News from Pathway Homes, Inc.April 2014
In This Issue
Pathways ranks 14th on the 50 Best NonProfits to Work for 2014 List
Girl Scout Service Unit 54-14 Bonds through Service
Fond Farewell: Daniel Newstrom
Annual Employee Recognition
Summer of the Arts Returns
In Her Own Words: In Harmony
Hair Cuttery Helps Residents Look Good
Pathways Back in the Donation Pick-up Business
A Closer Look at Stigma in Mental Health
Written Works of Kathy Watson
Reverend McKenzie Goes to Richmond
Green Pathways: Green-up your April
Pathways Family Group Takes on Medications and Health
Pathways Briefs
 Pathways ranks 14th on the 50 Best NonProfits to Work For 2014 List
 

Pathway Homes is proud to announce it ranked number 14 on the 2014 Best Non Profit Organizations to Work For list!  The award program is sponsored by The Nonprofit Times and Best Companies Group (BCG), which utilizes a nationwide survey to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the nonprofit industry in the United States.

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Girl Scout Service Unit 54-14 Bonds Through Service
  
Girl Scout Troop leaders bring welcome bags to Pathways
Troop Leaders Gloria Desrochers and Evangline Barr deliver welcome bags.
  
For more than a decade, the local Girl Scout Service Unit 54-14 has donated essential items to Pathway Homes for the annual Holiday Gift Program. 

  

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Fond Farewell

 

cherry blossoms
Pathway Homes remembers Daniel Newstrom, a man passionate about cars and guitars.
  

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"Happy" Was This Year's Theme at The Annual Employee Recognition Event
  
On March 28th, Pathway Homes honored our staff and volunteers during the Annual Employee Recognition event held at PJ Skidoos in Fairfax.

Calvin Marks is recognized for 25 years of service with Pathway Homes
Calvin Marks is recognized for 25 years of service with Pathway Homes.

  

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Summer of the Arts Returning for 2nd Year 
  
Summer of the Arts 2014
 
Pathway Homes inaugural Summer of the Arts Exhibit was such a great hit last year that we will be putting it on again this year. We hope to double the number of participating artists exhibiting this year!
 Technology for the Times
Campaign Update
IT Campaign thermometer     
$280,744 raised so far! 
Thanks to the generosity of Capital One Bank, the Maximus Foundation and an anonymous patron, Pathway Homes will be opening up a Resident Computer Training Center in June!
 
Quick Links...

Dr. Sylisa Lambert-Woodard    

 

As I followed the political rhetoric coming out of Richmond in the last legislative session, I was particularly interested in Virginia's examination of Medicaid expansion and what it means for individuals with mental illness and, in particular, those individuals falling in the coverage gap between current Medicaid eligibility and private market subsidies.

 

A bit of background, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed, it included a provision that provided Medicaid coverage for adults between ages 18 and 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL).  It also included a tax credit for individuals with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the FPL to buy private insurance plans in the marketplace.

 
When ACA passed, it said that the federal government would pay states all of the costs for newly eligible people for the first three years and no less than 90 percent of future costs.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that state Medicaid expansion was voluntary.  To date, Virginia has opted not to expand this coverage.

 

Without expansion, individuals who make more than 100 percent of FPL ($11,490 per year) can buy a private health insurance plan in the marketplace for lower costs based on income.  Ironically, if you make less than $11,490 a year you may not qualify for lower costs based on your income and family size and without expansion, you may not qualify for Medicaid either.    This is referred to as the coverage gap.

 

According to the Virginia Health Care Foundation, almost 60 percent of low-income uninsured Virginian adults had an unmet need for care in the last year because of the financial difficulty of paying for health care.  Recent health reforms mandate that insurance plans cover mental health and substance abuse at parity and they must cover anyone with a pre-existing condition.  These factors were barriers to coverage for individuals with a mental illness prior to passage of ACA.  For individuals with the ability to access this coverage through the marketplace or Medicaid, these reforms have a significant positive impact.  Unfortunately, many of those most in need do not have this access.  As the general assembly reconvenes on April 23, 2014, it must take action to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.

 

Sincerely,
Sylisa Lambert-Woodard, EdD, LCSW, LSATP, MAC
President and CEO
In Her Own Words: In Harmony

  Aida Janet Pitot

By: Aida Janet Pitot

   

My name is Aida Janet Pitot and I was born in Peru, and in a few months I will be a United States Citizen. Please accept my humble testimony of what Pathway Homes means to me personally and professionally.


I have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disease. In addition to taking daily medication, I meet monthly and sometimes weekly with a psychiatrist and a social worker at the Mental Health Center. My Pathway Homes case manager works with me as I take these steps to manage my symptoms.
 

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Consumers wait for a haircut at Hair Cuttery.
Ladies from a Pathways home in Springfield wait their turn at the local Hair Cuttery.
Trimmed, Clipped and Blown Dry: Pathway Homes Residents Looking Good

   

On February 17th, Hair Cuttery generously donated 500 Hair Cuttery coupons for a shampoo, condition, cut, blow dry and iron finish to individuals served by Pathway Homes. These coupons were distributed to all residents in February to be used by April 15th. 

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Thank You Van Fund Donors: Pathways Back in the Donation Pick-Up Business

 

Pathways' new box truck

Pathway Homes greatly appreciates the generous contributions we received in response to our call for help when the van we use to pick up donations broke down.  You were so generous that we were able to replace it with a box truck!  

  

A Closer Look at Stigma in Mental Health

 

Stigma: Let's cut it out
Photo courtesy: Len Matthews via Flickr.

By: Eleanor Vincent, EdD, CSAC

 

Virginia Tech, D.C. Navy Yard, and now Fort Hood - all three immediately bring to mind the memory of innocent bystanders besieged by someone with a gun and a mental illness.  These stories not only feed the media frenzy for sensational news, they usually focus on the person with the mental illness who is invariably painted as someone to be feared and locked away, without looking at the real cost to both the victims and perpetrators of these crimes.

Written Works of Pathways Accomplished Writer Kathy Watson
Notebook with writings
 
Pathways resident, and accomplished writer, Kathy Watson, shares her very personal take on Hope, Recovery, the importance of having your needs met, and the complicated facets of "anger."

VA State Capitol Building Reverend McKenzie Goes to Richmond

  

During Virginia's winter legislative session, Reverend Jennifer McKenzie, Pathway Homes Board of Directors Vice-Chair, made her presence known in the halls of the Capitol in Richmond.  She met with and ably educated several lawmakers on opportunities to reform and support mental health services in the state.

Green Pathways Green-up Your April!

5 Fun Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

   

Our area has a wide variety of Earth Day activities that make caring for the planet fun for all ages.  Green Pathways offers you our top five ways to get involved.

Pathways Family Group takes on Medications and Health

 

Pathway Homes' Family Group Logo

The Family Group came together again on February 26 to hear Pathways' own Lexi Gaber, Director of Nursing at Stevenson Place, break down the relationship between some of the most commonly prescribed medications for the population we serve and their physical health.

  

Pathways Briefs: In Other News