Provider News

Africentric Personal Development Shop

Africentric Personal Development Shop Presents Imhotep Learning Institute Summer Day Camp
Can you believe each participant for the Africentric Personal Development Shop 10-week Summer Day Camp only pays a $150 activity fee for the entire summer? Well, it's true. But WAIT! It gets better. For each additional child enrolled in the program, the activity fee is reduced to $125.

Thanks to your tax dollars at work through the ADAMH Board of Franklin County, the camp itself is free. The activity fee will help fund the many exciting field trips planned throughout the program. This is one of the best values in Franklin County. Enrollment is limited, so call 614-253-4448 to register right away!

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Community Housing Network

Building New Homes and New Beginnings
Community Housing Network (CHN) is developing two new apartment complexes for persons whose lives have been impacted by mental illness or addiction disorders.

The first of these apartments, Jefferson Avenue Apartments, is a collaborative development by Community Housing Network, The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts, and Amethyst, Inc.

Opening this September, these new apartments, at 38 Jefferson Avenue in the Jefferson Avenue Historic District, will offer 39 units of supportive housing for single parents in recovery and their children. CHN's service partner, Amethyst, Inc., will provide and coordinate all referrals and services to meet the ongoing recovery and stability needs of residents.

Dogwood Glen Apartments and Jefferson Avenue Apartments

Designed to complement the architecture of the historic district, the complex includes 12 one-bedroom apartments, 24 two-bedroom apartments, and 3 three-bedroom apartments. Common areas provide a gathering room, community kitchen, meeting rooms, and a laundry with a playroom.

Having a safe, supportive place to call home is a basic human need that is beyond the reach of too many persons with mental illness in our community. In response to this critical housing need as identified by the Franklin County ADAMH Board, CHN is also developing Dogwood Glen to provide 42 units of quality, special needs housing for people disabled by severe mental illness.

CHN will develop, own, and manage this property using its successful model that provides not only project-based rent-subsidized housing but also supportive services that link residents to treatment, social, health and employment opportunities. Construction will begin this fall, and first residents will move in October 2010.

The target population for this housing includes persons exiting Twin Valley Behavioral Health or coming from the community who need stable, independent housing with a supportive environment.

The Jefferson Avenue Apartments represent an investment of $7 million, and the Dogwood Glen Apartments are projected to total close to $6 million. Funders for development include: The Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County; the City of Columbus; The Columbus Foundation, including the Robert B. Hurst, and James W. Overstreet Funds; Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati; Franklin County Board of Commissioners; the Ohio Equity Fund; the Ohio Housing Finance Agency; and United Way – anonymous donor. CHN has also applied for capital funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health for the Dogwood Glen development. The Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing provides financial structuring and asset management services for these developments.

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Center for Vocational Alternatives – COVA

COVA Announces Summer Job Club Discussion Group Topics
Anyone needing a supportive environment to ask questions about various aspects related to returning to work can attend Club COVA meetings, held from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Center for Vocational Alternatives' Clintonville offices, at 3770 N. High St.

The sessions, led by a COVA staff member, are aimed at helping participants ease the transition back to work. Attendees will have a chance to share their own recovery stories and to ask questions.

Topics for June and July are:

• June 3 - First Impressions on the Job: What can you expect on your first day at work and how can you make a good impression on your new boss and co-workers? Get advice on how to make your first day a successful one.
• June 10 - Job Development for Ex-Offenders: What tools are available for your job development as an ex-offender, and how can you prepare for interviews? Our prisoner re-entry expert will share tips and ideas on how to overcome that obstacle.
• June 17 - Financial Literacy: Get advice on how you can make smart financial decisions, including how to save money, why it's important to pay your bills on time, and planning for the future.
• June 24 - Learn about the reading, writing, pre-GED and GED classes offered by the Columbus Literacy Council to help you boost your employment prospects.
• July 1 - What to Expect When Starting a New Career: Getting the education and training you need, making over your resume, and other important advice from one of our career developers.
• July 8 - Internet Tools for Your Job Search: How you can use the Internet—including job posting sites, e-mail applications, and search engines—to help you find a job.
• July 15 - Disability Application Assistance: What do you need to know about applying for disability? A COVA benefits specialist will be on hand to explain everything you need to know.

Participants are encouraged to suggest topics for future meetings. Club COVA topics are posted monthly on the Web site at www.cova.org.

COVA's community Resource Center is open from 5 to 8 p.m. for the Wednesday night sessions.

COVA is a national leader in providing rehabilitation services and career development for people with mental illness and other disabilities that pose barriers to employment. Founded in 1982, COVA is based in Clintonville, with offices in Delaware and Lancaster. The agency serves 3,000 individuals and 200 employers each year. COVA's innovative programming has been recognized nationally with the 2006 and 2007 Eli Lilly Reintegration Award and the U.S. Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award. For more information see www.cova.org.

Photovoice Project
COVA, the Center of Vocational Alternatives, has received a grant to create a Photovoice project aimed at breaking down stigmas about mental illness through participants' photo essays about their recovery.

The $1,500 grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council Neighborhood Arts Program will underwrite final production expenses of the exhibit, "Mental Health Recovery: Through our Lens and Pen," to debut August 17 to August 28 at the Rhodes State Office Tower.

Two additional community partners will assist COVA in the program. Alysse Gafkjen, a senior photography major from Columbus College of Art and Design, will provide photographic and photo editing training to the 15 participants during the nine-week program this summer. Southeast, Inc. has donated use of its digital camera inventory.

Photovoice is an empowering tool that has been used in a variety of settings and among different constituencies, including communities of people with mental health concerns. Photovoice puts cameras in the hands of individuals and asks them to produce statements made up of pictures and words that communicate their experience.

This program enables people at the grassroots level to represent and define issues of concern, areas of strength, and targets for change. The original concept of Photovoice was developed by Professor Caroline Wang at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Mary Ann Burris from the Ford Foundation. Since then, Photovoice has been used worldwide for research, education, social change and the development of more healthful public policy.

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Directions for Youth & Families

2009 State of the Child Luncheon
"Raising community awareness of issues and challenges that face today's youth in their daily lives is the goal of the luncheon," said Nancy V. Kelly, chair of the event and executive vice president at Huntington. "The luncheon and the State of the Child Report focus on issues, including substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and family violence. Most of us cannot begin to comprehend the hardships that many of our community's children and families face - poverty, worrying where their next meal will come from, violent environments, fear for the safety of their children. Our neighbors and our children's classmates are facing these hardships. This is our world."

Nicole Feiter, Donna Taylor, Michele Byers, and David Vance

Alex and Lar'Shawn, young people who spoke at the luncheon, shared their poignant stories about experiences that brought them to Directions' counseling and education programs. They left feeling very good about their accomplishments which were cheered by our guests. Ensembles from our Short Stop and Ohio Avenue Youth Centers provided lively music, and members of our African Drum and Dance group shared their talent and exuberance. Young people who are given the opportunity to succeed in one discipline, like the performing arts, see the value of working hard in other areas including academics.

Directions for Youth & Families served over 7,500 youth and their families last year with individual and family counseling, after-school activities, and parenting classes.

We truly appreciate all State of the Child Luncheon sponsors and guests who help us reach young people and their families who are struggling with many issues daily.

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Dublin Counseling Center

Kathryn Mihelich-Helms to Retire
Kathryn Mihelich-Helms, Executive Director, will be retiring her position of 17 years at Dublin Counseling Center to relocate to Colorado and be closer to family. Mihelich-Helms is a well respected and recognized leader in the community behavioral health field and has a very successful tenure with the agency.

In addition to her length of dedicated service, Mihelich-Helms is credited with many accomplishments at Dublin Counseling Center. She has seen the agency through tremendous growth in programming, services and staff. The agency's staff and budget have quadrupled in the past 17 years under her guidance and leadership. Services at Dublin Counseling Center expanded in the mid-90's to include many outreach services, in particular the case management program. The Center has also built a respected reputation in the specialty niche of trauma services. The Center has relocated many times to accommodate growth and has developed a very strong and visible presence in the Dublin and the surrounding community through many strategic partnerships which Mihelich-Helms has guided.

Thanks to her leadership and commitment, Dublin Counseling Center boasts a strong and dedicated Board of Trustees as well as a diverse and passionate staff. The agency is well poised to continue its 30 year tradition of excellence in behavioral health services thanks to Mihelich-Helms. Mihelich-Helms plans to remain until a replacement is identified.

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FIRSTLINK

2009 Directory of Human Services
FIRSTLINK announces the publication of the 2009 Directory of Human Services, the most comprehensive guide to more than 5,000 programs in Franklin County. Ordering information, including online and paper-based order forms, is at www.firstlink.org.

The Directory provides detailed information on social, educational, cultural, health, government, self-help and support services. It offers user-friendly alphabetical, subject and geographical indexes to more than 1,200 nonprofit, government and health care organizations and also has a quick-reference appendix. It is an essential connection tool for everyone who works with people. The Directory is priced at $50 (nonprofit) or $75 (for profit) plus tax and shipping, when applicable. Orders of 10 books or more receive a 10 percent discount.

FIRSTLINK also offers Internet access to community resources through a subscription-based online version of the annual Directory. The Directory Online is updated weekly, includes user-friendly indexes and can be accessed anywhere, anytime.

Professionals throughout Columbus rely daily on FIRSTLINK's resource guide and consider the Directory to be an invaluable reference tool. Don't miss out! Visit www.firstlink.org and click on the "Directory" banner label to fill out the online order form for either print or online access to the only comprehensive human resource guide available in Central Ohio.

For additional information about FIRSTLINK, the 2009 FIRSTLINK Directory or about accessing the Directory Online, contact FIRSTLINK at 221-6766 x160 or email skelly@firstlink.org.

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Maryhaven

Maryhaven Elects Eshman and Heald to the Board of Directors
Molly Heald, an attorney with Bricker and Eckler, and Patti Eshman, the Assistant Vice President for Community Relations at Grange Insurance have both been recently elected to the Board of Directors at Maryhaven. Maryhaven, which is the Central Ohio area's oldest and largest behavioral health care provider specializing in addiction recovery, receives the majority of its public revenues from the Franklin County Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board (ADAMH), and is also supported by Franklin County Children Services, the City of Columbus, the Delaware Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, and the United Ways of Delaware County, Morrow County, and Central Ohio. In its fifty-six years of operation, Maryhaven has cared for over 158,000 patients.

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Netcare Access

Charity Ticket Program
The Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational is seeking to make an impact on Central Ohio and its surrounding areas by raising money for local charities. For every ticket you purchase to the July 30-August 2 invitational, 100% of the ticket price will be returned to Netcare Access to assist them in making a difference in the community. Come and enjoy the excitement of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational while supporting Netcare Access!

Designate Netcare as your charity of choice when you purchase tickets and 100% of Your Ticket Purchase Will Go to Netcare.

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North Central Mental Health Services

North Central Receives Award for High Level of Client Satisfaction
North Central Mental Health Services has received a national award for achieving a high level of client satisfaction in the provision of Outpatient Care. The award was presented by Mental Health Corporations of America, Inc., a professional organization composed of numerous mental health care providers throughout the country.

The mission of this organization is to provide tools, technical assistance and other resources which enhance the performance of member centers.

The winners of the Recognition for Best Practices awards were selected among participating centers who surveyed clients for their opinions in several areas: interaction with staff members, clinical treatment, access to services and the safety and attractiveness of the facilities. All of the centers used the same questionnaire, developed by Mental HealthCare America, a subsidiary of Mental Health Corporations of America, Inc.

North Central has also received a commendation from the federal Substance and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services for participating in the Mental HealthCare of America's quality improvement learning collaborative. The Center's director expressed hope that North Central will "provide leadership to other organizations to support the transformation of quality systems that support person center care and promote recovery."

North Central is dedicated to continuing efforts to enhance its clients' satisfaction with the agency's quality of care.

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St. Vincent Family Centers

2009 Children's Picnic
St. Vincent Family Centers hosts its annual Children's Picnic on Friday, June 26, from 3:00-7:00 p.m., at 1490 East Main Street. In 2007, St. Vincent Family Centers re-established the Children's Picnic, a tradition dating back to 1875. The "Orphan's Picnic" was held each summer for decades and was the major fundraiser for what was then St. Vincent's Orphanage. The picnic was a major event for the Near East Columbus community.

St. Vincent Family Centers serves children who have severe emotional and behavioral problems. The agency provides unique mental health services and programs, ranging from outpatient and Deaf services to preschool and school age partial hospitalization programs. In addition, the agency is a leading provider of early childhood mental health intervention and prevention programming.

In keeping with the work and mission of the agency, to strengthen the community, one family at a time, the Children's Picnic will feature a "community connectivity" area. Area service providers will be on hand with informational booth displays and child friendly activities. Participating agencies include ADAMH, Columbus Metropolitan Library and Nationwide Children's Hospital.

St. Vincent Family Centers is a Council on Accreditation (COA) agency, St. Vincent Family Centers is certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health, a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and a provider agency for the ADAMH Board and United Way. For more information call 614-252-0731 or visit the website at www.svfc.org.

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Southeast Inc. Fresh Air Gallery

Fresh Air Gallery – John Lancaster
Fresh A.I.R. (Artists in Recovery) Gallery presents artist John Lancaster from Lynchburg, VA opening through June 12, 2009.

John says his art is made through an intuitive and automatic process that involves many techniques to tap into the deepest levels of his subconscious. "I use automatic drawing with my eyes closed, working along to music and working with both of my hands at the same time and switching them over and over again. I take the random lines that are created and coax them into recognizable images. Sometimes I paint the finished product, sometimes not. I am constantly striving to reach a deeper understanding of myself by eliminating any constraints between my mind and creativity. Over the years my work has evolved from purely emotional abstract paintings to the slightly more refined "illustrations" that I produce today. Also, I don't believe in erasing or mistakes."

Work of John Lancaster

"I had my first experiences with serious mental illness in my early 20's. I was diagnosed as Bipolar (2) at that time, along with some PTSD and a few organic brain issues stemming from a bout of meningitis at age 19. These bouts of chronic depression and working mania have been trying to define my life ever since. For me, art has become a survival tool, therapy, something I can depend on no matter what my ever changing mood. The urge to create is an essential aspect of life to me, and developing the ability to focus it in a positive way can transport one out of the worst situations. All of the drawings I'm showing at Fresh A.I.R. were done during two major hospitalizations in 2007 and 2008 after a failed suicide attempt in September of 2007.

The ability to draw keeps me going in the long days in those miserable places. It allows me to maintain some sliver of self amidst all the meds and questioning of ones mental processes."

Please visit John's website at www.johnlancasterworld.com.

Fresh A.I.R. Gallery's mission is to exhibit the works of individuals affected by mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders. Through art, we educate the community and work to break down the stigma of mental illness by bringing focus to the artistic vision. Fresh A.I.R. Gallery is operated by Southeast Inc. Southeast Inc. is a comprehensive provider of mental health, chemical dependency, physical healthcare and homeless services that has been serving Columbus and five surrounding counties since 1978. Telephone number is (614) 225-0980 or Fax (614) 225-0986 or visit www.southeastinc.com/fresh_air.php.

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