ANNUAL REPORT

July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009

We deeply appreciate the loyalty and generosity of our supporters, especially in these challenging times. I am personally very

ANNUAL REPORT

Summary of Programs and Services:

Chances for Children Developing Well: • RMHA, in collaboration with Chances For Children (CFC), has initiated an exciting two year pilot project that addresses the behavioral and emotional needs of families with infants and young children in the Kingsbridge, Riverdale and Highbridge areas of the Bronx. • CFC is training and supervising seven RMHA clinicians to work with young parents and their children. • Caregivers also learn valuable parenting methods, coping skills and receive the support they need to successfully navigate the challenges of parenting young children.

RMHA Welcomes Website: • RMHA unveils a new look on the World Wide Web!  We are proud to show you our new website, located at www.rmha.org and debuting in the autumn of 2009, which boasts more in-depth information as well as easier and more attractive navigation. • Our new site was completed with the help of a second service grant from The Taproot Foundation, an organization that assists non-profit causes.  In our first service grant with Taproot, we developed a new mission statement to reflect our current goals. • Please visit us online at www.rmha.org!

First Annual 5K in Fine Form: • RMHA kicked off its celebration of 50 years with its 1st Annual “Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies” 5K Run/Walk, 1K Fun Run and Children’s Carnival, Sun., April 26th, 2009 at Van Cortlandt Park’s storied and picturesque cross-country course.  • RMHA staff and clients and volunteers from area schools and the neighborhood greeted runners with t-shirts and refreshments and joined in presenting awards for top finishers in various categories. • A Children’s Carnival at the finish line featured face-painting, music, and games for the kids.

LifeWorks Proves Success: • RMHA’s last Annual Meeting featured powerful presentations from our clients in LifeWorks. The packed room heard one woman report that after 23 years of using “the program gave me my life back.” • LifeWorks addresses the needs of those wishing to make healthy, stable career choices, but whose lives have been damaged  by the isolation and low self esteem that active drug and alcohol addiction brings. • In the last 18 months, 70% of LifeWorks participants completed the program and 64% of graduates found paid employment, volunteer work or enrolled in vocational or educational programs.

‘Afya’ Means Good Health: • The Afya Foundation provides unused and sterile medical supplies to hospitals that serve poor communities in Africa and Haiti – and utilizes a very special workforce to get the job done.  • RMHA’s Continuing Day Treatment Program has partnered up with Afya to bring “good health” to the third world with a new program based in Yonkers, NY.  Clients learn valuable work-readiness skills including communication, planning and teamwork and, moreover, are inspired by the project.

Mt. Sinai & RMHA Partner Up: • RMHA’s Child and Adolescent Program has begun an new collaboration with a team from Mt. Sinai Hospital called Multiple Family Group Project (MFG). The first round of weekly groups composed of 8-10 Spanish speaking families, began this year. • The Mt. Sinai Team has developed group activities that families can participate in together that help to build relationships, improve communication and reduce familial stressors.  • Providing appropriate rules and expectations offer the children the scaffolding they need to develop self-control and to share feelings in an appropriate manner.

50th Benefits Recovery: • RMHA celebrated its 50th Anniversary this year at the New York Botanical Garden on May 14th honoring  Scott Clark, Sports Director at WABC-TV and host of Steppin’ Out, a 12-step radio show for alcohol and substance recovery and Horace Mann School’s Caring in Action Committee – a group of parents, teachers and administrators who have taken the lead in shaping community service for young students. •The Benefit was a rousing success as Scott Clark spoke movingly about the life-changing benefits of Recovery.

Residence Receives Top Rating: • The Joyce M. Pilsner Residence received a clean three-year extension from the New York State Office of Mental Health, the highest available rating.  • The residence, which recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary, provides housing for 15 residents recovering from psychiatric illness. Under 24-hour supervision, they are helped to readjust to living in the community. • Residents participate in our Continuing Day Treatment Center where they attend life-skills groups. • When ready, they are encouraged to move on to more independent living in the community either with families or in our Supported Apartment Program.

Anasazi Takes Root: • Thanks to the efforts of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, RMHA took great strides this year in moving towards and electronic medical records system.  This system, Anasazi, will greatly improve clinical and billing efficiencies while substantially reducing our environmental footprint.  • During the last year, the focus was on transitioning our billing department to the Anasazi system.  This year, we will focus on moving our clinical documentation to the electronic system. • We are also grateful to Congressman Eliot Engel for funding to supplement our technological upgrades. These funds will enable us to further develop an electronic health record.

Another Great Year for ClinicPlus: • Child and Family Clinic Plus, completed another successful year with RMHA!  This innovative program improves the emotional well-being of children by providing early intervention and treatment, which helps improve school performance, social relationships, to prevent mental health problems. • Research shows that early intervention is more likely to make a positive impact on a child’s emotional growth and development. • Clinic Plus provides free screening and works with the family to pinpoint a child’s individual needs.

ANNUAL REPORT

Summary of Programs and Services: Last year, 1187 people received treatment in our outpatient programs.  61 received services through our residential programs and 268 participated in our Vocational Services programs, some receiving multiple services.

6,278 requests for services were made though our intake department during 2008-2009 which represents a 10% increase over the previous year.  Of these, 565 were COPS (Comprehensive Outpatient Provider Services) referrals which come primarily from inpatient psychiatric settings and psychiatric emergency rooms.  These clients often present with more urgent clinical needs. 

This year, slightly over two-thirds of our clients were self-referred, 9% were referred from either inpatient psychiatric settings, emergency rooms or mobile crisis units, 13% were referred from other treatment or social services programs, 5% from family and friends, 2% from managed care and another 2% from schools.

Clinic Treatment: In the last fiscal year, 18,173 patient visits took place in our clinical programs.  Clinic treatment includes our Early Childhood Center, clinic treatment and psychiatric services for children, adolescents and adults as well as treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.  Services provided in all of our clinical programs include comprehensive evaluation, individual, group and family modalities and psychopharmacology options.

A major emphasis in all of our programs is on continuing to incorporate evidence-based treatments and methodologies and to expand our group treatment offerings.

As we anticipated, our Child and Family ClinicPlus program has grown over the last year.  Approximately 70 children, adolescents and their families have received clinical services at eight schools, where RMHA operates NYSOMH-licensed clinical satellite sites.

ReSolve Center for Recovery: Our ReSolve Center for Recovery, licensed by the New York State Office of Alcholol Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), saw a substantial increase in patient visits compared to the previous year. We continue to provide treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

The LifeWorks Project uses a group modality to promote recovery from chemical dependency and psychiatric illness, and to prepare people for employment and other goal-oriented activities.  In the past 18 months, 10% of clients participating in The LifeWorks Project graduated from the program. Of these graduates, 65% are either working, volunteering or enrolled in vocational or educational programs.

74% of clients in our ReSolve Center have either abstained from or reduced polysubstance use as of June 2009.  We congratulate them on their tremendous successes this year.

Continuing Day Treatment Program: Our CDT Program provides a  range of services to individuals with moderate to severe chronic mental health issues.  Our approach is primarily one of group and milieu treatment.  The program operates from every day, five days a week and allows clients to develop a personalized schedule in collaboration with their counselors. 

The CDT Program also works closely with our Vocational Services department where clients learn work-readiness skills, teamwork, communication skills and receive assistance achieving their vocational and educational goals.

This year, CDT staff and clients continued to participate in the state-wide health initiative Wellness Self-Management.  The program helps clients to take responsibility for their own physical and psychological well-being, helps them learn to make good decisions and set healthy life goals.  In a new partnership with the Riverdale Y, 10 clients from the CDT have new memberships to the gym and fitness resources, all funded by an anonymous donor.

Vocational Services: All of our vocational programs reflect the reality that successful employment is a critical component of optimal mental health.  Our Supported Employment Programs are funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health and the Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities and focus on job placement and job retention for adults with serious and persistent mental illness.  Many of the clients in these programs receive mental health services in our outpatient clinic, as well.

Our largest program, Supported Employment, saw an increase in the number of individuals maintained in jobs, despite the economic downturn.  We continued to provide job placement, vocational evaluations, and work readiness services through our VESID Unified Services Contract, renewed this year for a 5 year term.

Our collaboration with the ReSolve Center for Recovery continued through the year, resulting in successful vocational outcomes for many participants of LifeWorks.

Residential Services: The Joyce M. Pilsner Community residence continues to operate at full-capacity with fifteen beds, providing 24-hour supervised housing and case-management services to individusls who are transitioning from state hospitals into the community.  When clinically appropriate, these clients will leave the Residence and move to more independent living situations, including our Supported Apartments.

RMHA now has thirty beds in our Supported Apartment Program.  Clients in this program come to us primarily from state psychiatric facilities or from our own Community Residence and are able to live more independently with assistance from counselors and case managers.

Most of our clients who participate in our Residential Programs also attend our Continuing Day Treatment Program during the week.

Innovative Services for Seniors: To serve the needs of the fast-growing senior population in the Bronx, primarily of Hispanic background, RMHA designed a multi-tiered program including outreach to the elderly, evidence-based assessments to identify seniors at risk for mental health difficulties and groups providing psycho education and support.  We also provide psychiatric home visits – unique to our program, consultation to families as well as bilingual and bicultural psychotherapy and case management support.

This year, Innovative Services for Seniors reached 1,385 participants through presentations and workshops.  Over 100 seniors participated regularly in our therapy groups and 180 received screenings.  A total of 93 new clients were admitted to the program.

ISS is grateful to Councilman Oliver Koppell, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Foundation and The Nash Family Foundation for their generosity and support.

Consultation in Area Schools: In 2008-2009, RMHA provided on-site assessments, counseling and referral services to students at John F. Kennedy High School, The Marble Hill High School for International Studies, The Bronx High School of Law and Finance and The Bronx Theatre High School.  In addition, consulting services were made available to guidance staff at these schools. 

In this program, RMHA clinicians and staff provide consultation to school staff, observe and assess students for mental health and behavioral challenges, provide individual and group counseling to students and make referrals for ongoing care where indicated. Services are individualized for each school and student.

Through this program, we are able to reach a group of children and adolescents who have a strong need for services but are not likely to access services through traditional means.

RMHA also provides consultation to several local nursery schools where we are able to reach a group of our smaller, more vulnerable friends who may be in need of services.