A New Office in Saginaw!

DNMM opened a new location in Saginaw Township in November of 2014 and has been successfully providing services for the past 6 month in collaboration with Saginaw Psychological Services. The new location is the result of an expanded partnership with the Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority (SCCMHA). The office is located 2070 Hemmeter Road.

 "At this new location, DNMM provides Supports Coordination services to consumers who have developed an independent living plan through SCCMHA," said David Emmel, Executive Director of the Disability Network of Mid-Michigan. "Supports Coordination staff work closely with people receiving CMH services to ensure all requested and needed services are being provided timely and sufficiently."

"Having a physical location in Saginaw allows us to better meet the needs of our Saginaw County consumers," said DNMM Independent Living Program Manager Kelly PeLong. "Our agency has had a long-standing partnership with SCCMHA since 1998 and now our collaboration and co-location with Saginaw Psychological offers more of an all-encompassing, wrap-around service through access to psychiatry and therapy services.  Although the typical 'medical model' is in contrast with our mission, we recognize the importance of intervention and recovery based services for folks with developmental disabilities and mental illness.  

This collaboration gives us the best of both worlds.  Our new space houses four full-time Support Coordinators and a Supervisor and we are currently serving 100 individuals per month in Saginaw County.  We thank Matt Briggs, SCCMHA Contracts & Properties Manager and Fran Erwin, Executive Director, Saginaw Psychological Services for helping make this partnership a reality." 

Spotlight on Transition

Every once in a while, life presents unfamiliar  situations, uncertainty of what the immediate future has in store, and we find ourselves looking for answers.

For Lynn, an Auburn resident, life had done just that. After several surgeries, Lynn had been living in a nursing home for several months. It was evident she would not be able to return to her home, where she'd lived for over thirty years. Lynn didn't feel living in a nursing home was the best fit for her, but she wasn't aware of any other options.

"I met with Mary and the best thing she did was listen to me," said Lynn.   Mary Lockhart is  the Nursing Facility Transition (NFT) Program Leader at Disability Network Mid-Michigan.

"Our primary focus is on what the individual wants and needs," said Mary. "The NFT program is about promoting independent living, based on those wants and needs. In Lynn's case, we were fortunate enough to have a family member who was willing to have her move in. But we needed to work out the details of what Lynn would need in order to live as independently as possible at her daughter's home.

Lynn has now been out of the nursing home for a few weeks. When asked what the biggest change was from nursing home residency to living independently, Lynn laughed and said: "I don't have to worry about a roommate snoring all the time and I don't have to wait for someone to do something for me. But, most importantly, I get to spend time with my new great-granddaughter. And I can do that because of what Mary and Disability Network have done for me."

New Additions to the NFT Staff

The NFT team has recently added two new members. Alma Moore is our new transition specialist and Lenny Avery is our new outreach specialist.

Alma holds a Masters degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Detroit-Mercy. After working for five years as a probation officer, she began work as a community outreach social worker with New Center Mental Health in Detroit. She then worked in the State Office of Recipient Rights in Lansing for 6 years before spending 17 years as a recipient rights consumer advocate in various Wayne County agencies. Most recently, Alma worked for Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the American Cancer Society. Alma is an enthusiastic supporter of all Michigan sports teams and she also greatly enjoys technical and educational reading.

Lenny is a New Orleans native who recently moved to the great state of Michigan. Lenny is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, with a BA in Law with a Specialization in Government. Lenny has 10+ years working with a diverse population and he is a certified Mental Health First Aider. 

Lenny has spent years working with individuals with disabilities and mental health disorders. He and his wife, Kyla, just welcomed their first child, Juliana, on May 14th, 2015. Lenny enjoys spending time with his family, dog, and enjoys his volunteer service with his church in Mount Pleasant. He is truly excited about working for Disability Network Of Mid Michigan and cannot wait to meet with people looking to live more independently. 

Community Partners Making a Difference

At Disability Network, our mission is to promote and encourage independence for people with disabilities. We could never successfully realize that mission with the support of many community partners throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region. We'd like to take a brief moment to thank a few of those community partners who've recently made significant impacts on the independence of some local residents.

Last week, Sierra, a young Saginaw resident was devastated when she discovered the wheelchair she uses had been stolen off her front porch. WNEM TV 5 learned of the story and got in touch with Amanda Jaime, an Information and Referral Specialist at Disability Network. Amanda started working the phones, contacting partner agencies to see if anyone could donate a replacement wheelchair. She got in touch with Hometown Heroes of Michigan. And Hometown Heroes came through in fine style, donating not one, but two wheelchairs, including a power chair. Sierra was overcome with emotion because she could now get back to school and she can participate in summer programs. 

Click the image to view the story as presented by WNEM TV 5.

We truly appreciate WNEM and Hometown Heroes for their efforts in helping Sierra regain her independence.

The final community partner we'd like to recognize is Dan Dan the Mattress Man in Midland. Our Veterans Peer Supports coordinator, Terry Dusseau, had been working with a local veteran with a disability for some time and recently, that veteran found himself in desperate need of a bed.

The veteran contacted Dan Dan the Mattress Man and explained his situation. The store made an exceptional bargain deal on a great bed. The veteran agreed to pick the bed up, but quickly found that there was no one available with the appropriate vehicle to accommodate the bed. He called Terry at DNMM for help. 

Unfortunately, the bed wouldn't fit into DNMM's vehicle.  Terry went back to the mattress store to see if they could help. The owner, Dan LeViere, came out and listened to Terry's story and he quickly agreed to help so long as Terry would help him deliver the bed. Terry immediately agreed, the bed was delivered, a friend was made, and a veteran enjoyed a comfortable night's sleep for the first time in a while.

We thank Dan Dan the Mattress Man for going above and beyond to help out a veteran with a disability. Not only on discounting the price of the bed but for taking the time to deliver the bed, free of charge.

Community Event Corner

July 11th,    6:00 - 8:00pm