August 20, 2007 - Vol 1, Issue 21
Action Alert: Support Medicare Mental Health Legislation!
Contact your senators and urge them to support the mental health provisions in the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act H.R. 3162.
In September, Congress will reconvene and form a conference committee to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act. The House version, which passed last week, contained a number of provisions to improve mental health under Medicare. Unfortunately, The Senate version did not include these provisions. SEND A LETTER to your Senators urging them to support the improved Medicare mental health provisions in the CHAMP legislation. Here is a sample letter that you can cut and paste on your own letterhead. It should be sent to:
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
476 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Senator Charles E. Schumer
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
If you are not in NY, to find your Senator, go to http://www.senate.gov/ and select your state.
Thank you for you advocacy.
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GMHA Events
Medicare Optimization
September 18, 2007 - Medicare Optimization: Increasing Behavioral Health Services for Older Adults Training designed for community behavioral health organizations that are currently billing Medicare. The training will provide up-to-date information about ways in which programs can enhance their use of Medicare. This training is co- sponsored by the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies. The training will take place from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Coalition offices, 90 Broad St, 8th Floor, NY, NY.
Click here for more information and the registration form.
September 19, 2007 - Medicare Made Easy: How to Bill Medicare for Behavioral Health Services Training designed for community providers who have never billed Medicare for behavioral health services but want to learn how. This training is co-sponsored by the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies. The training will take place from 9:00am to 4:00pm at UJA Federation of New York, 130 East 59th Street, 7th Floor - Room 706/708.
Click here for more information and the registration form
Best Practices Presentations
September 17, 2007 - Back by Popular Demand: Hoarding and Mental Illness hosted by the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York and the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity of Hunter College. Presenters are:
- Carmen Morano, Ph.D., Director of Education, Associate Professor, Hunter College School of Social Work
- Judy Willig, LCSW, Executive Director, Heights and Hill Community Council
The event will be held from 3:00 - 5:00PM at the Hunter College School of Social Work - Auditorium, 129 East 79th Street, NYC, (Between Lexington and Park Avenues). Please make a registration by emailing yhsin@mhaofnyc.org or calling (212) 614-6356. The event is free but pre- registration is required.
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Upcoming Events
September 18, 2007- Mental Illness and the Older Client: A Challenge for Geriatric Care Managers sponsored by the Greater New York Chapter the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Speakers include Michael Friedman, LMSW on Meeting the Mental Health Challenges of the Elder Boom and Mark Nathanson, MD on Geriatric Psychiatric Emergencies. The conference will take place from 8:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. at The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue (at 103rd St.) New York, NY. Please view the save the date card for more information.
Educational Seminar Series at Service Program for Older People (SPOP) This training opportunity features SPOP clinicians who have extensive experience with older adults and mental health. It is offered to the professional geriatrics community and all who work with seniors. Each seminar is held at: 302 West 91st Street at West End Avenue, New York, NY. Seminar fee: $15. Discount for 3 or more attendees from the same organization. Space is limited. Please register in advance by mail or online at www.spop.org or call: 212-787-7102 ext.515.
For topics, dates, and registration information, click here.
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Aging Research Translator
The Aging Research Translator (ART) is a new web blog that summarizes and translates aging research articles published in peer reviewed academic journals on a weekly basis. The purpose of ART is to make valuable aging research more accessible to community based practitioners and programs so they may apply the knowledge to enhance the field of aging services.
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In the News
A Grass-Roots Effort to Grow Old at Home
By Jane Gross
From the NY Times, August 14, 2007
WASHINGTON - On a bluff overlooking the Potomac River, George and Anne Allen, both 82, struggle to remain in their beloved three-story house and neighborhood, despite the frailty, danger and isolation of old age.
Mr. Allen has been hobbled since he fractured his spine in a fall down the stairs, and he expects to lose his driver's license when it comes up for renewal. Mrs. Allen recently broke four ribs getting out of bed. Neither can climb a ladder to change a light bulb or crouch under the kitchen sink to fix a leak. Stores and public transportation are an uncomfortable hike.
So the Allens have banded together with their neighbors, who are equally determined to avoid being forced from their homes by dependence. Along with more than 100 communities nationwide - a dozen of them planned here in Washington and its suburbs - their group is part of a movement to make neighborhoods comfortable places to grow old, both for elderly men and women in need of help and for baby boomers anticipating the future.
"We are totally dependent on ourselves," Mr. Allen said. "But I want to live in a mixed community, not just with the elderly. And as long as we can do it here, that's what we want."
Their group has registered as a nonprofit corporation, is setting membership dues, and is lining up providers of transportation, home repair, companionship, security and other services to meet their needs at home for as long as possible.
Urban planners and senior housing experts say this movement, organized by residents rather than government agencies or social service providers, could make "aging in place" safe and affordable for a majority of elderly people. Almost 9 in 10 Americans over the age of 60, according to AARP polls, share the Allens' wish to live out their lives in familiar surroundings.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
