Letter to President Obama

financial Wellness: For those with Mental Illness

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

ii

First, I want to thank each and every one of you

for your dedication to your work, compassion towards your patients, and support for our efforts as a Department to clinically integrate, to develop professionally, to become financially

sound, and to prosper. I’ll briefly review some of our recent accomplishments and changes in the Depart-ment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and present some information about where we’re headed. Ramon Solhkhah, MD has recently left SLR after 7 years to pursue the Psychiatry Training Director position at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. We wish him well. Over the last year, Dr. Solhkhah led an important strategic planning committee of the Department that reviewed our mission and accomplishments, identified service gaps, and opportunities for clinical and academic development. In ongoing Clinical Leadership meetings, our clinical leaders will take the ini-tial findings and continue to refine and explore the possibilities into 2010, where we hope to develop an action document that will further improve the clinical reach and academic excel-lence of the Department. Prameet Singh, MD, our Director of Training and Education, and the Department’s Education Committee are focused on improving the clinical and academic experience for all our trainees, including cur-riculum reform, review of supervisory methods and supervisor input, and location of clinical rotations. We continue to move from strength to strength, and the overall quality of our psychiatry and psychology trainees is excellent. Susan Tross, PhD, our Director of Psychol-ogy Education and Training, has expanded the recruitment process for incoming trainees, is working with her colleagues to revamp and expand the training curriculum and to refine the administrative processes that underpin the delivery of a high quality training program.

Chairman’s Message

Genevieve Rosenbaum, PhD, Director of the Child Psychology Internship, continues to attract high quality trainees, because she runs a high-quality training program. I’m happy to announce that Daniel Me-deiros, MD, Director, CARES, has been Ap-pointed Acting Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child and Family Institute. Dan’s deft and sure hand has taken over the clinical administration of the division. I hope you will give him your full support in any dealings you may have with him in this time of transition. In parallel, we have been conducting a nationwide search to identify the best candidate to take the permanent position as Division Chief, and the search committee is actively interviewing. In addition, Aleksandra Krunic, MD has been appointed Training Di-rector of the Child and Adolescent Residency Program. Our submission of a certificate of need to NY State DOH and OMH to open 61 new inpatient child & adolescent beds has been delayed, but is still being discussed. We believe these beds will add an important level of service to our continuum of care for children and ado-lescents, as well as improving our opportunities for teaching and research. Over 2009, the Division of Outpatient & Community Psychiatry (Formerly Integrated Psychiatric Services), under Hunter McQuis-tion, MD, Director, and Lindy Koenig, PsyD., Clinical Director, continued its move forward into new models of integration. The Psychiat-ric Recovery Center (PRC), which integrated ITRP and the Case Management program into a larger whole, has been functioning within a whole new economy of scale under the able stewardship of Susan Palmgren, PhD. demonstrated our continuing development as a clinical and academic center of excellence. Under the leadership of Lindy Koenig, PsyD, and Barbara Nusbaum, we moved our Adult Outpatient Clinic from 910 9th Avenue, into newly reconstructed space at 411 W. 114th Street. Having the adult clinic now at 411 continues to offer opportunities for services, academic and administrative integration of adult outpatient psychiatry. In tandem with the shifts and consolida-tion in the adult outpatient sphere, the services of the Division of Adult Acute (Inpatient and Emergency) Psychiatry are now led by Gary Lefer, MD. The inpatient psychiatry services

on Clark 8 and 9 have successfully moved into that Division, and Dr. Lefer has already begun to examine the models of care between the sites. We expect in the coming year that we will identify important changes in the model of care on the units that will have positive impact towards the Department’s capacity to train psychiatry residents, medical students and psychology interns. At the Addiction Institute of New York, under the direction of Petros Levounis, MD, and Paul Rinaldi, PhD, Clinical Director, we have continued to upgrade and reframe our core addiction treatment programs, such as our Clark 6 inpatient detoxification program led by Anna Skiandos, DO., Unit Chief. We antici-pated and have properly implemented clini-cal and administrative changes that will both conform to changes in NY State’s clinical and fiscal plan for inpatient detoxification, as well as push forward our agenda to provide state of the art care in addiction medicine. We continue to expand our development and marketing efforts. We again participated in the NAMI Walk in May, and we had a great time while participants walked onto and back from the Brooklyn Bridge. Our monthly lecture series for the community, which is well attended and well regarded, now has moved into the community at the Jewish Community Center. Susan Fenton, our Director of Special Projects, spearheaded a donor project that cre-ated the Garden at Morningside in a courtyard of the 411 building, and we continue to make use of that lovely space, and recently had a do-nation to re-plant the garden with hardier spe-cies. In addition, under Ms. Fenton and with help from Effie Tsangalidis, we had another very successful National Depression Screening Day on October 8th. The TIER electronic medical record system, under the direction of Robin Kerner, PhD, Director, Quality Initiatives and Out-comes and Barbara Linder, Administrator, Psy-chiatry Services, has been moving forward with the addition of the Addiction Institute and the Child & Family Institute to the workflow sys-tem upgrade, which we expect to come online in early 2010, with all inpatient services of the Department in late 2010 or early 2011. When TIER Workflow is up and running, our ability to track our clinical care will improve, our posi-tive impact on patient outcomes will be easier

to demonstrate, and implementation of quality improvement projects will be facilitated. Lastly, I want to underscore the leaps forward in fiscal responsibility and productivity implemented by our administrative staff, led by David Wyman, AVP, Barbara Linder, Psychia-try Administrator, Gerry Horowitz, AINY Administration, our Program Managers, and Program Coordinators. Without the concerted effort of these staff, in concert with continuous and now more successful efforts at engaging support from finance, our Department would be in serious financial straits. After the strate-gic planning initiative, we were demonstrated to be in financially vulnerable state, and thus subject to the pressures of cutting programs and staff in order to stave off future losses to the Hospital. Knowing of our resolve and our expertise, I made a commitment to bring the Department in at year’s close with a 2% margin over break-even, after indirect costs were taken out. In a concerted and coordinated effort be-tween administration and clinical leadership, I believe that we will have achieved this remark-able goal, and I have you to thank profusely for your efforts. As I have said many times in the past, I am honored to lead this department, because your commitment and passion to deliver the high-est quality care, even in the face of adversity, continue to inspire me. I know we will prevail in our endeavor to provide that care in an aca-demically and professionally enriching environ-ment.

I wish you and your loved ones a Healthy and Happy New Year.

Clark 8 Inpatient Unit is a 32-bed inpatient unit located at the St. Luke’s site and offers acute, short-term psychiatric care for adults ages 18-65, with service emphasis on rapid stabilization and preparation for appropriate outpatient based treatment. Annually, up-

ward of 400 patients are treated each year. In 2009, the entire Clark 8 unit was given a facelift. It received new bathroom fixtures, furniture, and recreational equipment such as TV’s and radios. The unit also has been the recipient of donations of many pieces of fine original art. The donors include, Sarah McHugh, Shelli Ardizzone, Gaile Snow Gibbs, and Joan and Arthur Sarnoff. The halls have been lined with a beautiful mural that was created by artist Christina Lum for the outpatient entrance at Roosevelt Hospital. Due to the extensive renovation of the first floor at Roosevelt and expansion of the emergency room, this mural became available for our use. Nikki Schiro from the Creative Center renovated the mural before its installation. The unit is now not only an excellent inpa-tient treatment center, but also a welcoming place for patients and staff.

St. Luke’s Inpatient Psychiatry Unit gets a

1 2

Refurbished Central Park Mural installed on Clark 8

Dr. Howard Millman, Unit Chief, Clark 8 Inpatient Unit, St. Luke’s Hospital

Updated Patient Lounge on Clark 8

Please help us provide much needed support for our community.

See back page on information on free lectures and supporting the wonderful work of the Department of Psychiatry

and Behavioral Health at St. Luke’s Roosevelt.

Artist - Sarah McHugh, The Creative Center

FAC E L I F T

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010 WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

FAC E L I F T

3 4

dependence in adult outpatients between 18 and 75 years of age, currently diagnosed with opioid dependence and who have NOT received treatment for opioid dependence within the previous 90 days nor treatment for chronic pain with opioid medications. The active control will be the sublingual formulation of buprenorphine, Suboxone. Approximately 250 subjects will be enrolled across 20-25 experienced and qualified clinical sites, including many that are part of NIDA’s Clinical Trial Network. The study will be run at BSRU at St. Luke’s Hospital. Partici-pants who meet all inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria will be stabilized after two screening visits for up to two weeks on 12–16 mg of sublingual oral buprenorphine. If stable on 12-16 mg of sublingual buprenorphine for at least 3 days, then subjects will be implanted with Probuphine, placebo, or maintained on oral buprenorphine and then be provided with psy-chosocial counseling, for the length of the study. There will be up to a two-week screening period, followed by the 24 weeks of study medication and weekly visits. Subjects will provide a urine drug screen three times weekly. At weekly visits, participants will have their vital signs measured, be asked about substance use, opioid craving, and possible adverse events.

Healing Emotions and Achieving Resil-ience to Traumatic Stress

Under a grant from SAMHSA, the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center (BIMC) and the

Child and Family Institute of St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, will develop, implement, and evaluate the BI-SLR HEARTS (Healing Emotions and Achieving Resilience to Trau-matic Stress) Program. This project is led by Principal Investigator Jacob Ham, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at BIMC, and Dominique Morisano, Ph.D., and Philip Clemmey, Ph.D., Co-Investigators at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals. The overall purpose of this pro-gram is to enhance local capacity to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed behavioral health services for thousands of under-identi-

fied and under-served New York City children and adolescents suffering the effects of trauma. The project will provide extensive community outreach and early identification trauma screen-ings for NYC children in eleven schools and three child welfare agencies. An additional goal of the project is to train existing staff, as well as psychiatry and psychology clinical fellows and interns, in the use of evidence-based trauma interventions. The project includes member-ship in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, a network of collaborating agencies across the US who work together on clinical is-sues, service approaches, policy, financing, and training issues to help develop evidence-based trauma services.

MRI of Infants Exposed Prenatally to Drugs of Abuse

This 5-year long study is funded through NIDA. The Principal Investigator at the New York State Psychiatric Institute is

Dr. Bradley Peterson and the Site-Principal Investigator at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital is Deborah Haller, Ph.D. The purpose of this study is to assess brain development of infants who are prenatally exposed to drugs of abuse using MRI technology. Participants must be patients in the OB/GYN clinics at St. Luke’s or Roosevelt Hospitals. They will be enrolled on site while pregnant, but will need to travel to the Psychiatric Institute to have the imaging test done during the infants first week of life. Several follow-up evaluations are also required to track development.

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCHAnna Zsigrai Grove, MBA, Program Manager, Behavioral Science Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center

The Behavioral Science Research Unit (BSRU), located at St. Luke’s Hospital, is the dedicated clinical research unit of

the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The BSRU is a self-contained research environment capable of providing support to Investigators who are conducting both behav-ioral and pharmacological trials. Permanent staff includes the Division Chief who serves as Director of Psychiatric Research for the depart-ment as well as a Program/Grants Manager and an Administrative Assistant. All other staff is project specific. The BSRU is supported by direct and indirect funds associated with fed-eral, pharmaceutical company and foundation grants, supplemented with departmental funds. Research projects vary over time, but include those targeting both adults and children with mental illness and substance abuse.

Current research projects at BSRU:

Adolescent Screening, Assessment and Treatment

This is a five-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) funded project, led by Philip

Clemmey, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, will evaluate a standardized substance abuse screen-ing and assessment protocol combined with a manualized brief treatment approach (Moti-vational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MET/CBT) for adoles-cents with substance use disorders. Participants will include N=400 adolescents referred from school-based health centers, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, and the Ado-lescent HIV Clinic at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals. Drug use, HIV risk behaviors, and other psychosocial outcomes will be assessed

based on data collected at intake and 6 months post-intake. An adjunctive pilot project conducted by Christopher Branson, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, will evaluate the effects of text message reminders on adolescent treatment attendance and engagement.

Female-Focused Treatment for Domestic-Violence and Alcohol Abuse

This is a 3-year grant funded by the Dona-ghue Medical Research Foundation. The project, led by Principal Investigator

Peggilee Wupperman, Ph.D., will refine and evaluate a psychotherapy (Mindfulness and Modification Therapy; MMT) that targets individuals with multiple areas of behavioral dysregulation. In a preliminary, pre-post study of women court-referred for alcohol use and domestic violence, results suggested that MMT may be effective in a) increasing client reten-tion, b) decreasing alcohol and drug use, c) decreasing incidents of violence, and d) engag-ing difficult-to-engage clients in treatment. The currently study will further evaluate MMT for female violence and alcohol use through a randomized clinical trial to be conducted in years 2 and 3. The project will be implemented in the Behavioral Science and Research Unit at SLRHC.

PRO-806 A Randomized, Placebo and Active-Controlled, Multi-Center Study of Probuphine® in Patients with Opioid Dependence

This study is funded through Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc, which has been awarded an NIH Research and Research

Infrastructure Grand Opportunities grant through the American Reinvestment and Re-covery Act of 2009 (ARRA), and which will be administered by NIDA. Principal Investigator is Richard N. Rosenthal, MD. This will be a three arm, six-month, randomized, active- and placebo-controlled trial examining the safety and efficacy of Probuphine® (implantable buprenorphine) in the treatment of opioid

Sincere thanks for Strong turnout from the St. Luke’s Roosevelt’s Team in the 3rd Annual NAMIWALKSAlison Rangel, MS, OTR/L, Senior Occupational Therapist, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, St. Luke’ s - Roosevelt Hospital Center

Dear St. Luke’s Roosevelt Team,As team captain I just wanted to extend my sincere thanks to all of the St. Luke’s Roosevelt team members who were able to attend NAMIWALKS 09 on May 9th at South

Street Seaport. Over 60 plus members of our team proudly marched in a flow of orange shirts across the Brooklyn Bridge and successfully fundraised for the NAMI NYC Metro Chapter! We rallied to destigmatize mental illness and promote wellness for the Minds of America along with Ty Pennington, our Celebrity Kickoff Speaker from ABC’s TV Show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The St. Luke’s-Roosevelt team comprised of employees, consumers, friends, and pets that participated in the walk and fund-raised for NAMI NYC Metro which is an affiliate of National Alliance on Men-tal Illness (NAMI). Many of those who participated in the walk on behalf of the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Team left the event with a sense of pride and accomplishment with mantra of the walk which was “the Larger the Crowd.. the Larger the Voice.” As always, SLR is

“Investing In The Mental Health of NYC”.

Anna Zsigrai Grove, MBA, Program Manager, Behavioral Science Research Unit, and Ty Pennington, Extreme Makeover Home Edition at this years an-nual NAMI WALK.

Staff and Supporters proudly carry the SLR Banner. The St. Luke’s Roosevelt Team walks with pride across the Brooklyn Bridge.

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010 WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

Dear Mr. Cracolici:

This letter is in recognition of the out-standing level of health care provided by the Clark 9 Unit of St. Luke’s Hospital.

More specifically, this is an expression of deep-est gratitude that my family and I feel for the entire Unit at Clark 9. My wife, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, was admitted to Clark 9 on three sep-arate occasions over the past several months to address psychiatric complications from this tragic disease. She received not only the most professional care, but in addition, the warmth

Grateful family sends “special thanks to Clark 9 staff”of the entire staff and their steadfast devotion to her betterment. The crises and challenges of this dev-astating disease can leave even the strongest of families feeling bewildered and unable to manage. Therefore, my daughters and I would like to express a special note of gratitude to Dr. Daniel Sussman, Dr. Konstantin Nikiforov, Susan Pagel, and Patricia Reddish. We are so very fortunate to have received the kind sup-port, intelligent guidance, and highly skilled care from these consummate professionals.

In addition, we are most appreciative of the superb care from the nursing staff and their assistants, as well as the efforts from the won-derful staff of social workers (Kathy Harolson) and dedicated occupational and art therapists (Constance Revoir, Joanne, and AJ). I would also like to thank my wife’s psychiatrist, Dr. Alla Iospa, for urging us to bring my wife to this inpatient unit at St. Luke’s Hospital where her issues were clarified and signifi-cantly improved and where the entire family benefited immeasurably.

Behavioral Science Research Unit

AINY CORNER

For additional information, please visit our website

www.AddictionInstituteNY.org

The Addiction Institute of New York (AINY) announces its 5th annual conference on Friday March 5, 2010.

The day-long conference will feature plenary sessions by national experts and break-out workshops that will address the many facets of Addiction Treatment and Criminal Justice, such as the impact of the roll-back of the Rockefeller Laws, the science of toxicology ex-amination and its limitations, and the conun-drums of court-mandated cases. Six Continuing Education Credit Hours will be given to CASAC’s and Social Workers. Formal brochure and registration to follow.

Addiction Institute Joins ‘Project ELICIT’

Kevin Barry Heaney, MSSW, CASAC, LCSW, Director of the Inpatient Reha-bilitation Unit at Roosevelt Hospital,

recently was accepted to be part of “Project ELICIT”- a 12-month research study that provides free motivational interviewing (MI) training to counselors, psychologists, physi-cians, social workers and nurses who work in substance abuse. “Project ELICIT” is a research project sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Center on Alcohol-ism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA) in New Mexico. This will be a 12 month research study about Motivational Interviewing (MI). Mr. Heaney is one of the few tri-state area candidates chosen to participate in a two-day MI training in Albuquerque, NM. Some of the instructors that will be spear-heading this project are the world renowned William R. Miller, Ph.D. who introduced the clinical method of motivational interview-ing in 1983, and Theresa B. Moyers, Ph.D., founding member of the Motivational Inter-viewing Network of Trainers.

SLR RN Wins NYU Preceptor Award

The Addiction Institute of New York’s Gene McCullough, APRN-BC, was re-cently selected by the Master’s and Post-

master’s Advanced Certificate Programs of the College of Nursing at the New York University for a Preceptor Award. A nurse for 30-plus years, Mr. McCullough began working at St. Luke’s in 1986. Since 2000, he has worked in the Addiction Institute’s Detox Unit. NYU College of Nursing faculty selects precep-tor awardees, based on the overall quality of their teaching, their involvement with clinical and functional role education, and feedback from students. Gene, we are proud of you. Congratulations!

The Doctor Is In

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health teamed up with the Jewish Commu-nity Center on the Upper Westside to offer a

series of free, informative discussions on living life to the fullest: AINY contribution to this community ef-fort was by having Paul Rinaldi, PhD, Clinical Direc-tor, give his presentation “Am I Addicted to Alcohol?”AINY also wants to congratulate Dr. Rinaldi on his re-election to a 2nd term on the Research Development Committee for the NIDA Clinical Trials Network.

“SLR Physician Speaks in Colombia”

Petros Levounis, MD, MA, Director, of the Addiction Institute of New York, was the plenary speaker at the Colombian

Psychiatric Association’s 48th Congress of Psychi-atry: Psychiatry in a Global World. Dr. Levounis traveled to Cartagena, Colombia to deliver his keynote speech “Motivation and Change: Addic-tion Medicine in the 21st Century.” Dr. Levounis also continues to share his ex-pertise at some of our education facilities; The Julliard School of Music requested he be part of their orientation program for incoming students, and the Continuing Education Ad-diction Program at the NYU School of Social Work hosted his lecture on “Neurobiology of Addiction.” In addition, Dr. Levounis has been ap-pointed to the Patient Safety/Risk Management Council of St. Luke’s & Roosevelt Hospitals.

Lisa Litt, Ph.D., Clinical Director, of The Women Health Project (WHP), has been very busy this last quarter

giving a series of lectures not only here in the Big Apple, but out-of-state as well: Grand

5 6

Rounds, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Division of Substance Abuse: The Elephant in the Room: Addressing Trauma Safely During Addiction Treatment. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Atlanta, GA, Case Examples of Diag-nostic Issues and PTSD/SUD Symptoms for Women with Trauma and Addictions, paper in panel, Treatment Trajectories of Substance Abusing Women with Trauma: The Problem with PTSD Diagnosis. WHP was also part of a community effort hosted by the Health & Women’s Ministries of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. “Too Much Pressure Makes Me Want to Scream” workshops mainly focused on women’s issues and how to maintain emotional balance during stressful times.

Some of our reviewers had this to say:

“A terrific contribution to an important area of work. This book offers a compassionate ap-proach to help improve treatment for women with PTSD and substance abuse. It conveys clinically savvy principles from an expert team grounded in both treatment and research perspectives. Especially new and noteworthy are the sections on parenting, ethnocultural considerations, and physical health. Throughout, the empowerment perspective and gender sensitivity offer a clear lens to understand—truly understand—the lives of women devastated by trauma and addiction. Sincere congratulations to Hien, Litt, Cohen, Miele and Campbell for a major and timely contribution.” -Lisa M. Najavits, PhD, Boston University School of Medicine; Harvard Medical School; and National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA

“This is a terrific book that should enjoy wide circulation. The authors integrate research findings without losing sight of their primary audience: clinicians. They include a wealth of clinical insights and practical suggestions. This volume has a great deal to offer both newcomers and seasoned clini-cians.” -Joan Zweben, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.P

ubli

cati

on o

f new

boo

k

Dr. Paul J. Rinaldi, Clinical Director – Addiction Institute of NY, and Susan Fenton, Director of Special Projects, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health

AINY wants to acknowledge Mr. David Rappaport for the loan of one of his paintings to the Addiction Institute.

Patients from our programs have entitled the piece “Portal of Recovery.” It is a wonderful addition to the outpatient unit creating lively conversation between patients and staff.

Furthermore, the Addiction Institute wants to congratulate Denise Hien, Lisa Caren Litt, and their colleagues on the

publication of their latest book Trauma Services for Women in Substance Abuse Treatment, published through APA Press. The book high-lights their experiences in working with women through the Women’s Health Project and the NIDA and NIAAA research studies.

Trauma Services for Women in Substance Abuse Treatment: An Integrated ApproachThis book is a hands-on guide for clinicians seeking to treat women who suffer from both a history of trauma and the effects of substance abuse. The intertwined nature of trauma and addiction is explored through a review of recent research, with a focus on treatment options for PTSD and addiction that together form the basis for many of the recently developed treatments for trauma and addiction co-morbidity. Vital back-ground material is included that describes the effects of trauma on emotion regulation, interpersonal functioning, parenting, and physical health. Finally, the book addresses the many real-world challenges clinicians will face in implementing trauma-focused therapeutic approaches in community-based substance abuse treatment.

The authors have written an essential resource for substance abuse program direc-tors who want to broaden their services to better assist their clients. It will also be helpful for clinicians and social workers who want to better understand the complicated nature of their clients’ problems, as well as for researchers seeking to expand on the current understand-ing of addiction and trauma co-morbidity, and for all who seek to further develop integrated treatments to help lead victims to recovery.About the Authors - Denise Hien, PhD, Clini-cal Psychologist and Professor at City Univer-sity of New York. Senior Research Scientist at Columbia and was the Founding Execu-tive Director of The Women’s Health Project Treatment and Research Center. Lisa Caren Litt, PhD, Clinical Director of The Women’s Health Project Treatment and Research Cen-ter., Assistant Clinical Professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Lisa R. Cohen, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Research Scientist at the New York State Psy-chiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center. Gloria M. Miele, PhD, Instructor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Training Director for the Long Island Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network. Aimee Campbell, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate at the Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010 WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

Pub

lica

tion

What is the new level of FDIC insur-ance savings coverage? Isn’t a bank going to cost me money? Will I be

discriminated against at a bank because of my illness? These and many other financial questions were answered at the Psychiatric Recovery Center’s (PRC) 3rd annual fall event, Financial Wellness: Money Management on a Lim-ited or Fixed Income. The afternoon workshop was presented by the Commu-nity Outreach Committee and sponsored by Citibank. It drew a huge audience of over 100 people from within St. Luke’s-Roosevelt and the larger mental health community. Topics included banking, money management strategies, credit repair, legal supports, alternative sources of in-come, and benefits informa-tion. “Our goal was to create an interactive and informative day for consumers,” said Jeni Dulek, OTR/L, Senior Occupational Therapist at the PRC and chairperson of the Community Outreach Committee. “So often individuals with mental illness struggle with financial issues and don’t know where to turn.” Tables were set up to encourage consumers to talk with the experts and get some one-on-one advice. Citibank representatives were there to provide information about banking; Project Renewal’s Next Step Program had staff to talk about money management and their agency’s other free educational services; Social Security representatives promoted their online resourc-es. A legal expert and a financial planner were

Dear President Barack Obama:

I am an eighteen year old from one of the most storytelling cities in the United States, New York City. I am writing to invite you, along with your family and Vice-President Biden and family, to the grad-

uation of a distinctive group of students of the class of 2010. When I was sitting at the kitchen table with my cup of ice water watching the polls close on November 4, 2008 and hearing the breaking news that announced you would be the next President, my heart starting racing and my cup fell to the floor as I ran to tell my mom. Knowing that there would be an African-American President was an inspiration for my own future. I felt that change was desperately needed and it became a change that I could believe in, for myself and all brothers and sisters of color. In writing this letter, I want to introduce myself

and convey to you how your presidency has impacted a kid who grew up in the projects in Harlem, one of the roughest neighborhoods in the country. Firstly, I am the son of an immigrant father who was deported, and one of seven children who was brought into the world under the influence of a devastating addiction. Since the age of two, when my youngest brother was a week old, four of us were fortunate enough to be adopted by a wonderful family who still loves and cares for us today. Although my adoptive parents (“Grandma & Grandpa”) offered my biological parents the opportunity to be involved in my life, my biologi-cal mother’s largest presence has come only through her broken promises. The deportation of my father in the mid-1990s did not motivate her to act differently as far as her addiction to drugs and commitment to us. Not having my biological parents in my life, especially my mom who lives only 25 minutes away from my place of residence is very hard on me and my adoptive parents. Grandma and Grandpa were in their fifties when they took us in. Despite struggling with their own natural health issues due to complications from aging, previous injuries, the toll of being a Vietnam Veteran, and the untimely loss of one of their children, they continue to make sure that they provide the best for us. If a challenge becomes too big for them to handle, they enlist the love and support of their daughter Regina, to keep us in line. The only memories that remain of my biological parents are pictures and stories told to me by my adoptive mom. Everyday I wonder if I am ever going to be reunited with my dad who is many miles away in Jamaica. Being born on drugs has had negative and positive impacts on my life. I was brought into the world under dysfunctional circumstances and put into the system, through a num-ber of foster homes that were abusive and unsafe. My mom missed the best years of my life because she was struggling with addiction. Since she began the road to recovery, about seven years ago, she has begun to assume the responsibilities of taking care of herself, but has yet to take on her biggest responsibility- taking care of the six of her seven children that she left behind When we arrived at the doorstep of 159-30 Harlem River Drive at age two, my twin brother and I were malnourished and unable to walk, talk, or engage in the mischief of your average two-year old. My brothers and I needed occupational and physical therapy and other services to catch up to other kids and believe it or not my new cousins were the ones who taught us to talk. I have been in a series of public schools along with day treatment programs to achieve what I thought was never possible. There is only one place that has provided me with the services I needed the most, which is the Comprehensive Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education Service. CARES is a twelve-month day treatment program within the Child and Family Institute of St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals and I believe it is one of a kind. It incorporates educational, substance abuse and mental health services for teens who desperately know they need help but often make choices to get involved with gangs, street life, drugs or other unsafe situations. Having been one of those teens, this program has helped

me four years strong. I have learned to deal with difficult situations through learning the skills of life, particularly through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) groups and individual therapy. I learned that in order to cope with some of my vulnerabilities I benefit from being prescribed medication to decrease my impulsivity and help me attend to my educational goals in a struc-tured class setting. Having an individualized treatment plan mapped out my success through the program. Having been in this program has helped me grow in various aspects of my life including family, peer relationships and belief in myself. This program has inspired me so much that I made a promise to God of returning the favor of hope that I received from all the posi-tive wisdom that pushed me to a limit that will last for eternity. Being in the CARES program and witness-ing you becoming the first African-American President gave me hope, gave me the strength and most importantly instilled in me the determination that I will succeed despite the hurdles that lie before me. I am inviting you to be a part of the CARES graduation in the hope that you will witness how teens on the road to corruption can transform into young, sober, college-bound adults with the support of dedi-cated clinicians and educators who instill hope where hope has been lost. Having the Obama-Biden families as our guests would recognize and honor the struggles and accomplishments of my fellow peers and would send a message to the country about the value of treatment and education for youth with substance abuse and mental health issues. I firmly believe that this country needs more programs, such as CARES, to be established and developed. It would strengthen this country and give greater hope to more teens like us. It has been an honor to share some of my life experiences with you and I hope to meet you on my graduation day.

Respectfully,

Joshua K. Simpson-Simmons

financial WELLNESS: for Those with Mental Illness

also on hand to assist consumers. One of the highlights was a client of the LAUNCH pro-gram, who shared the story of how he started his own jewelry and woodwork business with

assistance from their entrepreneurial training program. A delicious lunch was catered by Project Renewal’s Comfort Foods, a free culinary training program designed to help people with mental illness and/or a history of homelessness obtain employment in the food services indus-try. Formal presentations in the auditorium followed the meal. They included a spirited talk from Citibank personalized to situations that people with limited incomes face, such as the costs associated with check cashing facili-ties and general distrust of banks in those pop-ulations. In another presentation, audience members were able to complete a worksheet to outline their short- and long-term goals, any

7 8

associated costs, and strategies for saving the money needed to achieve them. Broadening the scope of the seminar was Barbara Linder, Administrator, Department of Psychiatry and

Behavioral Health, who discussed managing the financial challenges faced by a large healthcare organization. At the end of the day, everyone left with a terrific bag of goodies provided by Citibank; one lucky audience member won a Tiffany silver bank! How-ever, more importantly, consumers took home a wealth of informa-tion to better manage their financial lives. One consumer happily noted, “It’s exciting to learn about all the opportuni-ties out there for us and to know if we make it, we’ll know what to do with our money!”

Letter to President Obama

For more information about the organizations listed above or about financial resources for consumers,

please contact Jeni Dulek at 212-523-4105

We also welcome you to join our Com-munity Outreach Committee or to volunteer time or resources for future events! Thanks to Jeni Dulek, Hilary Eth, Florence Levy, Renee Gallant, and Adina Bensoussan for their ongo-ing efforts.

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010 WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

Recently, Marc Raybin, LMSW, Clinical Supervisor on the Inpatient Detoxification Unit, a division of the Addiction Institute of New York was awarded the SLR Presidents Award for Excellence.

Mr. Raybin joined the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health and clinical staff approxi-mately five years ago. He has worked in multiple divisions within the Department including one of the Inpatient Psychiatry Units, the Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program, and for the past two years, the Inpatient Detoxification Unit. He is an invaluable member of our team and he stands out for his remarkable enthusiasm and diligence. Mr. Raybin is meticulously detailed as he comes in early every morning to ensure that the patients’ needs have been met prior to their discharge. Mr. Raybin is extraordinarily reliable and can be counted on that he will meet the needs of his patients in the best way he can. His door is always open and he always greets patients with warmth, compassion, a smile, and at the appropriate times, some humor. One memorable example is when Mr. Raybin went an hour out of his way home after work to pick up a patient’s clothing that he had left at a previous shelter. In this way, the patient could have his belongings and be transported directly after discharge to an inpatient drug rehabilitation program and not risk the chance of relapse by going to get his clothing. It is this genuine concern for his patients that has helped him create a treatment alliance with many of our most challenging patients. Mr. Raybin has also been a valued teacher to both social work and counseling students. His dedica-tion in the professional development of his staff is best exemplified by his actions. This past year, Mr. Raybin agreed to supervise an additional student after the student had the misfortune of being unable to continue at his previous site. Despite his busy schedule, he has made time for supervision and mentor-ship. Mr. Raybin is not only a valued teacher and supervisor but without a doubt, a team player and over time, has helped foster comradery among his staff members. Mr. Raybin continues to serve the needs of his patients with his interests outside of work. He has met with New York State assemblymen and advocated to help bring about reform to the New York State Rockefeller Drug Laws. He remains passionate about bringing reform to New York State Law in ways that will help meet the mental health needs of New York City. Mr. Raybin was nominated by Anna Skiandos, DO, Unit Chief, Inpatient Detoxification Unit, Addiction Institute of NY.

SLR President’s Award for Excellence

9

Awards &Publications...

10

University Hospital ofColumbia University Collegeof Physicians & Surgeons

St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health1090 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025Tel (212) 523-4139 Web www.slrpsych.org

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals is the largest not-for-profit provider of mental health and addiction services in New York City. Since 1954, we have dedicated ourselves to providing comprehensive services that enable individuals to improve their overall quality of life.

Please help us further our mission by making a contribution today. Your gift will enhance our continued efforts to provide the highest quality, compassionate care to all of our patients.

Yes, I/we want to support the important work of St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals’ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health by making a contribution of:

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

TELEPHONE

E-MAIL ADDRESS

o $1,000 o $500 o $250 o $100 o $50 o $25 o Other

Z

Congratulations to Robin Kerner, Irene Zombek and Jennifer Dulek on the publication of their article “Supported Education for Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities: Effectiveness of an Occupational Therapy Program” published in The American Journal of Occupa-

tional Therapy, May/June 2009 Volume 63 Number 3. This article discusses the effectiveness of a supported education program, a study conducted in ITRP. A copy of the article is posted on the PRC staff article bulletin board in Suite 5AB. A group of Japanese mental health professionals from Chiba Psychiatric Medical Center and

the Medical Director of the Japanese Consulate (Dr. Yoshida) visited St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital on November 10, 2009 as part of an international educational tour. SLR was one

of four hospitals in New York City that were selected for their tour this year. Dr. Rosenthal, the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, warmly greeted the Japanese guests and explained the philosophy of psychiatric treatment at SLR, which was followed by the directors’ presentations: Dr. McQuistion (Divisional Director), Dr. Koenig (Clinical Director of Outpatient Psychiatric Services), Dr. Palmgren (Director of Psychiatric Recovery Center, PRC), and Mr. LaSalle (Mobile Crisis Leader). After lively Q&A, the guests were given a tour at Out-patient Psychiatric Clinic and PRC. Jeni Dulek (Occupational Therapist) and Ralph Bernardini (Recreational Therapist) showed the Resource Room and the Patient Kitchen. The guests were brought to a family therapy supervision group and watched a videotaped family session presented by Deborah Brown (Psychology Fellow). Family Therapy Supervisor and Attending Psychiatrist, Dr. Donald Brown, explained the structure of training and treatment of family therapy at PRC and stressed the importance of family work with serious and persistent mentally ill populations. Other family supervision group members who participated in the discussion with the Japanese guests were Ms. Adriana Rodriguez and Ms. Margaret White, and Dr. Yuko Hanakawa.

Japanese Mental Health Professionals visit SLRYuko Hanakawa, Ph.D.

Left to Right in the 1st row: Makiko Suzuki, RN, Melinda Koenig Psy.D. , Yasunori Nagaushi, M.D. (attending), Hideaki Hayashi, M.D. (director), Richard Rosenthal, M.D. , Tsunetaka Yoshida, M.D. (Medical Director of Japanese Consulate), Yuko Hanakawa, Ph.D. Left to Right in the 2nd row: Hitomi Miyamoto, S.W., Susan Palmgren, Ph.D., Daisuke Irokawa, M.D. (resident), Edward LaSalle, R.N., Hunter McQuistion, M.D.

I want to congratulate everyone on a won-derful holiday party; in my opinion, the best Child and Family Institute Outpa-

tient party yet! The staff put in time and ef-fort to making this such a special experience for the families. Patients participated in arts and crafts activities, watched a magic show, spun records with the dj, took pictures with Santa who gave them gifts of RxArt coloring books and worked with the amazing team from Seventeen magazine on their activity worksheets. Parents participated in a raffle with many items donated from local vendors and staff friends and family. Kylie Strassburg and Devon Bickford did an outstanding job coordinating the event. This work included fundraising, ascertain-ing community donations and collaborations with outside companies. Thank you also to Jennie Johanson for all your work with the Child and Family Institute. Thank you to the non-CFI St. Luke’s staff for helping us navi-gate all of the hospital systems and make this day a success for the over 700 families served by the program.

To the amazing Child and Family Institute Outpatient Department staff, Seventeen Magazine, Volunteers and St. Luke’s Hospital administrationBonnie Siegel, LCSW-R, Program Director, Child & Family Institute Outpatient Department

Magician entertains CFI Families.

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

LETT

ER T

O S

TAFF

(Continued on Pg. 10)

Y

THANK YOU

WWW.SLRPSYCH.ORG • ISSUE #10 • 2010

May 13 Melvin Gilbert, MD, MBA “The Wisdom of Illness-Lessons to be Learned”

Melvin Gilbert, MD, MBA, is a Director, Division of Psychosomatic Medicine at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals. He has extensive experi-ence working with individuals with psychiatric and general medicine illnesses. He has established a psychiatric consultation service at St. Luke’s Hos-pital, historically known as a center for excellence

and has established a fellowship training program in Psychosomatic Medicine hospital wide. He has an MBA and a particular interest in system-based issues relevant to health care delivery.

March 11Jeanne Cummings, NP, CS, BC, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Specialist “How to Identify and Treat Anxiety & Depression”

Jeanne Cummings is a board certified Nurse Practitioner in psychiatry and a Clinical Specialist in Mental Health. She currently practices in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatric Department of St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. Along with psychopharmacology, she incorporates a wide variety of modalities into her practice with individuals, groups and couples.

April 29Andrew Twardon PhD, “Understanding Different Personality Types”

Andrew Twardon, Ph.D. is a Supervis-ing Psychologist and Director of the Center for Intensive Treatment of Personality Disorders at the Department of Psychiatry of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Center. His is an Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research. He specializes in com-

prehensive assessment and multidimensional treatment of Personality Disorders and personality-related problems, diagnostic psychological testing, couples’ therapy, group psychotherapy and applications of Zen Buddhism in psychology and mental health.

o Please charge $ to my o Visa o MC o AmEx

o My employer will match my gift. Enclosed is a completed form.

* For more information, please call (212) 523-7342

11

CARD NUMBER

NAME ON CARD

SIGNATURE STATE

EXP. DATE

My support is:

o In Honor of o In Memory of

DR. / MR. / MRS. / MS.

Please let the following know about my gift:

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

o Enclosed is my check, payable to:

St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals - Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health

We are deeply grateful for the support of our friends. Please write to us if you wish to have your name removed from future mailings. All requests must be made in writing to Patricia A. Balsamini, Vice President, Development Department, Continuum Health Partners, 555 West 57th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10019.

February 25 Dr. Robin Kerner- “Was it Good For You? How to Improve Your Sex Life”

Robin Kerner, PhD, is a Director at the St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and is an Asst. Professor at Columbia University College of Physi-cians and Surgeons. She has been featured on na-tional and local media including ABC World News, The Mike and Juliet Show, WCBS,WNBC,Fox Business Channel, and NPR.Her practice includes

individual, couples and group psychotherapy and focus on mind-body connection and its impact on our emotional and physical health.

lectures take place at JCC Manhattan • located on Amsterdam at 76th Street • free and open to the public • Lectures begin at 7P.M.

Upcoming Lectures