NYAPRS Note: The United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association has reorganized! New CEO Dawn Bauman and the USPRA Board (with new member Steve Miccio) is working hard to reinvigorate this historic organization that has, since 1975, “developed and defined the practice of psychosocial/ psychiatric rehabilitation, establishing these services as integral to community-based treatment and leading the recovery movement.” With nearly 1,400 members, USPRA is one of the nation’s preeminent forces in advancing the practice of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery supports. NYAPRS serves as USPRA’s NYS chapter. See below for Dawn’s June report.
USPRA | dbauman@uspra.org | (703) 442-2078
From Dawn M. Bauman, CAE
Chief Executive Officer, USPRA
June 2012
LEVERAGING STRENGTHS: USPRA chapters and affiliates working together to advance the availability and practice of psychiatric rehabilitation.
2012-2013 Board of Directors – At the USPRA Board of Directors meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, two new members were welcomed – Liz Smithhart and Steve Miccio. In addition, the USPRA Board of Directors elected the new officers; joining Lisa Razzano, Chair, is Dori Hutchinson, Vice-Chair, Sandy Resnick, Secretary and Roy Starks, Treasurer. A full list of the 2012-2013 Board of Directors is attached.
Advocacy Activity – In May, USPRA joined a coalition of consumers, family members, advocates and professionals to support the Occupational Therapy Mental Health ACT (HR 3762) by signing a letter to Congressman Paul Tonko. HR 3762 is important because it will make occupational therapists eligible for loans and scholarships through the National Health Service Corp [NHSC] as mental health and behavioral health professionals. In particular, occupational therapists can serve a critical role in the recovery process, addressing day-to-day life function issues, such as self-care, faced by persons living with severe mental illnesses.
In June, USPRA joined a coalition of consumers, family members, advocates and professionals by signing a letter to the Center for
Medicaid and Medicare Services encouraging scrutiny of state proposals under Section 2602 to ensure critical protections for dually eligible individuals with mental illness. We support efforts to better integrate and coordinate care for dual eligibles living with serious mental illness and urge action to avoid disruption in coverage and treatment for vulnerable dual eligibles.
Capitol Hill Day – USPRA is joining National Council and Mental Health America for 2012 Capitol Hill Day on June 25-26, 2012 in Washington DC. USPRA members will be asking their legislators to support:
1. The Behavioral Health IT Act which would allow psychiatric rehabilitation centers to participate in grant programs and qualify for financial incentives for meaningful use of electronic health records.
2. The Excellence in Mental Health Act (S. 2257) would bolster our nation’s community mental health system, providing new support for integrated and simplified treatment that will improve Americans’ health.
3. Full funding in appropriations for Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
4. Mental Health in Schools Act.
Chapters Representatives- The USPRA Chapter leaders attending the Annual USPRA Conference in Minneapolis, MN had a productive dialogue about working together throughout the USPRA organization to create a meaningful partnership to focus on moving forward the mission of USPRA. I am personally grateful for the warm reception and productive dialogue I enjoyed with so many of you. I look forward to continued candor and productivity. Below is a list to highlight the items we discussed during the meeting:
- Monthly, chapters will start receiving their membership roster in MS Excel format via email. In addition, I will provide chapter leaders with a brief update on USPRA activities.
- Chapters are seeking tools to promote the CPRP to prospects and consumers.
- Chapters are seeking an avenue that will encourage CPRP involvement at the chapter. Chapters may contact Casey Goldberg at cgoldberg@uspra.org anytime to request and receive a list of CPRPs in their state.
- USPRA is establishing a calendar of chapter events.
- We will establish communication vehicles to share information from USPRA to chapters and from chapters to USPRA. ACTION: To this end, I am asking each of you to provide our office with the dates for your upcoming events. To make the list manageable, we would like major events and conferences as opposed to board and committee meetings. Please send the event dates to Casey Garner at cgarner@uspra.org
- We spent time generating ideas to structure the chapter representative’s conference calls so they result in a meaningful exchange of information and an opportunity to learn. In the near future, you will receive an email survey asking for your input on meeting days and times and topic ideas for our conference calls.
Data Integrity Project – Beginning in June, an intern working with our management company, Coulter, started working on improving the quality of data in USPRA’s database. We have reached out to all of our members to correct contact information; including email, company, address and phone number. The project has resulted in hundreds of changes to our database. The project is ongoing and is critical to serving our members more effectively and improving our value proposition to members. To continue the process, we need your help. Please review the data lists that we will send you monthly and provide us with changes, corrections and updates. Updates may be sent to Casey Garner at cgarner@uspra.org.
Please Share – I want to hear from you! Please tell me what is going on in your chapter, agency or community. Let us know what we can do together to be focused, relevant and sustainable. Thank you for your partnership. I look forward to our work together.
2012-13 Board of Directors Updated June 2012
Chair – Lisa Razzano, Ph.D., CPRP
Assoc. Professor of Psychiatry
UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research & Policy
1601 West Taylor St., M/C 912, Room 488
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: (312) 413-0323
FAX: (312) 355-0753
Immediate Past Chair – Peter Ashenden
Director for Consumer Affairs
Optum Health Behavioral Solutions
6300 Olson Memorial Highway
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Phone: (708) 749-7396
FAX: (877) 309-8548
peter.ashenden@optumhealth.com
Chair-Elect – Lori Ashcraft, Ph.D., CPRP
Executive Director
Recovery Opportunity Center
2701 N 16th Street, #316
Phoenix, AZ 85006-1624
Phone: (602) 636-4458
FAX: (602) 650-1616
Treasurer – Roy Starks, M.A.
Director, Rehabilitation and Recovery
Mental Health Center of Denver
456 Bannock Street
Denver, CO 80210
Phone: (303) 504-1721
FAX: (303) 733-8239
Secretary – Sandra G. Resnick, Ph.D.
Associate Director
VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center
950 Campbell Avenue- NEPEC (182) West Haven, CT 06516 Phone: (203) 932-5711 x5106
FAX: (203) 937-3433
Mary Gregorio, LRC, CRC, CPRP
Center Club Program Director
BayCove Human Services, Inc.
31 Bowker Street
Boston, MA 02114-2917
Phone: (617) 788-1002
FAX: (617) 788-1080
Dori Hutchinson, Sc.D., L.R.C.
Director of Services
BU Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
940 Commonwealth Avenue West
Boston, MA 02215-1203
Phone: (617) 353-3549
FAX: (617) 353-7700
Nancy Little, M.S., L.C.P.C. Director of Training Thresholds 4101 North Ravenswood Avenue Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: (773) 572-5230
Fax: (773) 537-3532
Email: nancylittle@thresholds.org
Lew Manges, CRC, CPRP
Deputy Executive Director
Elwyn, Inc.
111 Elwyn Road
Elwyn, PA 19063-4622
Phone: (610) 891-2081
FAX: (610) 891-2443
Steve Miccio
Executive Director
PEOPLE, Inc.
378 Violet Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: (845) 452-2728
FAX: (845) 452-2793
stevemiccio@projectstoempower.org
David Pilon, Ph.D., CPRP
President and CEO
Mental Health America of Los Angeles
100 West Broadway, #5010
Los Angeles, CA 90802
Phone: (562) 285-1330 x249
FAX: (562) 263-3395
David Sanders
DHHR Behavioral Health & Health Facilities
350 Capitol Street
Building#: DIAMO Room#:350
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 356-4806
FAX: (304) 342-6090
Liz Smithhart
Adult Services Director of SMI Programs
Magellan Health Services
4801 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
lcsmithhart@magellanhealth.com
Phone: (602) 797-8346
FAX: (866) 293-3445
Ex Officio
Mary Alice Brown-Johnston, Ph.D., CPRP
Chair, CPRP Commission
Laurel Hill Center
2145 Centennial Plaza
Eugene, OR 97401-2421
Phone: (541) 984-3109
FAX: (541) 984-3124
Dawn M. Bauman, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
USPRA
1760 Old Meadow Rd., Suite 500
McLean, VA 22102
Phone: 703-442-2078
FAX: 703-506-3266