1. No category

PATHways
Newsletter of NAMI QUEENS/NASSAU and NAMI NASSAU AFFILIATES
June/July 2011
The Zucker Hillside Hospital
In this issue…
Sloman Auditorium
76 Avenue & 266 Street
Glen Oaks, NY
7:30 p.m.
(Caring & Sharing at 6:00 P.M.)
JUNE 15, 2011
Demystifying Medicaid: How to Get Benefits
and Keep Them
JOHN ALLEN, Special Assistant to the
Commissioner, NYS Office of Mental Health
John Allen is a well-known expert on Medicaid and
regularly gives two-day trainings on the topic around
the state. You won’t want to miss this very special
opportunity to find out the latest about Medicaid and get all your questions
answered about how to get and keep your benefits.
JULY 20, 2011
HALI: Peer Run, Peer Driven, Peer Success
EURAINA BARNES, Program Coordinator, & DENNIS FEUERSTEIN,
PROS Intake Coordinator, for HALI Queens/Long Island
Hear all about the latest happenings at Hands Across Long Island, which has
now expanded into Queens. HALI is the largest and most successful peer-run
multiservice mental health agency in NYS, serving over 3,500 clients. Hear
all about its transition into a PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented
Services) service, bringing together rehabilitation, support, and clinical
services into one plan that supports a person’s goals and hopes.
From the President:
Creating a New Openness
About Mental Illness
Page 3
Stigma in the ER
Page 4
Long Island/Queens
NAMIWalks 2011—A True
Celebration
Pages 5—7
In Our Own Voice
NAMI Queens/Nassau Members
Make Their Voice Heard
Page 8
Ryan Medicaid Block Grant
Would Adversely Affect Those
with Disabilities
Page 9
A Perfect Day: Beautiful Art,
Delicious Food
Page 10
All Federal Benefits to be Paid
Electronically
Page 11
Friendship Network Bowl
Page 12
New-Onset Psychosis Link to
Fake Pot
Page 13
Support Group Listing
Page 14
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
NAMI QUEENS/NASSAU
1981 Marcus Ave., Suite C117
Lake Success, NY 11042
516-326-0797 or 718-347-7284
Fax 516-437-5785
Email: [email protected] or
[email protected]
Page
NAMI Queens/Nassau Donation & Membership Form
Yes! I want to join NAMI Queens/Nassau to receive useful information
and to help improve conditions for those with mental illness. I will receive
newsletters from NAMI Queens/Nassau, NAMI, and NAMI-NYS.
MEMBERSHIP DUES:
$40 Individual
$50 Family
$60 Professional
$5 Consumer
(A portion of the dues goes to NAMI and NAMI-NYS)
Website: www.namiqn.org
ADDITIONAL DONATION:
Officers
Janet Susin
President
Al Dunlop
1st Vice President
Larry Kenny
2nd Vice President
Ted Vecchio
Treasurer
Louise Slater
Secretary
Board Members
Sondra Cohen, Richard
DeMartino, Charlotte Driver,
Arnold Gould, Lorraine Kaplan,
Linda Manzo, S. Raghavendran,
Estelle Reichman, Elizabeth
Reilly, Janet Reilly, Neil Slater,
Ruth Wolosoff
Honorary Board Members
Pearl & Israel Lindenbaum
Newsletter Staff
Janet Susin
Editor
Maureen Josel
Typing, Layout & Design
Opinions expressed in PATHways
do not necessarily reflect the
views of NAMI Queens/Nassau or
any affiliated organization, and we
cannot attest to their accuracy.
NAMI Quee ns/Na ssau , an
affiliate of the National Alliance
on Mentally Illness and NAMI/
NYS, gratefully acknowledges the
continuing support of the FLB
Foundation
TOTAL:
Name
Address
City
State
Zip
Phone Number
E-Mail Address
DONATION IN MEMORY OR HONOR OF (please indicate by circling)
Name of honoree or decedent:
Name of person to be notified of your gift:
Address
City
State
Zip
Please send form and check made payable to NAMI Queens/Nassau, 1981
Marcus Avenue, Suite C117, Lake Success, NY 11042.
Nassau County NAMI Affiliates Meeting Info
Affiliate
Location
Date/Time
Contact
NAMI LAMP/
SW Nassau
Peninsula Counseling
Center
50 W. Hawthorne Ave,
Room 211
Valley Stream
2nd Wed. of Month
6:30 p.m. Support
7:30—9:00 p.m.
Sydelle Wolfsohn
(516) 623-7871
NAMI Long Island
Regional Council, Inc.
North Shore University
Hospital
888 Old Country Rd.
Plainview
NAMI North Shore
North Shore Hospital
Building 400, Rm. 74
Community Drive
3rd Thursdays
7:00 p.m. Support
7:30 p.m. Business
8:00 p.m. Speaker
3rd Tuesday
7:30 p.m.
Barbara Roth
(516) 694-7327
Al Dunlop
(516) 671-3957
South Oaks NAMI
South Oaks Hospital
400 Sunrise Highway
Amityville
4th Thursdays
7:00—9:00 p.m.
Una Ward
(631) 264-4000
Ext. 1-2004
NAMI Nassau University Medical Center
2201 Hempstead Tpke.
East Meadow
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m.
Elsa Perez, CSW
(516) 572-6888
2
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page
3
From the President
Creating a New Openness About Mental Illness
By JANET SUSIN, President
No question that this is a time of high
anxiety. The unemployment rate is high,
gas prices are soaring and the political
rhetoric is toxic. What’s more, everyone
seems determined to cut the deficit, and
many of the plans for deficit reduction
would affect the most vulnerable populations. That’s us!
Cuts to Medicaid threatened
Everyone, of course, has their eyes on
Medicaid, which is seen by the Right as a
bloated entitlement program for the poor
and the disabled that needs to be brought
under control. Never mind that without it
many of our loved ones would be unable to
get treatment and services. Right now the
program is needs-based, but if the deficit
hawks have their way it will become a
block grant, a finite pot of money given to
each state to spend as they see fit. What
would ensue would be a daunting struggle
to get or retain benefits, and in the end
many who need it would be left out in the
cold.
Even if the move to block grant Medicaid is beaten back, we face an uncertain
future as the state moves ahead with its
plans for Medicaid Redesign. We are about
to enter into an era of managed care and
where that leads us no one can say with
any certainty. It may be that there will be
greater accountability with more people
likely to get appropriate care and services.
It may even be that it will be easier for our
loved ones to access integrated medical
care and that psychiatrists and doctors will
actually talk to one another.
On the other hand, it is just as likely that
we’ll be entering an era of severely limited
services and access to medication. Past
experience with managed care has not been
good. With for-profit managed mental
health, far too many of our mental health
dollars have ended up in the pockets of
administrators and bean counters, and providers experienced in working with our
population have been hard to come by.
And while we’re in the worrying mode,
although PROS, which is paid for through
the Medicaid rehabilitation code, seems to
be off to a good start, what will happen if
the Medicaid spigot is turned off and funding for this kind of program is in jeopardy.
What then?
A star and students lead the way
At the same time there are bright spots.
There seems to be a new openness about
mental illness. When a star of Catherine
Zeta-Jones’ magnitude announces to the
world that she’s going into a psychiatric
hospital for a ―touch up‖ we know we’re
making progress. Why, it was even given a
name, treatment for bipolar 2, apparently a
milder former of bipolar with a significant
depressive component.
This openness is echoed in the way kids
in school are becoming not only comfortable about talking about mental illness, but
leading efforts to combat stigma. Under the
inspirational leadership of their social studies teacher at Weber Middle School, Linda
Manzo, they’ve taken on stigmabusting as
a cause. For the second year in a row these
students have been in the vanguard in raising funds for our Jones Beach NAMI
Walk, and signs of their advocacy are all
over the school. Banners with a cartoon
brain, Tootsie Pop sales to raise funds,
passionate letters written to public figures,
bracelets that say ―We’re loud and proud‖
are making their presence felt everywhere
at Weber.
And at a neighboring school in Manhasset, students are stigmabusting in their own
way. They started Neil’s Wheels, an ongoing community service project named in
honor of a former Manhasset high school
lacrosse star, Neil Barber, who has spent
the last ten years of his life hospitalized at
Pilgrim state with schizophrenia. Every
five weeks middle schoolers in Bob Rules’
social studies classes bring in cans of food
to feed the homeless, which are distributed
to food pantries and shelters by Harry Chapin’s Long Island Cares. Students believe
this is an appropriate tribute because they
know that when Neil was at his sickest he
was homeless and went to places like this
to get food.
Although teachers have played a major
role in getting these two efforts off the
ground, an individual high school student
in Fulton County is raising awareness all
by herself. Ashelee McDuffey, a beauty
pageant contestant who has made mental
illness her platform, has written and performed a song to encourage compassion
and understanding for people with mental
illness. Her music video is posted on You
Tube, and she teaches mental illness education classes on Wellness Day at the FondaFultonville High School and to health
classes in the same school. She is truly
amazing!
Joe Pantoliano, featured guest celebrity
for our NAMI Walk
This year, character actor Joe Pantoliano, who won an Emmy for his portrayal
of Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos and is
featured in The Matrix, Momento, and
Risky Business, was our NAMIWalks guest
celebrity. Joe struggles with depression and
has started his own organization to help
create a new openness about mental illness
called No Kidding Me Too,
www.nkme2.org. If you go to his website
you’ll see he’s recruited other actors to
help in his efforts to move mental illness
into the mainstream, including Harrison
Ford, who is featured in a website PSA
saying he wants to make talking about
mental illness ―cool, and sexy, and trendy.‖
I agree. Breast cancer advocates have made
their cause the fashionable thing to support.
Their pink ribbons and promotions are everywhere. Autism too has become a fashionable cause, and parents don’t seem to be
ashamed to talk about their children’s
struggles. Isn’t it time for us to be open
about our cause as well?
Hats off to all these wonderful young
people and Joey Pants and his supporters
who are leading the way. Linda Manzo’s
amazing activist students have it right.
They say they’re speaking out ―Loud and
Proud‖ about mental illness. We should be
doing that too.
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 4
Stigma in the Emergency Room
By NORA WEINERTH
Assistant Commissioner Marsik, Mr.
Pinnaduwa, good afternoon.
I am Nora Weinerth, and I am here to
draw your attention to stigma in the emergency room and to propose a solution. I
am here as an independent advocate.
The problem: Stigma in the emergency
room
A NAMI member, Ruth Wolosoff, described an incident in the newsletter of
NAMI Queens/Nassau. The incident took
place in the ER of a highly regarded hospital on Long Island. Ms. Wolosoff wrote:
As the doctors worked on my husband, who was very ill and in terrible pain, I was frantically dialing my
cell phone, trying to reach family
members and friends who might be
able to help.
A young man, sitting on a stretcher
with a medical staff member standing near him, beseeched me to call
someone for him on my phone, as he
did not have one. Before I had a
chance to answer him, the person
standing next to him, who turned out
to be a medical intern, told me not to
pay any attention to the patient because he was mentally ill.
What can we do to keep such a scenario from happening again?
The solution: A stigmabusting educational mini-campaign
To answer Ms. Wolosoff’s question,
―What can we do to keep such a scenario
from happening again?‖ I propose a simple, practically no-cost approach to lessening stigma in the emergency room: a stigmabusting mini-campaign aimed at emergency room personnel, from the head of
the department to doctors and nurses and
the individuals who empty the waste baskets.
A training program, designed according
to guidelines from DOHMH, should deliver fundamental information about psychiatric illnesses and substance use disorders. The training should have a strong
bias in favor of responding to people with
a psychiatric condition or substance use
disorder with the same consideration and
respect that are accorded to all others with
a medical emergency.
The trainers can be drawn, at no added
cost, from the hospitals’ own departments
of psychiatry. Emergency departments and
DOHMH could partner to design and deliver the training. With DOHMH lending
its weight and prestige to the enterprise,
the education is perhaps likelier for the
antistigma mini-campaign to be implemented.
I envision a training program, beginning
as soon as possible, consisting of a series
of symposia, round tables, and other educational events, held in hospitals with
emergency departments. Educational
events such as talks or round tables could
be planned at practically no cost to the city
or to the hospitals involved.
Although there would be almost no financial cost to DOHMH, your leadership
in the creation of the anti-stigma campaign
could yield real dividends—dividends that
would benefit all users of emergency departments, not solely people with a psychiatric diagnosis or a substance use condition. Consider these benefits, for example:
The benefits: Improved standards of
emergency care for all.
High-quality interactions in the
ER. Substandard behavior towards a few
contributes to the erosion of standards of
acceptable behavior generally. Higherquality emergency room interactions support the goals of ER standards of emergency medical care for all. Unacceptable
conduct towards some people can debase
the quality of emergency care for all others. Training aimed at encouraging correct
behavior towards people with psychiatric
vulnerability, based on learning about the
conditions themselves and the people who
live with them, will foster a culture of respect for others as well. A culture of respect will help improve the chances that
emergency room standards of medical care
will be scrupulously applied to individuals
from other vulnerable groups, such as elderly people, immigrants, poor people, and
others who are socially devalued.
A competitive edge in the ER. At a
time when hospitals compete for patients
by boasting short emergency room waiting
periods (advertised on electronic billboards on highways), word-of- mouth reports about considerate, respectful treatment in the emergency room could give a
competitive edge to a hospital known for
the superior quality of its emergency room
culture.
Refusing an emergency room user the
privilege of a phone call, based on his having a psychiatric condition, might at first
appear to be trivial. It is not. If refused a
simple common courtesy, can a person
with a psychiatric illness who goes to an
emergency room because of chest pains, or
symptoms of appendicitis, or a fracture,
expect to receive decent medical treatment? What other ―privileges‖ could he or
she be refused because of his or her psychiatric status? An EKG? A unit of insulin? Anything else? These are the questions that arise in us, as families, friends,
and advocates, when we fear that a psychiatric diagnosis could compromise the quality of medical care received in an emergency room.
Veterans Hotline
It takes the courage and
strength of a warrior to ask for
help…
If you or someone you know is
in an emotional crisis call
1-800-173-8255 (TALK)
Press 1 for Veterans
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 5
Long Island/Queens NAMIWalks 2011
a True Celebration
By JANET SUSIN
We did it!!! Thank you, thank you, to
all you true believers who came out in
force for NAMIWalks 2011 despite the
prediction of not one, but two
thunderstorms. Yes, the rain gods smiled
on us once again and we got through the
day with barely a drizzle. It felt like a
party! So many people laughing and
smiling and having a great time grooving
to the music, taking pictures with Joey P.,
waving to Dora the Explorer, snacking on
the donated goodies, and all in all enjoying
one another’s company while we waited
for the Walk to start.
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!
As I write this article a day after the
walk we’re just $7,946 short of this year’s
goal of $250,000. So we are well on track
to make our goal!! Thanks to every donor
large and small who got us this far. You’re
the best! Last year we brought in almost
$20,000 between Walk day and the day we
officially closed our books, two months
after the Walk. So it’s not too late to make
a donation and get us to the finish line!
A special thank you to Chrissy
Thornton, NAMIWalks regional manager,
who did so much to keep us all working
hard, motivated, and excited! And thanks
to NAMI for getting us the Sunrise
Premium incentive vacation program. It
really helped keep those donations coming.
This year we had 50 teams raising $1,000
or more, and 18 who raised $2500 or more.
Awesome!
We’ll be giving you final figures about
our top teams in the next newsletter when
all the fundraising is over, but in the
meantime I’d like to acknowledge some of
our special fundraisers:
Hats off to NAMI Queens/Nassau
board members - Janet Reilly, a new
board member, was responsible for getting
us a $25,000 sponsorship from the Ann
Allen Cetrino Family Fund, and her team
raised well over $10,000. Other top board
fundraisers include Angela Babaev,
Lorraine Kaplan, Linda Manzo, Janet
Susin, Ruth Wolosoff, Neil Slater and Ted
Vecchio. The Breaking the Silence super
team alone raised approximately $19,500.
Bravo to Zucker Hillside’s Super
Team – Great job! They set a goal of
$20,000 and went way beyond, turning in
$25,328 on Walk day. Fabulous! And
those Zucker Hillside T-shirts were true
works of art. Congratulations to Jacqueline
Wagner for designing the T-shirt that won
News 12 team was at the Walk all morning
shooting Walk happenings and
interviewing participants.
Young people took the lead in
stigmabusting. Kudos to Linda Manzo’s
incredible middle schoolers who raised
more than $8,000 and charmed us all with
their enthusiasm, their banner with the
cartoon brain on it, and their slogan, Loud
and Proud. NAMI-Huntington reports that
there was anti-stigma student activity at
the Harborfields High School in
Greenlawn in Suffolk County too. One
student alone, Sean Quinn, raised $500 in
his school.
the NAMIWalks T-shirt contest. The
sunburst design with the slogan A brighter
future for mental illness was truly
inspirational.
Kudos to NAMI Westchester –
They joined us for the first time this year
and did a great job of fundraising and
getting sponsors. Lots of checks that were
turned in that day are still to be counted,
but just counting sponsorships and online
contributions they brought in $14,114.
Way to go, Westchester team captains
Fran Belasco, Stamatia Pappas, and Randi
Silverman, and thank you!!
NAMIWalks Heroes – 18 teams
were honored at the Walk for raising over
$2,500. Many raised significantly more. In
addition to those listed above, they include
Gloria Cohen, Jessica Handy, Al Landau,
Kristie Lowenstein, Tara Mandel, Lynne
McGrail, Kaleigh Timmerman, Carol Ann
Viccora, and John Wagner.
WALK HIGHLIGHTS
Two video teams captured Walk
sights and sounds. This year NAMI
national chose our site to be featured in the
2012 NAMIWalks video. Next year it will
go out to the 80 Walk sites around the
country. We will also be featured on
Cablevision’s Neighborhood Journal. A
Congratulations to our newest
Family to Family class for their great
banner, T-shirts and slogan. Make
America Care, NAMIWalks 2011 was
emblazoned on their handsome banner,
and they had T-shirts to match. On the
back, along with the MAC slogan, was a
picture of Congress with little footsteps
leading up to it along with the names of
various mental illnesses. What a fabulous
graphic!
500 pounds of food!! – Thanks to all
of you who remembered to bring a can of
food to the Walk in honor of Neil Barber, a
true NAMIWalks hero and the inspiration
for Neil’s Wheels.
Neilswheelsny.com, Long Island Cares,
tells us that they weighed our contributions
and the weight translates into
approximately 1,000–2,000 cans of food to
help feed those in need, many of whom are
(Continued on page 6)
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 6
Neil’s Wheels Collects Food for Homeless at Walk
Susin and I have received to speak at many new
By GREG BARBER
schools, NAMI is making a huge difference.
NAMI Queens/Nassau does great work in
I thank NAMI for promoting Neil’s Wheels
educating people and raising awareness about
NY. We were able to raise 500 pounds of non
mental illness in the community.
perishable food, which my new partner in
I especially look forward to partnering with
distribution, Long Island Cares, was able to
NAMI as we go to the middle schools and high
distribute to their food pantries. They will
schools to expand our mental illness outreach
promote our efforts, and it is a known fact that
to our next generations while we embrace
many of the hungry families have mental illness,
mental illness awareness.
as one in three homeless people are also
I was really impressed with the Port
suffering from mental illness. I was able to
Washington school for raising so much money
create an alliance with them because of the
and for making such great signs, and for their
NAMI Walk, and Neil’s Wheels NY has many
Neil Barber with father, Greg
enthusiasm. I will be speaking at their school in
new events that they are helping me with.
the fall.
If we all work as one large team, we can make a huge
Coupled with my efforts with Manhasset, St. Peter’s, Rocky
difference.
Point, and Canterbury Prep, and the numerous invitations Janet
Long Island/Queens NAMIWalk...
(Continued from page 5)
homeless and have a mental illness.
What a great Zumba warm-up! Gloria Keyloun, our
IOOV coordinator, had everyone bouncing
enthusiastically to a Latin beat, getting us
ready for the NAMIWalk. If you want to see
what we looked like go to http://youtu.be/
Wd5RoWCFXdE. Gloria will be teaching
Zumba classes for NAMI throughout the
summer. For more information contact
Gloria at [email protected] or go
to www.zumba.com and click on 'find
instructor,‖ where her bio and classes are
listed.
Dora the Explorer paid us a visit Michelle Romano volunteered her time to
come to the Walk. She entertains at kids’ parties. Thank you,
Michelle! http://www.yourlocalkids.com/book/kluelesskunection.htm
I paid for parking – This year we finally found a way to
make people aware that we have to pay $8 per car at Jones
Beach, and if drivers don’t pay, NAMI Queens/Nassau has to
pick up the tab. They count the cars! The I paid for parking
stickers really seemed to do the trick. Thank you for paying the
parking fee so that we don’t have to shoulder that extra expense.
One great band, but the other canceled – Let’s hear it for
Big Daddy and the Bulldogs! They volunteered their time again
this year and they were great. Breakaway canceled at the last
minute because of an injury, so we didn’t have an afternoon
band. Sorry about that!
Lots of food for everyone – Friendly’s served free hot
dogs and sodas. Snacks were donated by
Whole Foods-Manhasset; TargetWestbury; Pat’s Farm-N. Merrick;
Shoprite-Uniondale; Stop & Shop-N.
Bellmore; Waldbaums-East MeadowHicksville; Walgreens-East Meadow;
Fairway, Plainview; BJs-Freeport. Thanks
to Gloria Cohen for getting many of these.
Overcoming adversity – We certainly
had our share of it this year. Not only did
we have the threat of rain, which made it
difficult to put up signs and leave them
overnight, but we were also told that
Walks who have set up the day before have been vandalized
overnight. It was even suggested that we hire a guard! Our
choice was to keep everything locked up on the beach side and
bring things over to the parking lot side in the morning. Leaving
a lot to the morning puts additional pressure on all of us. So
kudos to our intrepid Walk day behind-the-scenes team: Al
Dunlop, Larry Kenny, Cheryl Fischetti, Eugene Volkov, Jessyca
Berkman, Gloria Cohen, Ted Vecchio, Richard De Martino from
State Bank of L.I., Amy Fleischer, Annie Nicosia, Maureen Josel,
Alice Cohen, Nancy Schlessel, Ruth Proller, Linda Ronn, Vic
Ronn, Myron Susin, Barbara Roth, and the fabulous
Meadowbrook Women’s Initiative for doing such a good job
under difficult circumstances.
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 7
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 8
In Our Own Voice
By ROSIE RINSLER
ness.
One of the other supports is my talk therapy. Working with
My name is Rosie Rinsler. I am a member of NAMI. On
my therapist has enhanced the quality of my life one hundred
March 25th I spent the day with my consumer friends Greta and
percent.
Gloria at an elementary school in Rockaway speaking to families
I also work with a life coach who works
of people with mental illness. We spoke as
with
me on accomplishing goals, including
presenters for NAMI’s In Our Own Voice
getting
my artwork ―out there.‖
program (IOOV is made possible by a
Another
joy in my life is my lifetime
grant from Eli Lilly and Company). We
partner,
Josh.
We have been together 14
spoke about our mental illnesses, which
years,
and
we
are extremely happy and good
deals with Dark Days, Acceptance, Treatto
each
other.
He
is my rock and my mentor,
ment, Coping Skills, and Successes, Hopes
and truly my best friend. He is my soul mate
and Dreams.
and makes my life the happiest it can be.
The response was amazing. Greta, GloMy family and friends are keys to my
ria and I spoke about what we have been
happiness. The support, love and acceptance
through, and we showed a film about menby my family and friends are a blessing.
tal illness. We answered questions, and the
people we spoke to said we inspired them
Alice Cohen’s Friendship Network has
to try to get help for their family members. Gloria Keyloun, IOOV coordinator, with parents at also been a lifesaver for me. The socializaRockaway School.
tion and schmooze groups which meet once
I must say, one of my dreams is to be a
a month has introduced me to so many new friends, and for this I
spokesperson for mental health issues. I took a two-day seminar
am extremely grateful!
in December 2010 to learn to be a better speaker, and it is a joy
to me to speak as a success story—recovering from mental illI love to speak in front of an audience. I have no shame or
ness and, I must add, a successful artist. I have a website and I
embarrassment of what I have been through, and I must share
sell greeting cards and prints to share my love of art. My website
that mental illness is not a dead end street—there is always hope!
is www.rosiesoriginalcards.com.
My life is a joy because my dreams are coming true. I am no
One of the topics I shared was the importance of medication:
longer suffering—I went from illness to wellness!
how it is a lifesaver and one of the keys to my health and happi-
NAMI Queens/Nassau Members Make Their Voice
Heard in the Community
Ceceile Green, NAMI Basics teacher,
spoke to Queens College students in
the American Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences Club about mental illness. Ceceile also gave a well-received
workshop on bipolar disorder at the Moving
Forward in Children’s Mental Health conference at the Melville Marriott. The conference was sponsored jointly by the children’s division of the Office of Mental
Health and Families Together of NYS.
Greta Fajaram & Rosie Rinsler
gave two inspirational In Our Own
Voice presentations, one to a parents’ group
at a middle school in Rockaway and the
other to consumers at the Association for
Rehabilitative Case Management and
Housing, Inc. in Kew Gardens. Thanks to
Gloria Keyloun, In Our Own Voice coordinator, for making this happen.
Lorraine Kaplan was a featured
speaker at a Speaking Up and Speaking Out conference sponsored by Concern
for Independent Living in Riverhead.
Lorraine also shared her moving personal
story with the Meadowbrook Women’s
Initiative as part of a Walk day training.
Janet Susin gave a presentation in
Albany on Breaking the Silence to children’s mental health advocates and providers at a NAMI-NYS sponsored event,
Reaching All Children: Exploring Mental
Health and Awareness. Janet also participated in an advisory panel on curriculum
sponsored by Nassau Community College’s
School of Nursing and spoke to psychologists in training at Zucker Hillside, providing valuable insight on the family perspective on mental illness.
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 9
Ryan Medicaid Block Grant Would Harm People
with Disabilities
NYAPRS Note: The following pieces come
courtesy of Medicaid Matters’ Lara Kassell.
RYAN MEDICAID BLOCK GRANT
WOULD CAUSE SEVERE REDUCTIONS IN HEALTH CARE AND
LONG-TERM CARE FOR SENIORS,
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND
CHILDREN
By January Angeles
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
May 3, 2011
House Budget Committee Chairman
Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which the House
passed on April 15, would dramatically
restructure Medicaid by converting it to a
block grant and cutting the program’s
funding sharply. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Ryan budget
would reduce federal funding by 35 percent in 2022 and by 49 percent in 2030,
compared to what the funding would otherwise be. This would almost certainly
affect tens of millions of low-income
Medicaid beneficiaries adversely over
time.
To compensate for the steep reductions
in federal funding, states would either have
to contribute far more in their own funds,
or, as is much more likely, exercise the
new flexibility under the block grant to cap
enrollment, substantially scale back eligibility, and curtail benefits for seniors, people with disabilities, children, and other
low-income Americans who rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. To cite
just a few examples of how different
groups could be affected:
Seniors: An overwhelming majority
of Medicare beneficiaries who live in nursing homes rely on Medicaid for their nursing home coverage. Because the Ryan plan
would require such deep cuts in federal
Medicaid funding, it would inevitably result in less coverage for nursing home residents and shift more of the cost of nursing
home care to elderly beneficiaries and their
families. A sharp reduction in the quality
of nursing home care would be virtually
inevitable, due to the large reduction that
would occur in the resources made avail-
able to pay for such care.
People with disabilities: These individuals constitute 15 percent of Medicaid
beneficiaries but account for 42 percent of
all Medicaid expenditures, mostly because
of their extensive health and long-term
care needs. Capping federal Medicaid
funding would place significant financial
pressure on states to scale back eligibility
and coverage for this high-cost population,
many of whom would be unable to obtain
coverage elsewhere because of their medical conditions.
Children: Currently, state Medicaid
programs must provide children with
health care services and treatments they
need for their healthy development
through the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) aspect of
Medicaid, which provides regular preventive care for children and all follow-up
diagnostic and treatment services that children are found to need. A block grant
would likely permit states to drop EPSDT
coverage, meaning that children, particularly those with special health care needs,
would not be able to access some care that
medical professionals find they need
(because Medicaid would no longer cover
certain health services and treatments for
children, and their parents wouldn’t be
able to afford to pay for that care on their
own).
Working parents and pregnant
women: Many state Medicaid programs
already have extremely restrictive eligibility criteria for parents. In the typical state,
working parents are ineligible for Medicaid if their income exceeds 64 percent of
the poverty line (or $14,304 a year for a
family of four), and unemployed parents
are ineligible if their income exceeds 37
percent of the poverty line ($8,270 a year
for a family of four). Under a block grant,
states could cut these already low eligibility levels even further, cap enrollment,
and/or require low-income parents to pay
more for health services. States could do
the same for low-income pregnant women
who rely on Medicaid for their prenatal
care, resulting in them forgoing services
that are critical to ensuring a healthy pregnancy.
THE RYAN PLAN FOR MEDICAID
New York Times Editorial, April 30, 2011
With Washington looking for ways to
rein in costly entitlement programs and
state governments struggling to balance
budgets, conservatives have revived an old
nostrum: turning Medicaid into a block
grant program.
The desire for fiscal relief is understandable. Medicaid insures low-income
people and in these tough economic times,
enrollment and costs — for the federal
government and state governments —
have swelled.
Representative Paul Ryan, and the
House Republicans, are now proposing to
ease Washington’s strain by capping federal contributions. Like his proposal for
Medicare, that would only shift the burden
— this time onto both state governments
and beneficiaries.
Still, some governors may be tempted.
His plan promises them greater flexibility
to manage their programs — and achieve
greater efficiency and save money. That
may sound good, but the truth is, no foreseeable efficiencies will compensate for
the big loss of federal contribution.
Mr. Ryan also wants to repeal the health
care reform law and its requirement that
states expand their Medicaid rolls starting
in 2014. Once again Washington would
pay the vast bulk of the added cost, so
states would be turning down a very good
deal to save a lesser amount of money.
Here’s how Medicaid currently works:
Washington sets minimum requirements
for who can enroll and what services must
be covered, and pays half of the bill in the
richest states and three-quarters of the bill
in the poorest state. If people are poor
enough to qualify and a medical service
recommended by their doctors is covered,
the state and federal governments will pick
up the tab, with minimal co-payments by
the beneficiaries. That is a big plus for
enrollees’ health, and a healthy population
is good for everyone. But the costs are
undeniably high.
Enter the House Republicans’ budget
(Continued on page 10)
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 10
MoMA and Hamburger Heaven
By STEPHEN C.
The date was Tuesday, April 12, 2011
and I took the LIRR from home to Penn
Station. From there I took a taxi to MoMA
(Museum of Modern Art) at 53rd Street. I
arrived early and waited in the lobby. The
first person to arrive was Barbara, and soon
the other members of our group arrived.
We had a great docent named Kirsten for
our tour, whom I thought was very knowledgeable about all the fine works of art.
We started by observing Vincent Van
Gogh’s famous painting The Starry Night.
The painting was painted in 1889 and has a
beautiful rolling blue sky with a yellow
crescent moon outlined in yellow. A small
town before sunrise with the morning star
stands out amongst the huge sky. The
painting gave me a feeling of how small I
am if I lived in that village compared to the
massive sky. The next was titled Evening at
Honfleur, dated 1886, by Georges-Pierre
Seurat, who lived in France. Honfleur is
located in northwestern France and the region is known for turbulent seas and rugged shorelines. The evening looks hushed
and still, the vast sky and tranquil sea
evokes a pastel sky and a soothing effect.
There is a sense of clouds that echo the
breakwaters on the beach. Seurat developed
a technique known as pointillism. The form
is small dots of light pastel, pure color. The
painting evokes a calming effect. The next
was by artist Marc Chagall entitled I and
the Village. The figure on the left of the
artwork is a large head of a cow looking
directly at a huge green head representing a
peasant. There is a small green tree which
stands at the bottom and represents a tree of
life. I noticed a moon’s crescent that was in
red and reminded me of the symbol for the
flag of Turkey. The style of the artwork is
cubism.
The next artist we came across was
Henri Matisse, a French artist from the
early 20th century. His painting titled The
Dance conveyed to me a lot of joy, energy
and daring. The figures are simple and abstract. There’s a huge blue sky and the
green represents the earth. The strength of
the bodies is emphasized. They look like
they are light on their feet and gave me a
feeling of being light-footed. We saw another Matisse painting titled The Red Studio painted in 1911. It’s a fun picture, not
to be taken seriously.
My favorite artists are Pablo Picasso and
Henri Toulouse Lautrec. The Picasso we
saw is Three Musicians and has a whimsical feel. The other Picasso was Girl Before
a Mirror, painted in 1932, of Picasso’s
young mistress and shows a frontal view of
her face which reminded me of a Queen of
Hearts. It’s a somber picture which repre-
sents her transition from an innocent girl to
a worldly woman. The last Picasso we saw,
painted in 1907, was Les Demoiselles
D’Avignon and is one of the most important works in modern art. The artwork
marks a radical break from traditional composition and perspective. My other favorite
artist is Claude Monet, a Frenchman that
painted Water Lilies in 1920. I remember
studying him at Queensborough Community College and own a book on impressionist art. The size of this painting is impressive, with a lot of light and color.
At the end of the tour we received a free
admission card to return to the museum in
the future. I look forward to using my card
and viewing all the beautiful works of art
again. Most of the members walked down
the street to eat at Barbara’s favorite restaurant, Hamburger Heaven. I ordered a
chicken salad sandwich with coleslaw and
found it to be delicious. Everyone enjoyed
the restaurant. At the end of the meal we
said goodbye and I returned to Penn Station
for the train ride
home. I enjoyed myself at the museum
and restaurant; it was
a good time for all of
us!
The Ryan Plan for Medicaid...
(Continued from page 9)
proposal. Instead of a commitment to insure as many people as
meet the criteria, it would substitute a set amount per state. Starting in 2013, the grant would probably equal what the state would
have received anyway through federal matching funds, although
that is not spelled out. After that, the block grant would rise each
year only at the national rate of inflation, with adjustments for
population growth.
There are several problems with that, starting with that inflation-pegged rate of growth, which could not possibly keep pace
with the rising cost of medical care. The Congressional Budget
Office estimates that federal payments would be 35 percent
lower in 2022 than currently projected and 49 percent lower in
2030.
To make up the difference, states would probably have to cut
payments to doctors, hospitals or nursing homes; curtail eligibility; reduce benefits; or increase their own payments for Medicaid. The problems do not end there. If a bad economy led to a
sharp jump in unemployment, a state’s grant would remain the
same. Nor would the block grant grow fast enough to accommo-
date expensive advances in medicine, rising demand for longterm care, or unexpected health care needs in the wake of epidemics or natural disasters. This would put an ever-tightening
squeeze on states, forcing them to drop enrollees, cut services or
pump up their own contributions.
This is not the way to go. The real problem is not Medicaid.
Contrary to most perceptions, it is a relatively efficient program
— with low administrative costs, a high reliance on managed
care and much lower payments to providers than other public and
private insurance.
The real problem is soaring medical costs. The Ryan plan does
little to address that. The health care law, which Republicans
have vowed to repeal, seeks to reform the entire system to deliver quality care at lower cost.
To encourage that process, President Obama recently proposed a simplified matching rate for Medicaid, which would
reward states for efficiencies and automatically increase federal
payments if a recession drives up enrollments and state costs.
The president’s approach is better for low-income Americans
and for state budgets as well.
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 11
All Federal Benefits Will Be
Paid Electronically
NAMI Queens/Nassau gratefully
acknowledges the following
donations:
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service
Betty Blond & Louis Chessin in memory of Marion
Seltzer
The U.S. Department of the Treasury now requires all federal benefit and
nontax payments to be paid electronically. People applying for Social Security,
disability or other federal benefits will receive their payments electronically
starting with their first payment. People currently receiving federal benefit
checks will need to switch to an electronic payment option by March 1, 2013.
Those who do not choose an electronic payment option at the time they apply
for federal benefits or those who do not switch by the deadline will receive their
benefit payments via the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card, so they will
not experience any interruption in payment. If you are already receiving benefit
payments electronically you do not need to take action. You will continue to
receive your payment as usual on the payment day.
Having federal benefits paid electronically by direct deposit into the bank or
credit union account of your choice or into a Direct Express® card account is
safer, faster and more reliable than receiving paper benefit checks. In 2010,
more than 540,000 Treasury-issued checks were reported lost or stolen, and had
to be reissued.
With direct deposit, the Treasury Department sends an electronic message to
your bank or credit union account on the usual payment day with the exact
amount of your benefit payment from Social Security, VA or other federal
agency. You don’t have to worry about your money being stolen out of your
mailbox and there’s no need to make a trip to cash or deposit a check. Plus, it’s
better for the environment and saves taxpayer dollars.
Don’t Wait – Sign Up Today!
Have a bank or credit union account? Sign up for direct deposit. Your
money goes straight into your checking or savings account each month, so you
can count on it being there on time, every time. It’s easy. Visit your local financial institution, sign up online at www.GoDirect.org <http://www.godirect.org/
> , or call the U.S. Treasury Processing Center at (800) 333-1795.
Prefer a prepaid debit card? The Direct Express® card is a Treasuryrecommended prepaid debit card that provides another safe, low-cost way to get
your federal benefit payments. Your money will be posted to your FDIC-insured
Direct Express® card account each month, so you can access your money immediately on payment day. There are no sign-up fees, monthly fees or overdraft
charges. Some fees for optional services may apply. No bank account or credit
check is required.
To get your benefit payments through direct deposit, here’s what you’ll need
to have when you sign up:
The type of account you have (checking or savings)
Your financial institution’s nine-digit routing transit number that often
comes before your account number at the bottom of your checks*
Your checking or savings account number*
*This information is often on your personal checks.
If you prefer the Direct Express® card, you can:
Notify the federal agency, such as the Social Security Administration or
Veterans Affairs, of your choice to receive your benefit payments on the card.
Visit www.GoDirect.org <http://www.godirect.org/> or call (800) 3331795.
Once approved, you’ll receive your card in the mail along with a cardholder
information packet explaining how to use the card.
For more information, visit www.GoDirect.org <http://www.godirect.org/> .
Rhoda & Ron Nadell in memory of George Schult
Pearl & Arnold Gould in memory of Karolyn Gould
Pearl & Arnold Gould in memory of Violet Cherlin
Pearl & Arnold Gould in honor of Judith Pestronk’s
90th birthday
Deborah Solomon in memory of Mark Sensale
Mary Jo & Carmine Dapice in memory of Frank Falta
Betty Becker in honor of Faith Vallante
Rosalie Weiner in memory of Naomi Saffern’s
mother
Mr. & Mrs. Karl Israel in memory of Arthur Abelman
Alice & Cliff Cohen in memory of Maureen Josel’s
uncle
Jason Hibshman in memory of Marvin Rosten
In Honor of Barbara Garner’s birthday: Marie
Tesoriero; Renee & Bob Berkowitz; Richard &
Cynthia Wein;
In Memory of Sandy Cohen’s brother, Jerome
Sternberg: Alice & Cliff Cohen; Estelle Reichman;
Jocelyn Grossman; Rosalie Weiner
In Memory of Maureen Josel’s sister Kathleen
Costigan: Rosalie Weiner; Lorraine & Eli Kaplan;
Alice & Cliff Cohen
General Donations: Thomas & Phyllis Maus; The
Magazanick Family; Sondra Cohen; Doris & David
Gladstone; Ruth Wilkes; Stephen Gereczy; Rosie
Rinsler
Friendship Network gratefully
acknowledges the following
Alice & Cliff Cohen in honor of Dr. Koplewicz
Barbara Garner in memory of Sam Drusher’s sister
Mildred Fine in memory of the Platzker Family’s
cousin
Julie Rubinstein in memory of Dr. Gertrude Kornblau
Esther Cohen in memory of Belle Shahon’s sister
Jo Bernstein in memory of her brother
Barbara Garner in honor of Cassie Edelstein
Maureen Josel in memory of Sandy Cohen’s brother
Esther Cohen in memory of Scllafani Family’s
mother
Rosalie Kurland in memory of Maureen Josel’s sister
Sandy Cohen in memory of Maureen Josel’s sister
Sandy Cohen in memory of her brother
In honor of Barbara Garner’s birthday: Jeannette
Edelstein; Barbara Kaplan; Patrice Deza-Castillo;
Mr. & Mrs. David Smith; Elizabeth Goldfrank
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 12
The Friendship Network: A Day of Bowling
By ALICE COHEN
I personally think this is a great day to have fun and meet
friends, even if you do not bowl. You can sit in the gallery and
root for everyone who is bowling and, believe me, it is really
fun!! There is great camaraderie; when you bowl a spare or a
strike you high-five one another. Did you
know that if you get three strikes in a row
it is called a Turkey? The best part of the
day is that no one really cares how you
bowl….Just Do It! Now for the fun people
in our group:
Andrea K.—bowling, laughing and
teaching those that want help; she is always in competition with Jeff R….in a fun
way
Stephen C.—great form and he usually gets some of the highest scores
Jack N.—how lucky we are; he makes sure we are set up
correctly and ready to start, and he too is a great bowler
Millie N.—Jack’s beautiful wife, hugging everyone and
greeting the newcomers
John S.—steps in when Jack is not there and is also a very
good bowler
Beth S.—how we love her …when needed she helps me set
up, and the best part is her contagious laugh …. we all laugh
along with her
The Trio—Lance S., Alan S., Matt B. arrive together and
compete in a friendly way
We were very fortunate to get a grant to help pay for personalized bowling balls. Many of us took advantage of this gift and
that is where Connie C. comes in …
Bob S.—usually says he won’t bowl but there he is enjoying himself
· Cathy M.—If she cannot meet us for bowling she will be
there at the restaurant…a really warm person who greets one and
all with a smile
· Jared D.—and then there is Jared ….both
a comedian and a food maven. He always
entertains us!
· Inger M.—happy to be everyone’s friend
and loves bowling
· Barbara P. and Grace H.—great gals …
new members who are joining in on the fun
· Mark R—everyone enjoys whenever
Mark comes to Bowling, they love seeing
his smiling face
· Geraldine L., Janine B. and Rosina L.—
we enjoy seeing at bowling; where have you been? Hope to see
you all at bowling real soon.
Then we have our own Barbara G., who is so excited with her
new bowling ball. She’s doing better with her score … she also
makes sure everyone is checked in, and in between she throws
her ball down the alley, we all hope she doesn’t go down with
the ball!. Now for yours truly; I am the Schmoozer in the group
making sure that everyone is mixing and playing and if needed
I’m also there for a more serious chat with members. If I missed
mentioning any of our wonderful bowlers, please excuse me.
Remember, if you want to have fun and meet some great people
come on down to Herrill Lanes. Oh…by the way, the bonus of
the day is going out for a late lunch/early dinner after bowling,
and that is the whip cream on top of the cake!
Connie C.—very happy with her new bowling ball and she
is bowling better with it!
Greta F.—she usually sits out and schmoozes with the guys
and gals which is great
Scott E.—great guy and good bowler
Ben F.—says no at first, but with a little coaxing from Alice, he plays all the games
Jillann B. and Richard F.—what a great couple…always
speaking with others and enjoys the game
Rob R.—what a great guy!! Helps out driving members to
restaurants and really enjoys the game
Corissa G.—always with a happy smile and enjoys the
game
Joe F.—knows the game well and scores well …His beautiful wife Julie sometimes joins in
Ken L.—no matter what he bowls, he does a great dance
….Keep it up!!!
Barbara J.—another fun gal and loves her new bowling ball
Michael C., Bruce W., and Harry G.—come from afar and
really enjoy the activity
For more information on the Friendship Network call
(516) 326-6111.
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 13
New-Onset Psychosis Linked to Use of Fake Pot
BY M. ALEXANDER OTTO
Clinical Psychiatry News Digital Network
http:www.clinicalpsychiatrynews.com/
index.php?id=2623&type=98&tx_ttnews
[tt_news]...
HONOLULU – Synthetic marijuana,
known as "spice," appears to have induced
psychosis in 10 young service members in
the U.S. Naval Academy, according to a
case series from the Naval Medical Center
in San Diego.
"These are people who never had psychosis. They were so disorganized, so out
of it, we had to lock them up [on our
ward]. It’s pretty scary," Dr. Donald Hurst,
lead investigator on the study, reported at
the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
Psychotic symptoms resolved within 8
days in seven patients. One of those patients had a past diagnosis of attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder; the others
had no psychiatric histories. Most had
been daily users for weeks, months, or up
to a year.
The remaining three patients still suffer
lingering paranoid delusions and dysthymia after 5 months. One has a history of
substance abuse and a family history of
schizophrenia and had been using spice
daily for a year and a half; another has a
history of depression and had been using
spice daily for a month. The third patient,
however, has no personal or family psychiatric history and had used spice about 20
times in two months.
The men were in their early 20s. They
were each hospitalized 6-10 days. Some
had used alcohol, marijuana, or both, with
spice. It’s unknown how much the men
used during each session.
Given the potential consequences, Dr.
Hurst advises discussing spice with patients if there’s cause. "Tell them how bad"
results of using the substance can be, said
Dr. Hurst, a lieutenant commander and third
-year psychiatry
resident at the
medical center.
The report is
the first to link
spice to newonset psychosis
in patients with
no psychiatric
histories. There
is no way to know at present how common
such reactions are, he said.
After they were admitted, 7 of the 10
patients in the case series got atypical antipsychotics, usually for 4 days. Since writing the report, Dr. Hurst and his colleagues
have seen about 20 additional cases and
have noticed that patients – if they are going to recover – seem to do so regardless
of antipsychotic use.
Because of that, "we are starting on our
ward not to give them anything. You may
give them an antipsychotic because behaviorally they are out of control, and we need
to tone it down. But if they’re calm, we are
not giving them anything, and they are still
clearing up in 4-8 days," he said.
In terms of presentation, "the most common theme is confusion" along with disorganized behavior and speech. Paranoid
delusions also are common, but their focus
can shift from minute to minute. Symptoms wax and wane as well, with patients
cycling in and out of psychosis hour by
hour, sometimes even quicker, Dr. Hurst
said.
Auditory and visual hallucinations, flat
affect, thought-blocking, alogia, suicidal
ideation, insomnia, psychomotor retardation, agitation, and anxiety also were noted
in the group.
"The role of spice in inducing these
symptoms was determined by military
command, friend, family member and/or
patient report, as well as urine drug test,"
Dr. Hurst noted.
Synthetic marijuana is usually a mix of
cannabinoid receptor agonists. They are
generally full agonists, which distinguishes
them from the active ingredient in actual
marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
which is a partial cannabinoid agonist, Dr.
Hurst said.
The chemicals originally were developed to help locate cannabinoid receptors
and as experimental pain relievers – uses
that did not pan out, he said.
Plant material is dipped into the chemicals, or sprayed with them, and sold on the
Internet or in drug paraphernalia shops as
K2, Blaze, RedXdawn, and other brands.
Spice is usually smoked, but is beginning
to be sold as a crystalline powder. Users
have no way of knowing how potent a
particular product is, Dr. Hurst said.
On March 1, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency temporarily designated five
synthetic cannabinoids as Schedule I substances, pending further action, "because
they pose a threat to public health," according to the order. In January 2011,
seven Navy midshipmen were discharged
from the Naval Academy because of spice
use. In 2008, the U.S. Marine Corps
banned the substance because of concern
about its increased use among service
members.
Dr. Hurst said that he has no disclosures.
June/July 2011
NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways
Page 14
NAMI Queens/Nassau Support Groups
GROUP
LEADER/PHONE
DATE/TIME
LOCATION
Sharing & Caring
Hillside Hospital
Social Worker
3rd Wednesday of each month
6:00—7:15 p.m.
The Zucker Hillside Hospital
Sloman Auditorium
266th St. & 76th Ave.
Glen Oaks
Evening Family/Sibling/
Adult Children
Rosalie Weiner, LMSW
(718) 776-4790
Please call first
1st & 3rd Mondays
7:30—9:30 p.m.
NAMI Queens/Nassau office
1981 Marcus Ave, Suite C117
Lake Success, NY
Afternoon Family & Friends
Rosalie Weiner, LMSW
(718) 776-4790
Please call first
1st Tuesday of each month
1:30—3:00 p.m.
Advanced Center for
Psychotherapy
103-26 68th Rd.
Forest Hills
Family/Friends
Christine Scotten, CSW
(516) 521-8341
Please call first
2nd & 4th Wednesdays
7:30—9:30 p.m.
Families of Children &
Adolescents
Amy Maximov
(516) 884-6996
Please call first
2nd & 4th Tuesdays
7:30—9:00 p.m.
For Those Suffering from
Anxiety/Depression
Lori Kalman, LMSW
(718) 746-3092
Please call first
Those with Bipolar Disorder
Sandy Kalman, LCSW
(718) 470-9552
Please call first
1st & 3rd Tuesdays
7:00—8:30 p.m.
Keeping Hope Alive
Dr. Frances Cohen Praver
(516) 676-1594 or
[email protected]
2nd Sunday of the month
10:00 a.m.--Noon
Call to register
Lattingtown
Call the office to register
(516) 326-0797
(718) 347-7284
or e-mail
[email protected]
Zucker Hillside Hospital,
Queens Hospital Center,
Greater Allen AME Church
Dates to be announced
Call to Register
Location to be determined
Flushing Hospital Mental
Health Clinic
Family to Family
12-week Psycho-education
Course
Charlotte Driver
(516) 385-1400
NAMI Basics
6-week Course for Parents of
Children
Ceceile Green (718) 704-8690
Liz Hutner (718) 366-6742
1st & 3rd Thursdays
7:00—8:30 p.m.
Korean Family Support Group
Jennifer Lim, LMSW
(917) 346-4038
Please call first
2nd Thursday of each month
7:30—9:00 p.m.
For Families Whose Loved
Ones Lack Insight Into Their
Mental Illness
Linda Manzo
(516) 767-2221
Please call first
2nd Wednesday of each month
7:00—9:00 p.m.
South Asian Support Group
―Raghu‖ Raghavendran
(516) 994-8537
1st Saturday of each month
10:30 a.m.
NAMI Queens/Nassau office
NAMI Queens/Nassau office
Zucker-Hillside Hospital
Kaufman Bldg, Rm 204
Zucker-Hillside Hospital
Ambulatory Care Pavillion
Room 1202
Zucker-Hillside Hospital
Ambulatory Care Pavillion
YICG
New Hyde Park