In This Issue

DMH Office of Communications and Community Engagement

DMH is Getting Social! 

DMH is on Twitter!

 @MassDMH  

Commonwealth Conversations

  BLOGS

 This social media platform provides news, updates and serve as a forum for open dialogue about issues related to all 16 EOHHS agencies.

 Click here to read blog posts by Secretary Bigby, Commissioner Fowler and others

Department of Public Health Blog 

Connections Correction

Transitions RTC 

Introduces: 

Telling Your Money What to Do:

The Young Adult's Guide 

Have you ever felt like your money, or the lack of it, is telling you what can or can not do? If you take control of your money and spending, you can find ways to do more with what you have. This sheet provides tips on how this can be done.

Click here to download the Tip Sheet and start getting the most from your money today! 

Conferences and Events

Oct. 8, 2013

Raise the Bar-Hire!

WorkWithoutLimits First Annual Conference

Registration 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Program 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

 Four Points by Sheraton

1125 Boston/Providence

Turnpike Route 1

Norwood, MA 02062

Oct. 29-30, 2013

Connections for Life: Recovery and Community Partnerships

MassPRA Annual Conference and Pre-Conference Institutes

Hogan Center at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester

Tuesday: Your choice of five full-day institutes by leading rehabilitation educators:

• Integrating Employment & Recovery:  Whose Job Is It?
• Understanding the "Rehab" in Medicaid Rehab Option
• Treating Co-Occurring Disorders: Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed, Recovery-Oriented Approaches
• Building Community Connections That Enhance Recovery
• Get Certified! The Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner Credential

Wednesday: Conference Day, featuring:

Keynote Address by Dennis Rice, CEO of Alternatives Unlimited, Whitinsville, MA

27 Workshops in a wide array of topics by top trainers and innovators from Massachusetts and beyond.

For Information and accommodations, please contact: 

Mary C. Gregorio

Center Club

31 Bowker Street

Boston MA 02114

mgregorio@baycove.org

617-788-1002

Click here for a printable brochure

Click here for Conference Highlights

Click here to Register Online 

or

Click here for a printable Registration Form

Nov. 7, 2013

Center Club/Casa Primavera's 54th Annual Open House 

 1 to 4 p.m. 

 Center Club/Casa Primavera 

31 Bowker Street 

Boston, MA 02114 

617-788-1000

Awards Ceremony 

Refreshments 

Formal program begins at 2 p.m. 

Now Available 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Training Calendar

Please click on the link below to register.

Suicide Prevention Events Calendar

When registering for a workshop, please note that each event has tabs titled with information regarding the workshop, available CEs and cost.   

Space is very limited for each workshop and fills up quickly, so please register early.

 Upcoming Trainings from The Bridge Training Institute

Click here for the complete 2013-2014 training calendar.

Training Institute events are held at the DoubleTree Hotel which is wheelchair accessible to people with mobility limitations. If accommodations such as ASL interpreters or visual aids are needed, please contact Stephen Murphy at:

stevem@thebridgecm.org 

or 508-755-0333 three weeks in advance of the training date.

Upcoming Workshops at the Center for Professional Innovation 

(formerly Community Program Innovations) 

 CPI offers continuing education for mental health and healthcare professionals and educators, holding day-long workshops throughout Massachusetts on clinical and management topics. Trainings are held in Billerica, Foxborough and Springfield. To view the complete schedule and to register visit  

 http://bridgewellcpi.org   

All facilities are wheelchair accessible. If accommodations such as ASL interpreters or visual aids are needed, email:info@BridgewellCPI.org 

 or call  339-883-2118.

 Click here for the Transformation Center website and all the latest information and events happening throughout the mental health community.   

Please send your event information to

  Michelle Cormier Tallman

by the 15th of each month for publication in DMH Connections

DMH Deaf/HOH Services Celebrates 25 Years

DMH celebrated the 25th anniversary of providing specialized Deaf/Hard of hearing/Deafblind Services in a DMH state hospital.  The celebration was held Sept. 26 at the current location of Deaf Services, the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital (WRCH) as the country observed Deaf Awareness Month in September.

Members of the Deaf and hard of hearing community gathered at WRCH conference center with Commissioner Marcia Fowler, WRCH Chief Operating Officer Anthony Riccitelli and Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Deputy Commissioner Ford to celebrate our support of and commitment to DMH's unique and critical Deaf Services.

"And where we are today has much to do with the partnership and collaboration among Deaf community members, Deaf professionals and their hearing allies. Everyone came together, a need was identified, a task force established and people got to work. This is a terrific example of sharing responsibility and taking positive action," said Commissioner Fowler. 

Massachusetts is a leader in providing appropriate services for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals with human services needs and especially those living with serious mental illness. Some examples are Deaf accessible domestic violence services run by volunteers and a Deaf-specific wraparound service. And DMH offers specialized CBFS services, has Deaf case managers and recently opened a Deaf/hard of hearing specialized respite program. 

The event was organized by Lucille Traina, DMH Director of Community Projects and Initiatives, Central Office; Jésus Remigio, Communication Specialist, Deaf Services, WRCH; with lots of help from many others. Emceed by Jésus, the event captured the spirit of the Deaf community and celebrated the deep community and family involvement, collaboration and partnership that have become hallmarks of this pioneering program. 

Commissioner Fowler honored several individuals at the celebration including Sherry Zitter and Kim Grebert, both former DMH Deaf Unit Directors in its early days. Both spoke about the challenges of such a new and unique venture. Dr. Neil Glickman, Jackie Woodside and Bill Olivier, previous Unit Directors, were also recognized for their contributions.

Commissioner Fowler also presented a citation to Sue Jones, pictured left, Rehabilitation Counselor, Deaf Services, WRCH. Sue began her association with the DMH Deaf Unit nearly 19 years ago as an interpreter. Before long she was taking on other tasks that supported the daily operation of the unit. After she earned her master's degree and began to focus on rehabilitation counseling for people living with serious mental illness, she was quickly drawn back into providing treatment within Deaf services. A champion of the person-centered, evidence-based approach to skills development, Sue is passionate about her work helping patients and staff to understand one another and advocates tirelessly for maintaining a culturally affirmative service. 

Michael Krajnak (Mikey), former Communication Specialist for the Deaf services unit, was also honored for his unique contributions. He pioneered the Communication Specialist position and is well known and appreciated for the hundreds of drawings he made to enhance communication with patients. These lively figures are used by many today.

Marilyn Levin, a former DMH staff person, was honored for her hard work and tenacity on the task force 25 years ago that brought to fruition the Deaf services unit. 

Click here to view all the photos from this event on the DMH Connections Photo Gallery.

DMH Staff Participate in Veterans

Policy Academy

By Russell Pierce

Director, DMH Office of Recovery and Empowerment

Representatives from DMH were part of a statewide team to begin a dialogue on how best to serve veterans from all eras and their families at a recent U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Policy Academy focused on services members, veterans and their families last month. DMH staff included Commissioner Marcia Fowler, who co-led the Academy; DMH Assistant Commissioner for Forensic Services Debra Pinals, M.D; and Director of the DMH Office of Recovery and Empowerment Director Russell Pierce.  

DMH joined a diverse Massachusetts team that included an array of agencies and departments representing education, the judiciary, veteran's affairs, labor, public health, national guard, University of Massachusetts Medical School, the National Guard Family Program and the Mission Direct Vet Diversion Program. The overall goal of the SAMHSA Service Members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF) Policy Academy process is to strengthen statewide behavioral health care systems and services for military veterans through ongoing collaboration at the federal, state and local levels.

Among the themes were: infrastructure and leadership; needs assessment, data and information sharing; service system design and best practice integration; workforce development and capacity building; and financing and sustainability. It is known that veterans and their families often have challenges accessing services and that far too many are turned away because of less-than-honorable discharge. Another factor that often impedes access to services is stigma and discrimination among peer-veterans. 

Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services Secretary Coleman Nee, who served as co-lead for the Policy Academy, noted that we as Americans have an obligation to assist our military veterans because of their extraordinary sacrifice. There is a social contract that we must uphold with professionalism and excellence, as part of the Massachusetts mission statement developed and refined at the Academy. The final day of the Academy began and ended with remarks by Kathryn Power, SAMHSA regional director, sharing with the group that health care is a critical issue and urged states to keep an eye on how healthcare reform might impact veterans and their families.

The work of the Academy is not over and the process calls for developing a state-specific strategic plan. Both Academy co-leads Commissioner Fowler and Secretary Nee noted that Massachusetts is well underway in this arena, given its history of providing services and supports to military veterans, and will continue to sustain that momentum on behalf of military veterans and their families.

By Craig Lewis, CPS 

and Chuck Weinstein, CPS

My name is Craig Lewis and I would like to share with you an amazing experience that I recently had. I am a Certified Peer Specialist and a Master Facilitator in Peer Support, Whole Health and Resiliency, working for Bay Cove Human Services as well as being a part of the DMH workforce. I am also the writer of the recently published "Better Days: A Mental Health Recovery Workbook" and I am a person with lived experience in recovery.

In September of 2012, I discussed with my friend and fellow peer professional Chuck Weinstein the idea of going on a speaking tour of Eastern Canada. In April this year, I found myself with Chuck driving toward the Canadian border. We began a six-day visit to Canada with the purpose of giving three presentations in three different cities: Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The presentation was titled "Punk Rock, Mental Illness and Recovery." It is the story of my life up to this moment and of my recovery--a memoir of a life of chronic dysfunction and unhappiness transformed into a life of successfully managing my struggles while working as a peer mental health counselor and being happy, stable and well. Paramount to the fullness and richness of my story, I must include my lifetime experience of being a punk rocker.

Being a punk rocker with a mental health condition is actually quite a common occurrence in this community. Sadly, the punk rock scene (or community, as I prefer to call it) often nurtures dysfunctional behavior, substance use and supports for a person such as myself, who was chronically unwell, to wallow in my dysfunction, which resulted in my lack of a decent quality of life. There are also a lot of great things about the punk rock community: radical acceptance, individualism, egalitarianism, camaraderie, anti-authoritarianism, sincerity and a passion to fight against the status quo. However, while nothing in life is perfect, punk rock saved my life one more time than it almost killed me.

All three of the speaking events were wonderfully organized and promoted and each venue was packed to capacity. Two of the events were set up by people that I had never met before and all of the organizing was based on trusting each other and the commonality that we shared which was being a punk rocker with mental health challenges. The events were attended by punk rockers, activists, social workers, peer specialists, family members, people in recovery, people in despair and allies.

I spoke at an independent punk rock club Katacombes, the Raw Sugar Cafe and at Magpie Tavern. Each talk was extremely powerful yet emotionally and physically exhausting for me. I spoke for approximately 60 minutes each night followed by a question and answer session. People in the audience appeared to hang onto my every word and there were times when I cried and they cried as well. I finished each talk by shouting out "oi! oi! oi! Recovery is Real" and the reaction of the audience was beyond incredible. People applauded for what seemed to go on forever. On that Friday afternoon, I joined Chuck with a presentation on the success of the Recovery Learning Community models of Massachusetts and the importance of establishing a paid Peer workforce to the staff of St. Stephens Community House, their Housing and Homeless Services Teams, in Toronto.

All of the events were smashing successes! During this trip I was interviewed on the CBC (the NPR of Canada) live on air which was an amazing experience. I was also interviewed on the radio at McGill University in Montreal as well as another independent radio station in Ottawa. I connected with "my people" in a way that many of them had never experienced before and I helped them see through my eyes that recovery was possible and this was a healing experience for all of us. I made friends on this speaking tour that I will probably have forever. This was a life changing experience and I am grateful for being able to go to Canada and tell my story. Chuck and I were invited back and we are already planning on an expanded stay and to return to Canada next June. I have just published a workbook called "Better Days," and edited a soon-to-be published compilation book of stories by people from the punk rock community who are impacted by mental health and addictions issues entitled, "You're Crazy," so my sights are on more speaking tours, with the goal of taking the presentations overseas.

The reason why I am sharing my experiences with you in this issue of DMH Connections is that I am living proof that people with a mental health condition can get better. Recovery is possible for everyone regardless of your past experiences. I believe it is my mission to spread the word of recovery and help "my people" and help the recovery movement grow. We all deserve to know that we can get better. I am doing my part to help my peers and I am having a blast doing it.

"Oi! oi! oi! Recovery is Real!"

Craig Lewis can be contacted at: betterdaysrecovery@gmail.com

Click here to listen to Craig's Interviews

The Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC) community honored one of their own recently. Linda Larson, a long time member of the MMHC ommunity as a service recipient, advocate, writer, among other roles, was recognized with the dedication of a conference room in her name at 75 Fenwood Road. Linda is a gifted writer and poet and the author of two volumes of poetry. In her writing, she advocated for MMHC and her compelling words were heard, and because of them, the MMHC has continued its long tradition of providing services to the community.

Ms. Larson has been a member of the Citizen's Advisory Board, and has remained very active in the community. Her commitment to the Center has been deeply valued. The words on the plaque dedicating the room say it all: "This room is dedicated to Linda Larson - A poet, writer and activist whose efforts were vital to the preservation and rebuilding of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center."

Honoring the many contributions and advocacy of Linda Larson, second from left, are Laura Rood, MMHC Director; DMH Metro Boston Area Director Patty Kenny; and DMH Deputy Commissioner, Mental Health Services Clifford Robinson.

This summer, several staff from DMH visited Daybreak Clubhouse on Martha's Vineyard. Julie Fay, Executive Director at Martha's Vineyard  Community Services, escorted Deputy Commissioner Cliff Robinson, Metro Boston Area Director Patty Kenny, Southeast Area Director Buddy Baker-Smith and Metro Boston Area Medical Director David Hoffman, M.D. to their Clubhouse, where they met with several members pictured here. Members showed off their garden where some of the fresh vegetables and herbs were picked to add to the lunch that was prepared by the members during the visit.

Access photos of all DMH events at the DMH Photo Gallery on Shutterfly

If you have photos from a DMH event that you would like featured as photo of the month or on our photo site, please send them to Michelle Cormier Tallman 

DMH Connections