montco memo€¦ · Pottstown Family Support Group, 1st Monday at Creative Health Services,...
Transcript of montco memo€¦ · Pottstown Family Support Group, 1st Monday at Creative Health Services,...
Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Dinner on May 11th
Our members are invited to our Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Dinner
Date: Wednesday May 11, 2016
Location: Maggiano’s Little Italy
King of Prussia
Time: 6:30 PM
Keynote: Dennis Marion
Assistant Secretary, OMHSAS
Awards
Maryella Hitt Advocacy Award: Neen Davis
Peg Cochran Volunteer Award: Marianne Donahue
Glenn Koons Recovery Award: JB Brooks
Criminal Justice Award: Michelle Monzo
The event is free to our members; however, a reservation by May 4 is required. Call 215-361-7784 to RSVP.
For non-members, a $35.00 membership fee is requested, and an RSVP by May 4 is required.
montco memo Montgomery County, PA May 2016 Volume XXXV Issue 9
5K GREATER PHILADELPHIA NAMIWalks Saturday, May 14th, 2016
Check in: 8:00 am Start time: 10:00 am
STRUT AT THE START WITH THE MUMMERS
Kids Activities and Parade before Walk Sing and Dance with Elle Gyandoh
Special Guest: Commissioner Joe Gale Walk in Place Option
Family & Dog Friendly event
Refreshments and more
Behind College Hall, Quad area, at
Montgomery County Community College 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422
REGISTER TODAY
http://www.namiwalks.org/greaterphiladelphia
For more information, contact Danielle: 215.361.7784 [email protected]
Also in This Issue
Calendar 2
Message from Our Executive Director
3
Responses to Hollywood Beauty Salon
3
Integrating Fitness with MH Services
4
Carol Caruso’s Testimony before PA House Human Services Committee
5
MONTCO Peer Support Groups 6
9th Annual NAMIWalks 7
Tributes and Donations 7
May 2016 Page 2
montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 9
the montco memo is published monthly by
NAMI of PENNSYLVANIA
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Board of Directors
President Beth Milton First Vice-President Dawn Hogan Second Vice President Dave Davis Secretary Lauren Centola Treasurer Past President Neen Davis
Victoria Bright Armand DiYenno Rhea Fernandes Precious Graham Laura Longstreet Tricia Malott Donna McNelis Jerry Rudakevich Mike Solomon
Executive Director Carol Caruso Editor Beulah Saideman Co-Editor Mary Schuck Editor Emeritus Maryella D. Hitt Office Manager Debra Herbut Bookkeeper Jane Polto Walk Manager Danielle Blanchard
Support Group Facilitators Coordinator Carol Caruso
Abington Presbyterian Church Joan Kozlowski Corinne Smith
Lansdale Rich Kelble Anne Magowan
Lower Providence Presbyterian Church Neen Davis Sue Soriano
Pottstown Nina & Alan McDaniel
NAMI of PA Montgomery County
100 W. Main Street Suite 204
Lansdale, PA 19446 Phone: 215-361-7784 FAX: 215-361-7786
Email: name: [email protected] Web page: www.nami-montcopa.org
Letters to the Editor and other articles and contributions are welcome. Send them
to the NAMI Office or by Email to [email protected]
by the 15th of the preceding month.
NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is an approved Donor Choice Agency of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and
Southern New Jersey
United Way Agency Code # 5076
Calendar
Peer Support
May 12/26 June 9/23
Hearing Voices Support Groups are for people who hear, see or sense things that other people don’t and want to learn and grow together. They are run by CIC (Creating Increased Connec-tions). See schedule on Page 6 or for more information call Berta Britz at 484-681-9432, Ext. 203.
Support, Study and Skype Hearing Voices Groups are for people who hear, see, or sense things that other people don’t and want to learn and grow together. Also run by CIC, they offer mutu-al support on the 2nd Thursday (6-7:30 PM) using books and workbooks, and Skype with Ron Coleman on the 4th Saturday of every month (9-10:30 AM) at CIC, 18 East 4th St., Bridgeport, PA. For more information call Berta Britz at 484-681-9432, Ext. 203.
WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plans) is a way to plan and monitor what you need to do to stay both mentally and physically healthy. Also run by CIC. See schedule on Page 6. For more in-formation call 484-681-9432.
NAMI Connection Groups are peer run support groups for individuals living with mental illness. See Page 6 for schedule.
New Directions Bipolar & Depression Support Group, 2nd & 4th Thursday, 10:00 AM, Giant Food Store, 315 York Rd, Willow Grove
May 2 June 6
Pottstown Family Support Group, 1st Monday at Creative Health Services, Consumers Library, 11 Robinson Street, 7-8:30PM.
May 2 June 6
Lower Providence Family Support Group, Lower Providence Presbyterian Church, 3050 Ridge Pike, Eagleville, Room 205. 7 PM. First Monday except on holidays.
May canceled! June 7
Lansdale Family Support Group at St. John’s United Church of Christ, Main Street and Richardson Avenue, Lansdale. First Tuesday, 7:00 PM. May Support Group is canceled.
May 3/17 June 7/21
New Directions Bipolar & Depression Support Groups (2) one for Consumers & one for Family/Caregivers — 1st & 3rd Tuesday, Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington — 7:30 PM. Call 215-659-2366.
May 12 June 9
Glenside Family Support Group, Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington — 2nd Thursday, 7:30 PM.
May 19 June 16
Montgomery County CSP (Community Support Program), 3rd Thursday,12-2 PM, Montgomery County Library, 1001 Powell St., Norristown.
June 16 * Board of Director’s Meeting, 3rd Thursday, Lansdale Office, 6:30 PM. * No meeting in May.
A Note About Our Meetings
Although some of our meetings are held at religious institutions, they are non-denominational and open to people of all beliefs.
May 2016 Page 3
montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 9
Responses to HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY SALON
Message from Our Executive Director
Many of you, our NAMI members, remember our 20 year
battle for mental health parity—that is, legalization for cover-
age for mental health treatment equal to physical health treat-
ment. That advocacy fight succeeded in 2008 with the passing
of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity
Act. There was great celebration and the promise of (finally)
having equal coverage for mental health treatment.
However, despite the federal law, more often than not, in-
surance companies (including Medical Assistance) still restrict
coverage for mental health to the number of out-patient visits,
the number of in-patient days, and medications. Pennsylvania is
finally taking steps (with the help of former US Representative
Patrick Kennedy) to correct this. Please see my testimony be-
fore the PA Human Services Committee on page 5 and on our
website at http://www.namimontcopa.org/advocacy/.
We are collaborating with other mental health advocacy groups
across the state to introduce and pass legislation that will en-
force compliance with the parity law here in Pennsylvania.
Lots happening this month—Mental Health Month. Our
members are invited to our Annual Membership Meeting and
Awards Dinner (see front page headline – non-members may
attend for the cost of a one-year membership- $35.00) as well
as our 9th Annual Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalk. We hope to
see many of you at both events!
Thanks to those of you who took the time to vote for our
bylaws proposals and for our Board candidates. Your participa-
tion helps us to truly be a grassroots organization, deriving our
energy from the roots up (rather than from the top down). Our
new Board will be seated in June, and officers will be elected.
We appreciate your being part of this process.
Carol Caruso
On March 30th we presented the documentary “Hollywood Beau-ty Salon” at Montgomery County Community College. The 100 or so viewers in attendance were enthralled with its honesty and true depiction of what mental health and substance use recovery involves and looks like. Below are some comments about the film:
This moving, important film explores issues too often ignored:
minority communities and mental healthcare, trauma and its
intersection with mental illness, and the nature of recovery. It
does it all it all with humor and delight... a joy to watch!
Liz Spikol
Senior Writer, Philadelphia Magazine
A truly beautiful film about mental health recovery and hope.
It's an uplifting testament to the strength, creativity, and capaci-
ty for healing that each of us possesses...a vibrant and touching
celebration of the recovery movement. Recovery is possible...
Hollywood Beauty Salon is proof.
Arthur Evans, Ph. D.
Commissioner, Philadelphia Dept. of Behavioral Health and
Intellectual DisAbilities Services
Awesome! This film is a paean to human resilience.
Lawrence A. Real, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual
DisAbility Services
Hollywood Beauty Salon epitomizes what we all want -- which
is to have a life, go through happiness and sorrows with our
friends, and be with family and those we love. It also gives peo-
ple the opportunity to fulfill a dream. How cool is that?
Joan Erney, J.D.
CEO, Community Behavioral Health
Inspiring!! A brave and creative endeavor to portray what real
recovery looks like – taking people from trauma and bringing
their dreams to life.
Edie Mannion, LMFT
Director and Co-Founder, Training and Education Center, Men-
tal Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
There’s a lot of joy, there’s a lot of laughter in the film. People
are connected to things they love.
Maiken Scott
Behavioral Health Reporter, WHYY-91FM
We see in this movie an entirely different way of thinking about
interactions and empowerment… encouraging individuals to be
the people they really are, beyond illness and diagnosis.
Audience member
Hollywood Beauty Salon filmmaker Glenn Holsten (L) fields questions from the audience with a participant from the film.
May 2016 Page 4
montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 9
By David F. Brand, HuffPost Blog, April 4, 2016
When I began working as a case manager at a supportive
housing site for formerly homeless adults with mental illness in
East Harlem, I quickly noticed that the large majority of tenants
experienced a preventable physical health problem related to obe-
sity. I later learned that their endemic deconditioning reflects
broader social trends. In fact, individuals with serious mental ill-
ness die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population.
These premature deaths do not result from some quirk of brain
chemistry. Instead, the majority stem from preventable health
conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory
problems. Poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, obesity and lack of
exercise — risk factors associated with poverty — contribute to
and exacerbate those maladies.
Gradually, I noticed a frequent gap in my clients’ treatment.
Although physicians would instruct obese individuals to “lose
weight,” the directive often fell flat when the individual lacked
exercise education or experience. At times, the warning created
an additional stressor that exacerbated anxiety and other mental
health issues.
See the pattern? Poverty, mental illness and poor physical
health weave a lethal web that can ensnare an individual and
prompt premature death (not to mention exorbitant medical
spending). Individuals like my clients deserve integrated pro-
grams that empower them to set specific health goals and then
achieve those goals through supervised, tailored exercise pro-
grams in collaboration with traditional clinical service providers
like social workers and case managers.
In New York City, where roughly 20 percent of residents ex-
perience mental illness and where nearly 2 million people live in
poverty, a few social service agencies have confronted the chal-
lenge by committing to programs that fuse fitness with mental
health. Last summer, I began working as a fitness consultant for
Lantern Community Services, a supportive housing organization
for formerly homeless adults with sites throughout New York
City. In this capacity, I facilitate fitness programs and train ten-
ants at gyms that Lantern built within its residences. Fountain
House, an agency that follows the clubhouse model, empowers
its individuals with mental illness by partnering with them to run
employment, education and wellness programs, which they call
units. Fountain House features a gym and encourages exercise
as part of its comprehensive perspective on health.
Fountain House Wellness Unit Director Joe Shaffer acknowl-
edged that almost all individuals, including people without mental
illness, have issues maintaining healthy lifestyles, but, he ex-
plained, mental illness poses an added burden.
“When you’re working with a population where some of the
negative symptoms of their illnesses are a lack of motivation and
they’re dealing with side effects of the medications that are help-
ing with their mental health [but] stand as an additional obstacle
to leading a physically healthy life, these are things you have to
address and acknowledge and [thus] incorporate more healthy
services into their life,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer explained that research into premature death among
people with mental illness motivated Fountain House to develop
stronger exercise and nutrition initiatives. The mission became
more urgent when several of the organization’s members died of
preventable illnesses, he said.
Crucially, the fitness program enables individuals to practice
skills and healthy behaviors that they translate into broader socie-
ty. “Our goal is not to keep members within this safe bubble of
Fountain House and only help them to be well here,” Shaffer said.
“It’s to provide them with support, structure, framework, confi-
dence and a knowledge-base to be able to put that into practice
within the greater community.
La Palestra, a company that operates several premium gyms
around New York City, champions a similarly integrated ap-
proach to mental and physical health for wealthier individuals.
The company, founded by trainer Pat Manocchia in 1993, serves
as a model for holistic, preventive health care because its mem-
bers meet with an in-house team of personal trainers, specialized
physicians, nutritionists, psychiatrists and social workers who
work together to coordinate care.
“When you’re creating a health program for someone, you
have to deal with the entire individual specifically because your
health is in behavior,” Manocchia said. “[Health] is not something
that just happens to you. Your diet is behavior. Your exercise pat-
terns are behaviors. Lifestyle is behavior.”
Manocchia said he was inspired to address the intersection of
mental and physical health when one of his clients refused to look
at herself in a mirror despite her significant postural imbalance.
He said he reached out to a psychiatrist, whom he also trained, for
advice on engaging the woman.
In 2009, Manocchia and his wife Deborah, a licensed social
worker, developed a non-profit organization called La Palestra
Kids based on their holistic health approach. The organization
serves children and their parents in East Harlem and stands out in
its effort to translate integrative health programs to low-income
individuals at high risk for developing preventable illnesses.
Fortunately, policymakers have begun paying attention to the
interconnectivity among physical health, mental health and social
risk factors. In March, the Obama Administration announced a
proposal to fund “lifestyle change programs” for the tens of mil-
lions of individuals most at risk for developing diabetes.
As the New York Times reported:
“[T]rained counselors would coach consumers on healthier eating
habits and increased physical activity as ways to prevent Type 2
diabetes ... Such programs have been found effective in people
with a condition known as prediabetes, meaning that they have
blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high
enough to be considered diabetes.”
According to the Times, a YMCA pilot program has already
proven successful for significantly improving health and reducing
medical spending:
Integrating Fitness with MH Services Provides Holistic Care for Individuals With Mental Illness
May 2016 Page 5
montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 9
Representative DiGirolamo, Representative Murt, Committee
members, Representative Kennedy, members of the Insurance
Commission, guests:
Thank you for this opportunity to address you this morning
on the very critical issue of parity for mental health and sub-
stance use coverage.
I am Carol Caruso, Executive Director of NAMI PA Mont-
gomery County. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Ill-
ness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health advocacy
organization dedicated to building better lives for those affected
by mental illness. We do this by providing support, education
and advocacy services to all in need at no cost. Although I rep-
resent a local NAMI affiliate, I have also served for six (6) years
on our state Board (five as president) and a total of nine (9) years
on our national Board of Directors. I have been a NAMI member
since 1990, and, with other NAMI and peer advocates, went
through most of the twenty (20) year fight to make mental health
parity the law. I am here with friends and colleagues not only
from NAMI but also other mental health advocacy groups. I
thank them for their support and collaboration on many initia-
tives, including this one.
Although I have had several family members with mental
health challenges, my direct experience as a caretaker of such an
individual was with a foster son. That experience was not suc-
cessful and he unfortunately is serving a life sentence at a Penn-
sylvania state correctional facility. This unsuccessful experience
only further committed me to helping those who fell through the
cracks in the mental health and substance use systems.
In addition to advocacy I also spent many years working in
the mental health field, as a case manager, residential program
director and day program staff. From these experiences I worked
with many individuals and families with private insurance who
soon ran out of mental health and substance use coverage from
their insurance carriers. Many paid for services out of pocket,
draining financial resources while not only not achieving suc-
cessful treatment outcomes but also needing to look elsewhere,
and often to Medical Assistance, for continued and on-going
treatment coverage. This of course drains our state match, and
puts people on “the Welfare rolls”, not a way to promote recov-
ery nor the hope of a return to or the fulfillment of living a pro-
ductive life.
Yet in order to treat their illness, to stay out of the hospital,
or out of jail or off the streets, continued treatment is absolutely
necessary, and limits of numbers of sessions or to medication
formularies just don’t work.
We have a federal law to prevent this. However it is not en-
forced, and more often than not individuals either do not know
that they can challenge service limitations or the provider makes
it so difficult to file a grievance that they give up, walk away,
and either pay out of pocket or leave treatment until a crisis hits,
and possibly a hospitalization, or an arrest, making it much more
costly overall.
We know that there is a high coincidence of mental illness
along with sub-
stance use. In
order for treat-
ment to be suc-
cessful, integrated
care is a must.
However, this is
not always the
case.
As Repre-
sentative Kenne-
dy so correctly
states, the stigma
associated with
mental illness and
substance use is
nothing more than
discrimination.
We find this dis-
crimination in our
communities, in
our places of em-
ployment, within
our system of care
and even within
ourselves. Is it
any wonder that
despite the 2008
parity law, our
insurance provid-
ers continue to
offer limited
mental health and
substance use
coverage? This
and the possibil-
ity that many
subscribers are not aware of parity, nor if they do, do they know
how to file a grievance about it or to whom to file such a griev-
ance? Is their insurance provider, who will ultimately reject fur-
ther coverage, the absolute end to which they can have this ad-
dressed? We need to do a much better job at educating not only
about mental illness and substance use disorders as legitimate
disorders that are treatable, but we also need to educate on the
law and on treatment parity.
Some examples of calls from our NAMI members into our
office on parity:
A gentleman, I will call him Bill, retired from a Fortune 500
company. Both he and his wife required mental health treatment
for depression while he was working as well as in retirement.
They were covered by the same insurance provider both while
working as well as in retirement. They were denied adequate on-
going coverage and had to pay out of pocket. This became very
expensive, for office visits as well as for medications, and one of (continued on page 6)
Testimony before the PA House Human Services Committee, April 13, 2016 By Carol Caruso, Executive Director, NAMI PA Montgomery County
(L to R): Christine Michaels, Executive Direc-
tor of NAMI PA SW; former US Representa-tive Patrick Kennedy; Debbie Ference, Ass’t Director of NAMI PA SW, at April 13th Human Services Committee meeting in Harrisburg at which NAMI PA Montgomery County Execu-tive Director Carol Caruso testified.
Research News You Can Use
Montgomery County Peer Support Groups
NAMI Connection
1st Monday at 6:15 PM at William Jeanes Memor ial Library,
4051 Joshua Rd, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
Monday
WRAP – Lower Merion Area 12:00 – 1:30 PM, Ludington
Library, 5 S. Bryn Mawr Ave, Bryn Mawr
VOICES – Pottstown 12:00 – 1:30 PM, Trinity Reformed
Church of Christ, 60 N. Hanover Street, Pottstown
WRAP – Abington Area 3:00 – 4:30 PM, Faith Community
Church, 1200 Easton Rd, Roslyn
VOICES – Norristown 3:00 – 4:30 PM, Friends Meeting, 20
E. Jacoby St, Norristown
Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA) – Norristown 6:00 – 7:00
PM, Friends Meeting House, 20 E. Jacoby St (corner of Swede St
and Jacoby St), Norristown
VOICES – Willow Grove 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Giant Food Store,
2nd Floor Meeting Room, 315 York Rd, Willow Grove
Tuesday
WRAP – Pottstown 3:00 to 4:30 PM, Trinity Reformed
Church of Christ, 60 N. Hanover St, Pottstown
VOICES Young Adults – Hatboro 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Braccia
Building, 2935 Byberry Rd, 1st Floor (across from Dance Arts),
Hatboro
Wednesday
WRAP – Lansdale 1:30 – 3:00 PM, Public Library, 301 Vine
Street, Lansdale
VOICES – Lower Merion Area 3:30 – 5:00 PM, The
Middleton Center, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Room 203,
625 Montgomery Ave, Bryn Mawr
WRAP – Norristown 6:00 – 7:30 PM, HopeWorx, 1210
Stanbridge St, Suite 300, Norristown
WRAP – Montgomery County Prison (closed to the public)
12:30 – 2:00 PM
May 2016 Page 6
montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 9
Testimony before the PA House Human Services Committee
them, usually Bill, has to stop treatment for a while to save on
costs. Bill did not know that he could challenge this, and when
told, felt it would do no good and would mean endless appeals.
Becoming discouraged, he gave up on the thought of challenging
his coverage.
Another member, I will call him Art, wanted residential treat-
ment for his son’s substance use disorder. There was also a
strong mental health component. Upon recommendation of his
son’s therapist, Art placed his son in a facility out of state.
The facility offered step-down programs and employment as part
of the course of treatment. Of course this was a very expensive
program, not at all covered by insurance. Figuring his son would
never go to college (how sad is that—giving up on someone’s
future) the son’s college fund was spent on treatment. Unfortu-
nately this scenario is fairly common—sometimes there are good
results; however more often the results are not successful and
precious time and resources have gone by the wayside.
And these are just two examples.
We know that more than 10 million Americans live with co-
occurring substance use disorders and mental health conditions,
and proportionately we have Pennsylvanians living with these
conditions. It is imperative for these individuals that they have
access to quality, integrated care that treats both condi-
tions. Mental health parity should help ensure that insurance
coverage is adequate for both conditions.
Last year, NAMI published a report titled The Long Road
Ahead. Over 2700 consumers participated in a survey to assess
their experience with insurance coverage for mental health and
substance use disorders. The following was found:
1. Consumers and families had a great deal of trouble find-
ing mental health providers in their health plan networks.
2. Denials for mental health care were far higher than for
other types of medical care.
3. Health plan coverage of psychiatric medications was inad-
equate.
4. Even when covered, out of pocket costs for medications
posed barriers to care.
5. Out of pocket costs were more onerous for mental health
care than comparable medical specialty care.
6. When selecting plans available through the health insur-
ance marketplaces, consumers did not have enough infor-
mation to make informed decisions.
We also know that:
Here in Pennsylvania, there has been difficulty getting men-
tal health parity enforced. The system is complicated. People
find the system of appealing insurance denials and filing com-
plaints cumbersome and often do not get a good response.
Some recommendations would be:
1. State agencies coordinate and focus on mental health and
substance use parity enforcement.
2. Develop a system that is navigable for people who are
filing complaints, specifying where to go, how to file, and
how soon they will get a response. We need state and
federal officials to be responsive to complaints and bring
about resolutions.
3. We need more transparency and access to information for
insurance consumers.
4. The end goal is that we get people the mental health and
substance use care they need, so they can recover.
We have these opportunities here in Pennsylvania and we are
hoping that we can achieve parity of mental health and substance
use disorders to the full extent of the law. Evidence for the need
for both is seen in next year’s mental health budget, which pro-
vides funding for opioid treatment.
Thank you for listening and for your efforts moving forward.
(Continued from page 5)
May 2016 Page 7
montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 9
The Tribute Fund is a good way to mark anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions, and to express sympathy for the loss
of a loved one. We will send a note of appreciation to anyone you designate. Send your check to NAMI of Pennsylvania, Montgomery
County office, 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446. When designating NAMI in an obituary notice, please specify
NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County.
Tributes In memory of James P McCauley Chris Adams Kevin Berman Carol Caruso
Barbara Caviston Troy Deckebach Ritanne Dewan
Linda & Robert Gallagher William Gemmell, Jr. Charles & Lisa Hagerty
Rosemary & Nile Hall Joan Kozlowski Madeleine Lavelle
Joanne & Jim Linus The Martin Architectural Group
Don Mawson Gloria McCauley Leonard Michaels
Emilie & Bill Quiqley Clare Sipmeier Elizabeth Soltan
Michael Walton Barbara Wentling
Individual Donations Beth Adams Adrienne Gallagher Joanne Hill Richard Kelble Anthony Malloy Jacqueline Megraw Gertrude O’Leary Lena Delphine Onsongo
Angela Vitola-Langtry Diane Wenzel
Tributes and Other Contributions
Billionaire Pledges $275 Million for Free Mental Health Care for Veterans, Families
By Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes, April 8, 2016
A billionaire hedge-fund manager has pledged $275 million to
build clinics offering free mental health care to veterans and their
families.
Steven Cohen, who heads Point72 Asset Management, will
build 20 to 25 clinics across the country in the next three to five
years, with the first ones opening in July.
The initial clinics will be in New York, Dallas, San Antonio
and Los Angeles, according to a press release from the Cohen
Veterans Network, the nonprofit group overseeing the effort.
The announcement comes as the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs remains under fire for long wait times and inadequate health
care for veterans and is getting increasing criticism for denying
health care to veterans with other than honorable discharges.
Cohen’s clinics would offer free mental health care to all vet-
erans, regardless of discharge status, with priority given to post-
9/11 vets. The clinics promise short wait times and free transpor-
tation to appointments.
“It’s very simple the way we see it: A veteran is someone who
wore the uniform for even one day,” Cohen Veterans Network
Executive Director Dr. Anthony Hassan said in a phone interview
with Stars and Stripes.
Hassan, an Army and Air Force veteran who has spent years
studying military behavioral health, said he picked the initial loca-
tions based on their high concentrations of veterans and long VA
wait times for mental health appointments.
“There are gaps in care, and we’re here to fill those gaps in
care,” he said.
Cohen, whose son, Robert, deployed to Afghanistan in 2010
as a Marine, said in a statement that eliminating stigma was one
goal of the clinics.
“The wounds of war are serious,” Cohen said. “It is not easy
to serve your country in combat overseas and then come back into
society seamlessly, especially if you are suffering. These men and
women have paid an incredible price and it’s important that this
country pays back that debt.”
Patients will have the option of participating in studies con-
nected with Cohen Veterans Bioscience, a nonprofit that aims to
develop better detection and treatment of post traumatic stress
disorder and traumatic brain injury.
Cohen’s $11.1 billion fortune has drawn the attention of the
Securities and Exchange Commission. In January, he was barred
from managing outside investor money for two years by the SEC
for failing to adequately oversee an employee. In 2013, his firm
SAC Capital Advisors pleaded guilty to insider trading charges
and paid a $1.8 billion penalty.
http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/billionaire-pledges-275-
million-for-free-mental-health-care-for-veterans-families-
1.403394
PENNSYLVANIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Dues are for one year and are Tax Deductible. Donations are welcome and are also Tax Deductible.
(Please print clearly)
NAME__________________________________________________________________________________
STREET ________________________________________________________________________________
CITY_______________________________________STATE_____ZIP______________________________
PHONE (H)__________________________________(W)_________________________________________
FAX____________________________________E-mail __________________________________________
_____Annual Dues $35.00 _____Open Door $3.00 - 30.00 (Amount $_____) _____Donation $______
What is the best way for us to contact you? Phone ______ Email ______ Snail Mail ______
Make check payable and return to: NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County
100 W. Main Street, Suite 204
Lansdale, PA 19446
Or join or renew on our website: http://www.nami-montcopa.org/joinrenew/
Double or triple the impact of your donation at no additional cost! Please check with your employer’s Human Resources Department to
see if your donation can be matched through a company matching gift program.
NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is also an approved United Way Donor Choice Agency - Code #5076.
NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is open to all individuals subscribing to its purpose. All members receive NAMI newsletters and are automatically affiliated with NAMI PA and
the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)3 and all dues and donations are tax-deductible. Official registration and financial
information of NAMI PA Montgomery County may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free within PA 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
The official registration and financial information of NAMI PA Montgomery County can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania:
1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
PENNSYLVANIA
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
100 W. Main Street, Suite 204
Lansdale, PA 19446