DMH Connections
 
 
A publication of the Mass. Department of Mental Health
Employee Newsletter 
Office of Communications & Consumer Affairs
January 2009
header
In This Issue
DMH North East Area Hosts Daylong Event, "The Art of Recovery"
SERV as an Inspiration!
Metro Boston's "Great American Smokeout Day" A Great Team Effort
Multicultural Corner
Conferences and Events
Articles of Interest
DMH TAY Initiative on the National Stage
Hope for the Holidays
State Launches Consumer-Friendly Website Comparing Health Care Quality and Costs
Annual Legislative Breakfasts Begin in February
Stress: The Forgotten Risk Factor
North East Area in the Giving Spirit
Fuller CMHC Renovations Complete
Governor Launches Mass Access Website Datebase for Affordable Housing
MEMA Issues Winter Weather Preparedness Information
 Commissioner's message 
 
  Barbara's headshot
Click here to view
 
Office of Communications and Consumer Affiars
Anna Chinappi, Director 

Steve Holochuck, Director of Consumer Affairs    
 
Pamela Mason, Information and Referral Specialist 
 
Sarah Spaeth, Communications Coordinator  

Please contribute to the next edition of DMH Connections 
Deadlines for upcoming issues:  
 
January 16th for the February 2nd newsletter  
 
February 16th for the March 2nd newsletter
 
March 20th for the April 6th newsletter
 
Please send all materials to 
Sarah Spaeth at [email protected]
.ma.us
  
DMH North East Area Hosts Daylong Event, "The Art of Recovery"
The North East Area Recovery Action Team will sponsor its second annual recovery event, "The Art of Recovery," to celebrate the initiatives currently underway to better support consumers in their recovery. Recovery Day is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Events Room at Tewksbury State Hospital.
 
 Building on last year's event where Area Director Susan Wing introduced the NEA Vision Statement on recovery, consumers, staff and friends of the mental health community will gather for a day of information sharing, talks and presentations. The highlight of the day's program will be DMH clients from across the Area who will share their recovery stories and musical and artistic talents.  The program also includes a special presentation by Nicki Glasser who will talk about how everyday language can be stigmatizing and discriminating for people with mental illnesses in the "Power of Language."
 
Many of the Recovery Day events and activities have an artistic theme featuring various local artists with and without lived experience with mental illness who have volunteered to display and sell original art, perform music or join in on a performance by a kazoo band. 
 
A mini-documentary produced by the North East Area and co-sponsored by DMH and the Northeast Independent Living Program entitled "Recovery" will be screened. "Recovery" features several consumers sharing their recovery stories.
 
The North East Area Recovery Initiative Vision Statement
 
The North East Area envisions strength-based mental health services that embrace and promote recovery for all. Our services will strive to eliminate barriers as well as increase understanding and awareness of recovery-based practice. We believe that recovery-based services embrace but are not limited to:
 
- A partnership that promotes dignity, mutual respect and responsibility.
- An environment of hope and healing, with unconditional, positive regard for all.
- An understanding that while recovery is person-centered and driven, the encouragement, suggestions, and support of providers can be instrumental in one's recovery.
- An understanding that recovery is an individual process that may include ups and downs for both clients and staff.
- A focus on individual choice, decision-making, and collaboration with all key players engaged in planning, where creative solutions are valued.
- Engagement in meaningful activities, including employment within and beyond the system.
- A community that supports an individual's life plans, aspirations, health and overall well being.
SERV as an Inspiration! 
Now that we are fully embraced in the winter season with the holidays behind us it is the perfect time to volunteer through SERV.  January is difficult time for organizations to find volunteers since holiday volunteers are gone and college students are on break.  Additionally, nonprofits are reporting record numbers of individuals looking for help.  If you are interested in volunteering for SERV please visit the website to learn what volunteer opportunities are posted on the January calendar.  Here are some examples of January volunteer shifts available:
 
*New England Center for Homeless Veterans - Serving meals to homeless
*Rosie's Place - Serving meals to homeless
*Greater Boston Food Bank - Sorting food and nonfood donations
*American Cancer Society - Drive patients to and from chemotherapy/radiation appointments
*Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children - Tutor children
*Commonwealth Children's Center - Read to children
 
The SERV volunteer calendar is updated every few days so check back for new volunteer opportunities.  As always, approval of specific SERV requests is at the discretion of the agency as operational and staffing needs prevail, especially during these difficult budgetary times.  Employees should request their slots through their agency SERV Coordinator.   To view more volunteer opportunites, click here.
Metro Boston's "Great American Smokeout Day" A Great Team Effort
By Rosa Dominguez and
Virginia Stevens 
In November 2008, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital teamed up with the Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC) to sponsor the yearly "Great American Smokeout Day."  Rosa Johnson awardDominguez, LCSW, smoking cessation coordinator at MMHC saw this day as "the perfect opportunity to reach out to the entire Shattuck Hospital campus community." 
 
Enthusiastic staff worked tables by the front lobby of the main building throughout the day, the main goal to increase awareness and provide education about the health risks of smoking as well as the unique challenges of smoking among those with serious mental illness.
 
According to the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control, smoking continues to be one of the leading causes of death among Americans.  Estimates are that up to 75 percent of those with serious mental illness are tobacco dependent compared to 22 percent of the general U.S. population.  Smoking rates are estimated to be even higher-as
much as 85 percent- in those with schizophrenia, according to Massachusetts researchers.  In fact, one study showed as many as 44 percent of all U.S. cigarette consumption is by those with mental illness or substance abuse disorders. 
 
Virginia Stevens, RN, director of quality systems at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital noted, "It was very exiting to see that, despite some reluctance, clients and staff who are smokers participated in taking their blood pressure and comparing it to a non-smoker; getting their carbon monoxide level tested; handing in their cigarettes for a healthy treat; and most importantly, talking about it with professionals."
 
The Shattuck Hospital campus is a bustling community which houses several health care organizations.  Along with the Department of Public Health, services are provided by Metro Boston Mental Health Unit, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Department of Corrections, the Kitty Dukakis Center and the Hope Found Inc.  Having all these programs on one campus is a bonus for many clients who have the advantage of easy accessibility to an array of services.
 
Over the last five years, a number of initiatives have advanced the shared multi-agency goal of creating a healthier environment for patients, staff and visitors. A cross-agency task force continues the work of its predecessor group, the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Wellness Committee.  Recently Shattuck Hospital initiated a program entitled "You Empower Success" (YES) to address issues identified by a staff satisfaction survey. One identified matter of concern was the health hazards of smoking on campus. A number of staff from Shattuck Hospital, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and the Metro Boston Mental Health Units have attended tobacco treatment specialist (TTS) training and are providing weekly smoking cessation groups in several locations.  More staff members are scheduled to attend TTS training this month with the goal of offering additional group and individual counseling services.  Smoking cessation education literature is readily available in different community meetings, therapy groups and individual treatment. 
 
(Rosa Dominguez and Virginia Stevens and members of the task force will continue to team up to create a healthier environment for everyone at the diverse Shattuck Hospital campus.)
Multicultural Corner: A New Year, New Challenges, and New Resources for Multicultural Populations
 
Barbara's headshot
 
It's almost impossible not to notice the changing demographics of Massachusetts and with it, the tremendous diversity reflected in the residents of our Commonwealth. While this diversity enriches our state tremendously, it can become a challenge when the need for mental health services comes into the picture. Where can you turn if you are working with a person:
 
- who comes from a cultural background that is unfamiliar to you,
- who comes from a place where there is no comparable mental health system and virtually no concept of mental health as we know it; and
- whose ability to communicate in English is minimal or non-existent?
 
As part of its many activities, DMH's Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMCA) has long been a repository of information related to diverse groups of people. For instance, recently OMCA gathered census data in preparation for the Community Based Flexible Support RFR.  In addition to the state's well established African American, Latino and Asian communities, there are now a number of newcomer communities throughout the state that represent a wide variety of specific ethnic groups.  Many of these groups meet "critical mass" thresholds of 5 percent of the city's or town's population or the even higher threshold of 10 percent. 
 
If you are working with someone from a newcomer group, where can you turn for help in identifying resources? OMCA publishes a "Multicultural Populations Resource Directory" on a regular basis. This popular directory was originally published by DMH in 1989 and has seen several iterations. While not intended as an exhaustive listing, it does provide a broad cross-section of health and human services. It is categorized by area and, in the latest format, highlights language capacity. 
 
OMCA is also responsible to for DMH's Interpreter Service program and the production of written translations as well. Written translations cover a wide range of documents from brochures, patient guides and individual client correspondence to DMH Medication Manuals and Commonwealth of Massachusetts commitment forms.
 
In addition to DMH material that has been translated into multiple languages, OMCA has also compiled a listing of websites where mental health and mental health-related information which has been translated into foreign languages can be found. If you need educational materials for clients and family members, for example, there is a wealth of information available in other languages for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). 

Conferences and Events 
 
January 21 
Housing Homeless Persons with Mental Illness:
Research Findings and Policy Implications after 20 Years,  
2:30 to 4:00 PM
      Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center
85 East Newton St., Boston,  
Please RSVP to: [email protected]

January 22 An Exhibit of Art and the Spoken Word by Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Patients, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. 300 Walnut Street, Boston
 
February - April Suicide Prevention Training registar online
 
Wednesday mornings, Feb 4 to March 18 Mind/Body Stress Management Program for Parents of Behaviorally Challenging Children Massachusetts General Hospital, For more information call Marilyn Wilcher (617-643-6035) or Laura Malloy, LICSW (617-643-6061), or email [email protected]
 
February 12 Eating Disorders: Time for Change 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Mona Villapiano, Psy.D. lectures; Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel 181 Boston Post Rd W., Marlborough, MA; registar online

 March 1-4 22nd Annual Research Conference hosted by the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health, Tampa, FL 
 
March 12 Why People Die by Suicide 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Thomas Joiner, Ph.D. lectures; Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel 181 Boston Post Rd W., Marlborough, MA; registar online
Articles of Interest
 
Psychiatrists Revise the Book of Human Troubles by Benedict Carey, New York Times

The dilemma of affordable mental health care  by Alexandra Fletcher, Weekly Dig
 
Teen Smoking Rates Decline  by Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times
 
Unkind cuts for mentally ill Editorial, Boston Globe
 
Why Do the Mentally Ill Die Younger? by Kate Torgovnick, Time Magaizne
 
Grant targets homelessness by Dan Ring, Springfield Republican

think before you print
We will be posting DMH Connections on DMH's intranet site 
DMH TAY Initiative on the National Stage
Innovations in Transitional Age Youth programs in Massachusetts were highlighted at a national policy academy in Washington, D.C. last month, elevating DMH and the state to a leadership role in the work to serve youth with mental illnesses transitioning to adulthood.   
 
Entitled "Developing Systems of Care for Youth and Young Adults with Mental Health Needs Who Are Transitioning to Adulthood, and Their Families," the policy academy was sponsored by the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
 
The Massachusetts delegation included Lisa Lambert, Executive Director of Parent Professional Advocacy League (PAL); Matt McWade, DMH statewide young adult coordinator; Rita Barrette, DMH director of community services; Rachelle Engler Bennett, director of student services for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Ann Capoccia, DMH Child/Adolescent Division coordinator of interagency activities; Dayana Simons, systems of care manager, Mass Health Office of Medicaid; and Robert Turillo, Department of Youth Services assistant commissioner for program services.
 
Other participating states were Arizona, Maryland, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon.
 
All attendees agreed there is much to be done, said Capoccia. Forty percent of young people with mental illness dropped out of high school in 2007.  Family and peer relationships are poor and service packages are not aligned to meet the needs of young people. Engaging young adults is often challenging in traditional services and even more difficult in offering individualized, person-centered treatment. Policy academy participants discussed how young adults are not staying connected to currently designed treatment or services. 
 
The Massachusetts delegation came to the gathering with many strengths and innovative ideas. The state has a strong parent advocate organization in PAL led by Lambert. PAL is on the forefront of developing support groups, information and resources for parents with transition age youth. DMH's Statewide Young Adult Coordinator Matt McWade has been busy writing articles and creating websites and videos to address stigma issues experienced by young adults and encouraging the development of peer support models across the state.
 
During the policy academy meeting, the Massachusetts delegation met for six sessions with facilitator Jim Wotring, director, National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health; and Beth Stroul, president, Management and Training Innovations from McLean, VA.
 
The Massachusetts group agreed to a shared vision:  Transition age youth and their families experience culturally and linguistically competent, welcoming environments that engage them in educational and vocational opportunities and other needed services and supports leading to resilience, recovery, independence and self-sustainability. 
 
Youth ages 14 to 25 with a serious emotional disturbance was identified as the target group for this work and the first priority is African American and Hispanic youth ages 14 -25 with a serious emotional disturbance eligible to receive special education or 504 services. Wotring worked with Massachusetts delegation members in the design and development of details around resources, challenges, issues and strengths as well as strategies, services delivery, short-term outcomes, data points to measure outcomes and long-term outcomes. The conversation was lively and incisive as the vision took shape.
 
All agreed on an overarching strategy: Establish transition age youth with a serious emotional disturbance as a priority population across agencies and establish the goal of completion of high school or equivalent and/or career related training.
 
Hope for the Holidays
By Mary Ellen Foti, M.D.
DMH State Medical Director and Deputy Commissioner of Clinical and Professional Services
On Monday evening, Dec. 29, I drove to a very familiar place - the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital. As part of my Tufts Medical School psychiatric training, I worked there for six months in 1984 and returned as chief resident in 1986. Once graduated, I stayed on as a staff psychiatrist until 1996 when I became an Area Medical Director. 
 
In those formative years, many of my resident colleagues would ask, "how can you work there and like it?"  Many of them felt that working and learning at the Shattuck was something to "grit your teeth and get through," yet for some of us, it was a wonderful place to learn, help people and share the esprit de corps among staff.  
 
Also around this time (it was 1983), Governor Dukakis opened the Shattuck Shelter on the grounds of the Hospital. This emergency shelter now, as then, is committed to helping men and women find housing, employment, recovery and hope. Over the last 24 years, the shelter has been transformed and now serves 3,000 to 4,000 homeless people every year through a large network of services now known as Hope Found.
 
As I entered the Shelter that night, I felt my excitement growing. It had been two years since my last Holiday Gala visit and I wondered what would be the same, what would be different, would Paula McDonald still be there, and how would Kel and the jazz band play tonight?  My friend, Kel Flaherty is a long-time Shelter employee and a fabulous jazz pianist.  The "Diversions," a jazz band, donates a concert every year during the holiday season for all the Shelter's guests and staff.  I was lucky to get a great seat in the dining area-converted concert hall. All five of the band's regular players were there and Keiichi, a guest, joined in playing the flugelhorn like a virtuoso.
 
After an more than an hour of great jazz, I took a brief tour and noted that HealthCare for the Homeless is there five days a week, there's an excellent array of substance abuse services, psychiatric consultation availability, employment and housing services, good food, clean surroundings and a general sense of caring from the staff.  Of the 100 men and 20 women who find shelter there, more than 70 percent have addictions, many suffer from major mental illness and medical problems are common.
 
Sure enough, at 8:55 pm, Director Paula McDonald was in her office updating the evening shift. A highly energetic and dedicated individual, Paula has been the shelter Director for more than 19 years. 
 
"The changes and have been dramatic" she told me, "but at the core, we are all about helping people get back on their feet, and on their own terms."  For more information about the shelter, please visit www.hopeFoundboston.org.


 
band 
The Hope Found Holiday Gala featured the jazz band called The Diversions. Dr. Mary Ellen Foti takes five with the group: Cedrick on drums; Kel on piano; Rick on guitar; Brad on bass; Gilbert on sax; and Keiichi on flugelhorn.

State Launches Consumer-Friendly Website Comparing Health Care Quality and Costs 
Members of the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council (HCQCC) launched an interactive website designed to promote transparency in the health care industry.  The "My Health Care Options" website, mandated as part of Massachusetts' historic health care reform initiative, was developed to help control costs and improve the quality of care available to patients. 
 
The website represents a significant achievement in ongoing, multipronged efforts to control rising health care costs and ensure that residents of Massachusetts can get the best care available. These efforts are particularly important as the Patrick Administration and its partners in the Legislature continue to move forward in implementing health care reform. More than 442,000 people have enrolled in health insurance programs since 2006 and Massachusetts now has the lowest rate of uninsurance in the country.
 
The new site is the first of its kind in the nation to offer consumers, providers, employers and policymakers comparative cost and quality information about medical procedures performed at Massachusetts hospitals and outpatient facilities. For example, a patient considering knee replacement surgery, angioplasty or a mammogram can now visit the site to compare cost and quality measures for those and other procedures at various local hospitals. 

Annual Legislative Breakfasts Begin in February 
state house DMH has announced the dates of its annual Citizen Legislative Breakfast.  This is an opportunity for members of the mental health community to meet with their legislators, thank them for their support and discuss the many services DMH provides to individuals with serious mental illness. It is also an opportunity for consumers and family members to share stories about their recovery and life experiences.
 
The theme of this year's event, "DMH: The Bridge to Hope."  Commissioner Barbara A. Leadholm share her vision for the Department and each area will highlight their programs. Below are the event dates and locations:
 
Monday, February 2, 2009, 9:30AM-11:30AM - DMH Metro Suburban Area in the Great Hall at the State House.
 
Wednesday, February 4, 9:30AM-11:30AM - DMH North East Area in the Great Hall at the State House
 
Monday, March 2, 9:30AM-11:30AM - DMH Metro Boston Area in the Great Hall at the State House.
 
Thursday, March 5, 9:30AM-11:30AM - DMH Southeastern Area in the Great Hall at the State House.
 
Friday, March 6, 9:30AM-11:30AM - DMH Central Mass Area 9:00AM-11:00AM at Worcester State Hospital
 
Friday, March 27, DMH Western Mass Area (time and location to be announced)
Stress: The Forgotten Risk Factor 
The Partnership for a Heart-Healthy, Stroke-Free Massachusetts will host its third annual conference, Stress: The Forgotten Risk Factor ~ Applying Public Health Approaches to Reduce Stress in Healthcare, Worksite and Community Settings. The conference will be held on January 30, at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester.
 
As noted in the DMH Healthy Changes Initiative, those with psychiatric disabilities die from treatable medical illnesses at rates significantly higher than those without psychiatric illness. One of the factors that can contribute to high rates of heart disease and stroke is stress, particularly stress from early traumatic events as well as stress from occupational settings and environmental influences such as poor housing and exposure to violence.
 
The program will feature Vincent Felitti, M.D., a noted physician and researcher on the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences on adults. He is one of the principal investigators of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, a long-term, in-depth analysis of more than 17,000 adults that matches their current health status against eight categories of adverse childhood experiences.
 
Joining Dr. Felitti will be Peter Schnall, M.D., M.P.H., clinical professor of medicine at University of California at Irvine, a recognized expert on the role of occupational stress in causing hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The program will also include a screening of a segment of the documentary "Unnatural Causes" that draws attention to environmental causes of health and illness and reframes the debate about health in America.
 
The Partnership for a Heart-Healthy, Stroke-Free Massachusetts is composed of representatives from more than 100 Massachusetts organizations, agencies and other coalitions committed to working together to reduce risk for heart disease, stroke and associated risk factors through environmental and systems change.  The Department of Mental Health is a lead partner in this effort and has been represented on the executive committee of the Partnership for the past three years by Sally Reyering, M.D., lead clinician of the Healthy Changes Initiative, and David Weed, Psy.D., of the Corrigan Mental Health Center.
 
"This conference will be an excellent opportunity for clinicians to get a clearer understanding of the relationship between stressors and the development of chronic illness, including heart disease and stroke," Weed said. "While we are concerned about the role that cigarette smoking, obesity and sedentary lifestyles play in the development of these illnesses among our clients, there is also a larger context in which the development of these illnesses occurs, and this conference will help to illuminate this context."
 
 Conference registration information is available through the Partnership website at www.HeartStrokeMA.org. Registration is only $65 for individuals; $60 each for three or more from the same institution) and CEUs will be available. 
 
North East Area in the Giving Spirit 
North East Area Office staff donated a money tree to the Beverly Bootstraps which provides advocacy, referral and a food pantry for needy families of the Beverly area. 
 
money tree 

Pictured Above: Back Row: Jill Amico, Accountant III; Megan Manning, Accountant III; Chris Stringos, Contract Specialist III; Adria Hallowood, Accountant III; Tim Waitkevitch, Property Management Specialist I; Noreen Melanson, Director of Community Services; Susan Wing, Area Director; Front Row: Felice DeRuggiero, Adult Eligibility Specialist; Janet Chinian, Contracts Manager; Dr. Robert Karr, Area Medical Director
Fuller CMHC Renovations Complete 
renovations Sixty patients and more than 150 staff, temporarily located at the Lindemann Community Mental Health Center, moved to their newly refurbished space at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center last month.  The 18-month renovations project at Fuller CMHC, one of several DMH capital improvement fuller roomprojects, transformed the Fuller inpatient unit into a state-of-the-art milieu that promotes recovery.
 
The renovated areas are found on the 4th, 5th and 8th floors of the Boston facility.
 
The units were designed to be more accommodating to patients and staff. Walls are painted in warm, refreshing colors of yellows and blues and with no more than two patients per room. All rooms have modern furniture and private bathrooms and offer sweeping views of awardBoston. 
 
Safety features were paramount in the new design. Patient rooms include a door within a door that provides access for staff in emergency situations (pictured right). At the front nurse's desk and station, computer monitors are built to include a privacy filter that ensures sensitive information
 cannot be seen by peoplewalking  by.  Windows built into interior walls allow staff the ability to monitor activities throughout facility. 

award Metro Boston Area Director Cliff Robinson (pictured left) hosted a tour of the newly renovated units prior to DMH clients relocating there.

Governor Launches Mass Access Website Datebase for Affordable Housing 
mass access logo A redesigned housing website, called Mass Access, was launched recently by Gov. Patrick to help bridge the gap between residents in need of affordable, accessible housing and available apartments across the state.
 
The new site www.massaccesshousingregistry.org features a user-friendly design and an expanded database of affordable rental housing in Massachusetts, including accessible and adaptable homes for people with disabilities.
 
Charles Carr, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, said that the state-of-the-art website will make searching for affordable housing easier and more accessible to citizens. 
 
Mass Access key features include vacancy and waitlist information for all affordable rental housing in Massachusetts, particularly for people with disabilities, and an automated mapping feature to track the location of available units.  Property owners and managers will now be able to log in to the registry and post available rental units and housing applications.  At the same time, consumers will now be able to customize and save their housing searches and sign up for e-mail updates when new units become available. 
 
The Mass Access housing registry is funded by the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission and is managed by Citizens' Housing and Planning Association, a nonprofit affordable housing organization.  MassHousing, a quasi-public state agency, also contributed funding for the new website.
 
MEMA Issues Winter Weather Preparedness Info: Tips for Your Car, Home and Family 
snowflake MEMA has issued information to help people prepare for another New England Winter Season.  Attached is a list of items you shoould include in your Winter Emergency Car Kit, as well as your family's Winter Disaster Supply Kit, as well as the development of a Family Emergency Communications Plan.
 
Suggested Winter Emergency Car Kit
Keep the following items in your car in case of emergency during a Winter Storm:
�        Flashlight with extra batteries
�        Charged cell phone
�        Basic first-aid kit
�        Necessary medications
�        Pocket knife
�        Blankets or sleeping bags
�        Extra clothes (include rain gear, mittens,  socks)
�        High-calorie, non-perishable foods (dried fruits, nuts, canned food)
�        Non-electric can opener
�        Container of water
�        Shovel
�        Sand for generating traction
�        Tire chains or traction mats
�        Basic tool kit (pliers, wrench, screwdriver)
�        Tow rope
�        Road flares
�        Brightly colored cloth to utilize as a flag
 
Ensure that your tires have adequate tread and keep your gas tank at least half-full.  Keep a windshield scraper and small broom for ice and snow removal.  Check your windshield wiper fluid and keep your gas tank at least half-full.  Plan long trips carefully, listening to the radio or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest weather forecasts and road conditions.  Travel during the day, and if possible, try to take someone along with you.
 
Suggested Winter Disaster Supply Kit
Additional items for your Winter Weather Supply List are a freshly-stocked first-aid kit, essential prescription medicines, non-perishable foods (those that require no refrigeration such as canned goods, dried fruits and nuts), a non-electric can opener, water (one gallon per-person, per-day), baby-care items, extra blankets, sleeping bags and a fire extinguisher. 
 
Keep these items around the house in case of emergency during a Winter Storm:
�        Flashlight and extra batteries (not candles)
�        Portable radio or NOAA Weather Radio with extra batteries
�        Charged cell phone
�        Basic First-Aid kit
�        Essential prescription medicines
�        Non-perishable Food
�        Non-electric can opener
�        Water (one gallon per person/per day)
�        Baby items
�        Pet food/supplies
�        Extra blankets and sleeping bags
�        Fire extinguisher
 
Family Emergency Communications Plan
Develop a Family Emergency Communication Plan in case family members are separated from one another during an emergency (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), and have a plan for getting back together. 

�        Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the 'family contact'.  After a disaster, it is often easier to call long distance than across town.  Also, calling outside the area will be easier than calling into a disaster area.
�        Make sure everyone knows the name, address and telephone number of the contact person.
�        Sometimes an emergency could impact your neighborhood or small section of town.  Decide on an alternate meeting area for family members.
�        Be familiar with the Emergency Plans at your children's school and your place of business.
 
For additional information visit MEMA website.