November 05, 2007 - Vol 1, Issue 25
Semi-Annual Alliance Meeting CANCELLED
Due to an irreconcilable scheduling conflict, we need to cancel the upcoming Semi-Annual Alliance membership meeting on November 16th.
We will plan to reschedule the budget discussion portion of the meeting for late January or early February after the NYS budget has been released. We can then discuss the budget as it pertains to mental health and older adults and a legislative strategy, if need be, for increased funding for geriatric mental health in New York State.
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GMHA Presents Award to Senator Morahan
On November 1, 2007 at an event at Highland House in Middletown, New York, The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance presented a Geriatric Mental Health Leadership Award to New York State Senator Thomas P. Morahan, Chair of Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. Senator Morahan was a prime sponsor of the Geriatric Mental Health Act of New York; carried the bill through the Senate, where it passed unanimously, and advocated for funding of geriatric mental health services. He has demonstrated great leadership in addressing the mental health needs of New York's older population, and the Alliance is delighted to be able to recognize his commitment with this award.
To read the press release, click here.
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GMHA Requests Your Financial Support
This is just a friendly reminder that the Alliance is currently active with our annual fundraising campaign. We have sent each of you a letter in the mail asking you to provide a financial contribution to support our ambitious agenda. We hope that you will be able to make a contribution. And thank you to those of you who have already made a donation. We greatly appreciate your support.
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GMHA Supports Federal Positive Aging
The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance has signed on to a letter urging the Senate to include the Positive Aging Act in the bill to reauthorize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Positive Aging Act of 2007 supports demonstration projects to integrate mental health services in primary care settings; supports grants for community-based mental health treatment outreach teams; designates a Deputy Director for Older Adult Mental Health Services in the Center for Mental Health Services; includes representatives of older Americans or their families and geriatric mental health professionals on the Advisory Council for the Center for Mental Health Services; includes targeting substance abuse in older adults in projects of national significance; and requires state plans under Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to include descriptions of the states' outreach to and services for older individuals.
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GMHA Upcoming Events
December 6, 2007 - Sex and Mental Wellness in Old Age: A Best Practices Presentation in Geriatric Mental Health hosted by the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York and the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity of Hunter College.
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 register by clicking here. If you have any questions, please email or call Yusyin Hsin at yhsin@mhaofnyc.org or (212) 614- 6356. The event is free but pre-registration is required.
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Alliance Director to Receive Award from NASW of NYC
Kimberly Steinhagen, Director of the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance, has been selected to receive an award as an Emerging Social Work Leader. The award will be presented at the Golden Unicorn Restaurant on November 29 at 5:30PM. Michael Friedman, Chair of the Alliance, said, "No one deserves this award more. Kim has played an absolutely key role in the formation of the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance, the passage of the Geriatric Mental Health Act, and much, much more. We are all delighted that she is getting this recognition."
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NYS Awards Grants to Nursing Homes to Treat Alzheimer's
NYS has awarded grants totaling $7.9 million to nine nursing homes for research and demonstration projects to address the lives of residents with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia. Some of the funding will be used to disseminate the demonstration projects at other nursing homes around the state, including the development of professional training materials on the interventions.
To read more about the awards, click here.
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In The News
From the NY Times
October 23, 2007
For Love and a Little Money
By Claudia H. Deutsch
By the time Frederick A. O. Schwarz Jr. retired from Cravath, Swain & Moore in 2002, he was financially set. He was already an author, he already had a distinguished track record in public service and philanthropy and, of course, he was the great- grandson of a toy magnate.
So when Fritz Schwarz -- the name he greatly prefers -- joined the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School, he seriously considered volunteering his services. He decided against it, and negotiated a salary, albeit one below what a starting lawyer makes.
He never got a raise, and last year, when the Brennan Center ran into a budget crunch, he gave up his pay. But in principle, if no longer in principal, he thinks the salary made sense. ''An organization and a person are simply more committed to each other when the person is paid,'' he said.
Clearly, Mr. Schwarz has bought into the concept of paid volunteerism. The phrase may sound oxymoronic, but an ever-growing number of retirees and nonprofit executives say it is an apt description of the way modern retirees view nonprofit work. And while no one has gathered statistics on the tendency, experts say there is a good chance that the automatic link between doing good and working for nothing has been permanently severed.
''People used to say, 'Here I am, what do you need done?' '' said Deborah Russell, director of work- force issues for AARP. ''Today's retirees say, 'Here's what I do well, how can you use it, and what will you pay?' ''
Economists, behavioral scientists and gerontologists point to multiple reasons behind the switch. For some retirees, economics ranks high on the list. People expect to live for many decades beyond retirement. Many started their families late, which means they may be financially responsible for children as well as aging parents. They may not want to continue full-time work at high-pressure jobs, and for many, unpaid volunteerism is simply not practical.
To read the entire article, click here.
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Other Upcoming Events
November 7, 2007 - Geriatric Mental Health Conference: Aging Gracefully - A System's Perspective A free conference co-sponsored by South Oaks Hospital & Suffolk County Division of Community Mental Hygiene regarding Geriatric Mental health. The program will take place from 8:30am- 2:30pm at the Meadow Club Port Jefferson Station. For more information please call (631) 608-5052.
For the schedule, click here.
For the registration form, click here.
November 7- 8th, 2007 - HCA Clinical and Technology Conference This two day conference will focus on recognizing and addressing mental health issues among the patients served by home care agencies. The conference will take place at the Holiday Inn, Wolf Road, Albany, NY.
November 8, 2007 - Save the Date: 23rd Annual Mayoral Conference on Alzheimer's Disease A full day conference co-sponsored by the NYC Dept for the Aging, the Aging in NY Fund, and The Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation.
November 9, 2007 - Mental Health Leadership Orientation An orientation and training program for directors or senior staff members of mental health organizations in NYC. The event is co- sponsored by NAMI-NYC Metro, the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, and the Mental Health Associations of NYC and Westchester. The event will take place from 9AM-4PM at Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 46th Street, NYC.
November 13, 2007 - NYC Consumer Forum with new Executive Deputy Commissioner for Mental Hygiene, David Rosin, MD The event will be held from 4:00PM- 6:00pm at Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel, 1177 Avenue of Americas- 6th Avenue at 46 St. Anyone and everyone is welcome but you must RSVP. Please contact Carla Rabinowitz, Esq. at 212- 780-1400 x7726 or Crabinowitz@communityaccess.org.
NYS Office of Mental Health's Wellness Self-Management Services Public Forums A series of public forums throughout the month of November to promote the widespread implementation of wellness self management (WSM) services for adults with serious mental health problems. For information on what is Wellness Self Management (WSM) services, click here and here. For a schedule of the public forums, click here. For the formal invitation, click here.
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.
April 12, 2008 - Save the Date: The Paradoxes of Aging: Psychotherapy with Older Adults A conference sponsored by The Met Chapter of the New York State Society of Clinical Social Workers and co- sponsored by the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance and Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
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