|
Center Focus -- December 2011
Wishing you a happy holiday season and joy in the New Year!
|
|
|
Surviving the Season
 | |
Painting by Robert J. Alves
|
"Have faith," one client advises, "and stay with positive people."
For wisdom from the CMHC community about staying safe, sober, and balanced this holiday season, click here.
|
|
ACT Team: In the Community
 | |
ACT Team members in the CMHC parking lot with their van.
|
The ACT Team--"Assertive Community Treatment"--meets clients where they are. Literally.
|
|
Celebrating with La Clinica Hispana
 | |
Hispanic Clinic staff members in their conference room on the day of the 2011 holiday party.
|
The Hispanic Clinic's annual holiday party is more than a party. It's a commitment.
Luis Anez, director, reflects on its meaning here.
|
Young Adults Tour Washington, D.C.
 | The Korean War Memorial.
Photo by Frosty O'Keefe. |
Frosty O'Keefe, team leader of Young Adult Services (YAS) in West Haven, along with Peter Bertolini and Marrakech staff members, Ann Marie Cruz and Michelle Clark, chaperoned 21 members of the Young Adult Program on a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. in late September.
 | |
The group at the Jefferson Memorial.
|
The trip commenced with a whirlwind tour of the D.C. monuments on the evening of the
group's arrival. They visited the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and observed the reflection of the Washington Monument in the Tidal Pool. The next day, the group awoke bright and early and boarded a bus for a tour of the White House, graciously arranged by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro's office. They also spent time at the Smithsonian, toured the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Memorial. Later that day, the group toured the Kennedy Center, learned about its history and even had a chance to see the President's personal box. The group ended the packed day with a relaxing dinner downtown.
On the final day, the group checked
 | |
Quintin in downtown Washington D.C. after dinner and a day of sightseeing.
|
out of the hotel, boarded the bus with their driver and new friend, Sal, and headed downtown for their final activity: a tour of the Capitol Building followed by a visit to Congresswoman DeLauro's office. Although the Washington Monument was closed due to the structural damage endured during the August 2011 earthquake, the group enjoyed learning about the history of the United States government and taking pictures.
A good time was had by all! --Paul de la Reza
|
|
CMHC Foundation: A Season of Giving
Your tax-deductible gift to the CMHC Foundation helps support people in recovery. Read the annual appeal letter online.
Click here to make a donation. Thank you for your generosity!
|
|
Consumer Satisfaction Survey
& Performance Improvement Goals
 | |
Clinical Team Leaders Donna LaPaglia (SATU), Nancy Watsky (Team D), and Luis Anez (Hispanic Clinic).
|
Each year, CMHC clients complete the Consumer Satisfaction Survey. The 2011 outpatient results, compiled by Joy Kaufman, PhD, are in. Clients gave high ratings to CMHC across the board.
At the December Center-wide meeting, Director Michael J. Sernyak, MD recognized clinical teams whose survey results were particularly noteworthy. Two Team Excellence awards, for the highest performing teams as rated by clients in the survey, went to The Hispanic Clinic and The Substance Abuse Treatment Unit (SATU). The Most Improved Team Award went to Team D. Congratulations!
Summary of Survey Results
General Satisfaction
93% of clients expressed happiness with the quality of their care and said they'd recommend CMHC to others.
Access
90% believed staff members respond to their treatment needs and services are conveniently located.
Quality & Appropriateness
94% felt well informed, respected, empowered, and supported by staff.
Participation in Treatment
94% felt comfortable asking questions about services, treatment, and medication.
Respect
92% said their wishes are respected about the amount of family involvement they want in their treatment.
Outcome
82% reported doing better in work, life, and social situations as a result of services they receive at CMHC.
Recovery
77% reported pursuing their interests, feeling in control of their treatment, and giving back to family and/or community.
Respondents: 930 CMHC outpatient clients.
2011 Performance Improvement Goals
(1) Improve the experience of individuals who come to CMHC for services.
Candace Buchanan and Joy Kaufman, Committee Co-Chairs
(candace.buchanan@po.state.ct.us, joy.kaufman@yale.edu)
(2) Enhance "customer service" relationships among staff and between CMHC's clinical, research, and administrative units.
Robert Cole and Jacob Tebes, Committee Co-Chairs
(robert.cole@yale.edu, jacob.tebes@yale.edu)
|
|
Officers Rescue Pedestrian
 | |
Buildings and Grounds Patrol Officer Joe DeGennaro (left) and Officer Hosue Zamora, members of the DMHAS Police Department at CMHC.
|
Officer Hosue Zamora and BGPO Joe DeGennaro acted heroically this month as first responders to a serious accident in front of CMHC. When a pedestrian was hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk, they triaged the situation and protected the victim from further harm. Fortunately, she survived and suffered only minor injuries. Thank you, Officers, for your great work. |
|
'Twas the Week Before Christmas...
A Holiday Message for CMHC
by Georgia Miller
'Twas a week before Christmas
And all 'round New Haven,
Support groups were talkin' 'bout spendin' and savin.'
Our Director in his wisdom and Bob Cole in Santa's hat,
Had just settled down to resolve a group spat.
When out in the front, there arose such a clatter,
They sprang from their chairs to see just what was the matter...
The sun on the breast of the new fallin' snow
Gave a luster of cheer to the folks down below;
When what to all wondering eyes should appear
But a livery sleigh pulled by tiny reindeer.
The sleigh was all filled with gifts and good cheer
plus a message of hope meant to last through the year.
They then laid their laptops aside on the floor
And chanted out loudly, as they went out the door:
"We'd just like to thank you for all that you've done,
and hope that your year is a wonderful one!"
Georgia Miller is Director of Operations at Abraham Ribicoff Research Laboratories at CMHC.
|
|
Editor's Desk:
Christmas at the Movies
When I was growing up, we usually spent Christmas day with my mom. My brother, sister, and I had divorced parents and our extended family lived far away. It was just the four of us. We ate breakfast, opened a few gifts. Then the great debate: which movie would we see?
We left home around one o'clock, breathing puffs of frosty air in the cold car on our way out of Middletown. We often went to Showcase Cinema in East Hartford, the multiplex theater where many good first-run movies could be found.
That building is vacant now. I pass it several times a year on I-84, driving east with my husband and children to visit my in-laws in Massachusetts.
I remember the first Christmas I ever spent with them. Every tradition my own family never had, my in-laws made up for. Stockings, piles of gifts, a fire in the wood stove, the ceremonial reading of the Scandinavian elf's annual Christmas letter (written by my father-in-law). And oh my goodness, the food! It was wonderful.
Yet there was wonder, too, in Christmas at the movies. We were a broken family, being together. And here's the interesting thing. You might think we were the only ones in the theater those Christmas afternoons. But nearly every seat was taken.
My friend Judy says all the other people there were Jewish, like her and her daughters. Whoever they were, they--like my family--had found a way to pass the time outside the sometimes empty-feeling walls of their own homes.
As Mary Dansinghani, the CMHC Chaplain, says, "There's a difference between being lonely and being alone." This holiday season, no matter your faith, no matter your traditions, no matter your life situation, I wish you the peace of knowing that you are not alone.
Lucile Bruce, Editor
lucile.bruce@yale.edu |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Health & Wellness
|  | |
Meditation Helps Control Symptoms of Mental Illness
Yes, you read correctly--
me-di-ta-tion, not medication! For exciting new findings from Yale University researchers, click here.
Take Your Blood Pressure!
The new blood pressure machine has arrived and is located in the CMHC cafeteria. Clients, staff, and visitors are invited to take their blood pressure as an important and sometimes life-saving step toward personal wellness.
It's Not Too Late for a flu shot. Call Brian Lenocci, (203) 974-7334.
CMHC
News & Updates
SAVE THE DATE:
All-Center Meeting with DMHAS Commissioner Patricia Rohmer
January 19th, 2012, 3 PM in the CMHC Auditorium.
FRIENDS & FAMILY POSTER ART COMPETITION!
The Friends & Family Event planning committee (formerly known as Family Focus) announces a Poster Art competition open to CMHC clients. Art should consider the theme, "Friends & Family: What they mean to me." The winning art will be used in the creation of the 2012 Friends & Family event poster and other materials.
The deadline for entries is February 15, 2012. Please submit art work to RM 261A.
For more information, please contact Ann Joy, (203) 974-7874, ann.joy@po.state.ct.us
BEREAVEMENT GROUP
This will be a six-week session beginning January 20, 2012. All are welcome. For more information, contact Chaplain Mary Dansinghani, (203) 974-7860, mary.dansinghani@yale.edu.
COMING SOON AT THE BISTRO! CMHC plans to install a new cash register at The Park Street Bistro sometime after January 1st. This will allow the Bistro to offer customers the ability to pay for food items with a credit or debit card. The Bistro will also offer gift cards for purchase.
There will also be a slight increase in food items due to the higher cost of food from our supplier. Prices have been consistently low at the Bistro for the past three years and new prices are necessary at this time. Look for these and other changes in 2012. Thank you!
SAVE THE DATE:
NEUROSCIENCE CONFERENCE
"Neuroscience 2012: Stress, Health, and Recovery."
Saturday, March 31st,
8:30 AM-1:00 PM, Harkness Auditorium, Sterling Hall of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street.
This annual event is designed for a general audience and co-sponsored by the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (CT chapter), and CMHC. Free and open to the public!
IF YOU HAVE NEWS of any kind, please send it to the editor! We rely on YOU to help us keep this newsletter current. Write to:
lucile.bruce@yale.edu.
CMHC Celebrates Thanksgiving
Chef Mark Ianniello in the Park Street Bistro kitchen during the annual Thanksgiving feast.
On Friday, November 18, CMHC hosted its delicious annual Thanksgiving luncheon for clients and staff. Over 300 clients attended, forming lines down the hallways beyond the cafeteria door.
Staff and volunteers helped to cook and serve the food. Below, Martha Ayala-Tannis, Associate Director of Clinical Operations, organizes the popular dessert table.
Hats off to Chef Mark Ianniello and his staff for their hard work and delicious cooking!
 Music was performed by the Spizzwinks, a Yale University a cappella singing group. Alumnus Dr. Christopher Pittenger of the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (below, center) joined in for the final number. 
And that wasn't all for Thanksgiving at CMHC... On November 22nd, 50 bags of Thanksgiving food items including turkey, yams, string beans, stuffing, corn bread, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce were distributed to clients with families of four or more. Clinician Elaine Henley led the way with volunteers Cenk Tek, Nadene Avellani, Mildred Lopez, Erin Reutenauer and Chris Lotis. This was the 25th year of the food drive and demonstrated once again the huge spirit of giving at CMHC. KEEP IN TOUCH |
Yale Department of Psychiatry monthly e-newsletter |
|
|
