
With the generosity of Judith Young-Mallin, her friend Robert Warner, curator and master printer of Bowne & Co., Stationers and Patricia Thackray, Founder/Director of The Bridge Poetry Workshop "I Want! I Want!" came to life in a publication which is in the museum collection at The Philadelphia Museum of Art as well as the Poets House which was gifted by Judith Young-Mallin in memory of Stanley Kunitz and his wife Elsie Asher.
The Bridge Poetry Workshop meets twice a week to read, critique, and most importantly, to write poems and experience what Bridge poet Gwendolyn Simms call "moments of composed sanity."
Music credit: "Say" - John Mayer
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
If you haven't already, be sure to read the 2009 Winter Edition of The Bridge News posted on our website. If you would like to receive updates about The Bridge events, programs and services sign up for our e-newsletter here.
If you're on Facebook - vote in our poll about which program/service you would like to get to know more about....housing, urban farms, treatment, creative arts therapy - we want to hear from you!
If you're on Facebook - vote in our poll about which program/service you would like to get to know more about....housing, urban farms, treatment, creative arts therapy - we want to hear from you!
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