GATEWAY NEWS
A PUBLICATION OF THE GATEWAY CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD
Mack B., Cheryl C., Lorie C., Melvin G., Marsha H., Shelia M.,
John K., Sandra M., Octavia W. & Michael L.
Facilitator: MaryAnn Bozenski, & Editor: Darlene Johnson
Table of Contents
2. Erasing Stigma
3. Today’s Top Story
4. DWMHA Advocacy Meetings
Editor: Darlene Johnson
5. Health & Wellness
6. Gateway News
7. The Fairies of the Glistening Lake
8. Getting Back to the Basics
9. What makes my day?
- Recovery Story
- Nature Designs Flowers
10. Disclaimer
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ERASING STIGMA
WE SEE IT ON THE NEWS
OH WHAT NEGATIVE REVIEWS
WHAT A TALE THEY SPIN
WHILE THEY FOCUS IN
ON THE HARM THAT WAS DONE
MINIMIZING BATTLES WON
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE OVERLOOKED
SUCCESS STORIES ARE SELDOM BOOKED
ON THE AFTERNOON OR EVENING NEWS
WHERE WE ARE BOMBARDED WITH THEIR VIEWS
ON THE DANGERS OF MENTAL ILLNESS
AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MENTALLY ILL
WHAT TRAGEDY HAS TAKEN PLACE
WHO CAN WE FIND TO BLAME
NOT HOW CAN WE HELP YOU
LIVE THE LIFE YOU DESERVE
FIND THE PEACE YOU NEED
TODAY’S TOP STORY-
WHAT WILL IT BE?
By: MaryAnn Bozenski
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Today’s top story- What will it be? Will the top story be about another life lost to murder and
mayhem? Will it be a recovery story? What does the public want? What do they really care about? Do they
want to know that most people diagnosed with a mental illness are not dangerous? Do they want to know that
people diagnosed with a mental illness are often victimized? That they need our support and understanding
and that people diagnosed with mental illness deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Those of us who
have lived experience with mental illness need to speak out and educate the community and individuals who
believe the myths and mistruths about mental illness. Together we can make a difference, one day at a time,
one story at a time.
MaryAnn Bozenski
“SELF DETERMINATION MAKES”
“RECOVERY POSSIBLE”
I never wanted to accept the truth about my self, the fact that I suffered with a mental illness. It was easier for me to
say that I was a drug addict. I used drugs for 20 years and because of my drug use my parents, wife, children, friends
and siblings distanced themselves from me. I had been in and out of treatment programs and prison for 15 years.
I would complete a drug treatment program and celebrate by getting high. Every time I went to prison it was due to
my addiction. My family had gotten fed up with me, my wife divorced me and my children only tolerated me because
they felt sorry for me. I had been homeless for 8 years living on the streets of Detroit in abandoned houses, under the
freeway and several homeless shelters. A counselor from NSO signed me up for a housing voucher through a state
program called HARP. This program is for people who were considered chronically homeless and who suffered with a
mental illness. I didn’t consider my self mentally ill but if it was going to find me housing I‘d play crazy. Little did I
know that I actually suffered with a mental illness.
In the winter of 2009 a housing specialist called my parents and told them that I had been selected for section 8. My
mother told the case manager she would tell me if I called her. I contacted my mother to say happy birthday. She told
me to contact NSO. They were looking for me. I contacted the case manager at NSO and found out I had been
selected for a section 8 homeless voucher. I’ve been in my own place for 5 years. Having my own place brought
stability in my life and with stability came peace of mind. I started reducing my use of hard drugs and avoided friends
that used crack. I started Bible studying with Jehovah Witnesses and found a part time job. I have been seeing a
mental health professional at the VA center and I have accepted the fact that I have a mental illness as well as a drug
problem. Today I have accepted that I suffer with a mental illness and that using drugs was my way of escaping
reality. Today I don’t hide behind a mask and I’m not embarrassed about my circumstance. I’m grateful and hopeful
today because I’ve found peace. Calvin F.
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The ADVOCACY MEETINGS
Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority
The ADVOCACY MEETINGS
Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority: These consumer-led meetings are
designed to engage and educate a broad base of community stakeholders around
Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority activities and conversations. We want to
include community, church, civic, business, school, and judicial members for these
meetings, to ensure that all voices are represented. Detroit Wayne Mental Health
Authority also encourages those with disabilities to participate.
2015 Meeting Calendar
Date
Friday, April 10, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
August
Friday, September 11, 2015
Friday, October 9, 2015
Friday, November 13, 2015
December
Location
Gathering Place Clubhouse, Lincoln Behavioral
Services, 24425 Plymouth Rd., Redford, MI
48239
The Guidance Center
13101 Allen Road, Southgate, MI 48195
Arab-American Chaldean Council
62 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit, MI 48203
Northeast Guidance Center
2900 Conner Ave., Detroit, MI 48215
No meeting
Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority 640
Temple, Detroit, MI 48201
Services To Enhance Potential- (S.T.E.P.) Detroit
4700 Beaufait, Detroit, MI 48207
TBD
No meeting
Meetings will take place from 11:00 AM -2:00PM
Please RSVP your plans to attend with Robert Spruce at 313-833-2196 or via email at
rspruce @dwmha.com or Michael Shaw at 313-833-2310 or [email protected]
*Please contact the event organizers seven days in advance to make arrangements.
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How Music Can Improve Your Health
Everyone knows the soothing effect of listening to your favorite song. But until recently, there was little
scientific evidence to support its effectiveness in helping to combat specific health problems.
A growing body of research has found that music can affect key areas of the brain that regulate specific
physiological functions necessary for good health. The best choice of music and the time spent listening
depends on an individual’s needs and taste.
Can your medical conditions improve by listening to music?
What to do: Observe how you respond to different types of music. Match your state of mind to the tempo
and dynamics. Example: If you are agitated, listen to something with a strong, fast beat, and then
gradually switch to slower and softer music. This can reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
Insomnia, how music helps: Soft, restful music can act as a sedative by reducing the amount of the
stress-related neurotransmitter noradrenaline that circulates in the bloodstream.
Scientific Evidence: Sixty people ages 60 to 83 who reported sleep difficulties took part in a study at Tzu
Chi General Hospital in Taiwan. After three weeks, researchers found a 35% improvement in sleep
quality, length of sleep, and daytime dysfunction. The most effective types of music used in the study
were new age, harp, classical and smooth jazz.
Referenced: Suzanne B. Hanser, EdD, at Berklee College of Music in Boston and past president of the National Association
for Music Therapy and current president of the World Federation of Music Therapy. Also a research associate
at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, also in Boston, where
she investigates medical applications of music therapy. www.BottomlinePublications.com.
Health and Wellness: Marsha Hall
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GATEWAY COMMUNITY HEALTH
My name is Kristie Schmiege and I am the new Senior Director of Administration at Gateway Community
Health. In my brief 3 month tenure, coming from Flint and Genesee County I have fallen in love with this
proud, diverse city and county! Detroit and Wayne County are truly experiencing their renaissance – now!
However, those with severe mental illness or a co-occurring mental and substance use disorder, more
than ever need our support to live the lives they deserve. I am pleased to join Gateway’s team and readily
stand behind our mission, vision and values tenets of: respect, dignity, quality of life, evidence based
strategies, promoting self-determination, clinically appropriate care and community integration.
A little about what I bring to the table: I earned a masters degree from the University of Michigan, School
of Public Health in Ann Arbor. I have thirty years of experience in publicly funded prevention, treatment
and recovery service delivery, managed care and administration of addiction, mental health, public health
and integrated physical and behavioral healthcare. My emphasis is on quality, integrity and collaboration.
Need is great and our task is large, thus it is important that we work together in an interdisciplinary
manner with funders, providers, other managed care entities and additional community partners toward
our common, collective objectives.
I have extensive board, committee and task force experience in Genesee County, statewide and at the
national/international levels. I am currently a member of the Michigan Department of Community
Health’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council and Transformation Steering Committee focusing on a
statewide Recovery Oriented System of Care. I am current Treasurer of the Michigan Certification Board
for Addiction Professionals, chairperson of the Credentialing Services and Peer Recovery Committees for
the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium and former president of the Michigan
Association of Substance Abuse Coordinating Agencies among other leadership roles. I look forward to
working with all of you!
Sincerely,
Kristie R. Schmiege, MPH, ICADC, CPC-M
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The Fairies of the Glistening Lake
By John Kelly February, 2015
With wings of shimmering iridescence
Of magic of no absence
Floating through the mistful ether
Giving the water, itself a humorous blur
With bodies of water, air and magic
Born of everything beautiful, good and cosmic
They exist in cold, in heat, and never fool
Always doing good to the unsuspecting, never to be cruel
Granting wishes always to man
Never letting anyone be overrun
Are hiding from the sight of everyone
Never letting their magic be undone
The Fairies of the Glistening Lake talked to me one day
Wishing upon me never to be cliché
I write this poem to convey to you, to ever stay true in writing
Magic, fairies, and writing are real
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Getting Back to The Basics
By: Mrs. Gay Dawson
In today’s society we have gotten away from interacting with one another face to face. We use electronic
devices like smart phones, face book, texting and other forms of communication. We have gotten away
from using basic social skills, like being polite, courteous and having patience with one another. We eat so
often at fast food restaurants that traditional family dinners are usually reserved for holidays or on
Sundays. Many young people today lack basic etiquette manners. If they were invited to dine at a five
star dining establishment many young people would not recognize a proper place setting, what utensil to
use when eating certain selections on their dinner plate, the proper way to greet dinner guests, reading a
menu and so on.
What is Etiquette? According to Webster, etiquette is a display of high moral standards and acceptable
social norms. One who has been trained to socialize with the elite of our society, who has been groomed
for a certain position in society, one with stellar intellect, grace and poise.
Etiquette class is not just the setting of a table. It starts with an invite to the table. Your thank you and please
lets an individual know a little about your social behavior. Let’s put down the cell phone and talk with one
another. The purpose of the table is to break bread by having a dialogue with one another.
Etiquette is a universal standard of one’s personal conduct. Teaching acceptable social behavior is essential
in today’s society. Let’s set a standard that it’s ok to smile – it’s ok to help your fellow man – Let’s set a
standard that we will react slowly and speak with kindness, that’s a standard that will bring us back to the table
with compassion for one another.
Etiquette is a standard of conduct that needs to be practiced and role modeled by all. Set your table today for
dinner and invite your family to the table for more than a meal. Let’s get back to the basics. Let’s sit down and
communicate with one another.
If you’re interested in learning more about basic etiquette and social behavior feel free to contact me at (313)
522-8426 for further details.
Mrs. Gay Dawson
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To begin your recovery you must believe in your recovery. If you don’t you won’t be able to
accomplish anything. Being in recovery means you have to endure the challenges that life has in
store for you. Life is not bowl of cherries. Some days you might feel weary but you must reach
within your self for strength to face life’s daily challenges. When I need help I seek out the help of
agencies like Goodwill Industry, North Central & Gateway Community Health. I have my family,
friends and others that help me. I have challenges daily because of my mental illness but with God’s
help and my extended support system I feel I can make it. Shelia Massey
Simply Said
By: Melvin Giles
I SMILE
BECAUSE I’M
HAPPY
On January 10, 2015 members at A Place of Our Own
Club house went to Universal Mall to see a movie. After
the movie I decide to do a little shopping at Target
store. I needed a scarf but couldn’t find one in Target’s
men’s department so I thought to myself check out the
women’s department and to my surprise I found a lovely
scarf. Today was a good day for me.
“God”
What he’s done for me.
How Nature Designs Flowers:
Now nature uses the sun, wind, rain and the
soil to create flowers. Flowers come in
various colors, shapes and petal designs. The
petal designs are oval, round, layered and
star shaped. When you see a flower
garden or walk through a park you will see
roses, tulips, daises, violets, esters, mornings,
mums, sweet peas, narcissuses, carnations,
jonquils, lilies of the valley, glories,
gladioluses, lark spurs and calendula. They
are the most beautiful flowers of the earth.
Lorie Cox
God has helped me with a lot of problems
as well as sorrow that I’ve endured. He’s
been there when none of my so called
friends were able to understand what I
was going through and the heart break
along with the pain I felt while I was
growing- up. Everybody wanted me to be
like them but I knew God had created me
for different reasons and I’m still learning
more about myself through my Faith in
God. God also makes me stronger and
gives me unending love and hope for a
better future then other people can.
Lorie Cox
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By: Melvin Giles
GATEWAY CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD
Lorie
Cox
NEWSLETTER
Beverly
Morton
Mission Statement



Provide a voice for persons with mental illness
Decrease stigma
Provide information and increase awareness about
recovery from mental illness
IF YOU HAVE AN INSPIRING RECOVERY STORY
YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE AND HAVE
PUBLISHED IN THIS NEWSLETTER
CONTACT:
Darlene Johnson at (313)309 -4410 or E-Mail:
[email protected]
The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual
writers and not necessarily the opinions of Gateway Community Health.
Disclaimer
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