PATHways Newsletter.pub - NAMI

AUGUST 18, 2010 

No meeting this month! 

PATHways 

Newsletter of NAMI QUEENS/NASSAU and NAMI NASSAU AFFILIATES 

The Zucker Hillside Hospital 

Sloman Auditorium 

76 Avenue & 266 Street 

Glen Oaks, NY 

7:30 p.m. 

(Caring & Sharing at 6:00 P.M.) 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 

Moving Ahead with the Help of Case 

Management 

Steven Rutter, LCSW, Associate Vice President, 

FEGS, Nassau Behavioral Health/Case Management 

Melissa Firmes, LMSW, Director, Copiague 

Blended Case Management Program 

What does it mean to a client and a family to have a case manager? This strengthbased 

approach helps clients set goals leading to a more fulfilling life. Learn how 

clients and families can use case management to work toward recovery. 

August/September 2010 

In this issue… 

From the President: What to Call 

Mental Illness 

Page 3 

NAMIWalks 2010 

Pages 4—8 

Black Community in Midst of 

Mental Health Crisis 

Page 9 

What’s It All About, Alfie? 

Support Group Leader Gives Talks 

Contribution Acknowledgements 

Page 10 

NAMI Queens/Nassau Receives 

$100,000 Grant to Train Police 

New Support Group For Families 

Whose Loved Ones Lack Insight 

NAMI Family to Family 

Page 11 

Friendship Network News 

Page 12 

Homes, Not Jails or Prison, Are 

What’s Needed 

NYAPRS Seeks Peer Coach 

Page 13 

Korean Family Support Group 

Page 14 

Mark Your Calendar for the 2010 

NAMI NYS Educational Conference 

Page 15 

Support Group Listing 

Page 16

August/September 2010 NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways Page 

NAMI QUEENS/NASSAU 

1981 Marcus Ave., Suite C117 

Lake Success, NY 11042 

516-326-0797 or 718-347-7284 

Fax 516-437-5785 

Email: NAMIQN@aol.com or 

namiqueensnassau@aol.com 

Website: www.namiqn.org 

Officers 

Janet Susin 

President 

Al Dunlop 

1st Vice President 

Larry Kenny 

2nd Vice President 

Ted Vecchio 

Treasurer 

Louise Slater 

Secretary 

Board Members 

Sondra Cohen, Richard 

DeMartino, Charlotte Driver, 

Arnold Gould, Lorraine Kaplan, 

Linda Manzo, S. Raghavendran, 

Estelle Reichman, Elizabeth 

Reilly, Janet Reilly, Neil Slater, 

Ruth Wolosoff 

Honorary Board Members 

Pearl & Israel Lindenbaum 

Newsletter Staff 

Janet Susin 

Editor 

Maureen Josel 

Typing, Layout & Design 

Opinions expressed in PATHways 

do not necessarily reflect the 

views of NAMI Queens/Nassau or 

any affiliated organization, and we 

cannot attest to their accuracy. 

NAMI Queens/Nassau, an 

affiliate of the National Alliance 

on Mentally Illness and NAMI/ 

NYS, gratefully acknowledges the 

continuing support of the FLB 

Foundation 

NAMI Queens/Nassau Donation & Membership Form 

Yes! I want to join NAMI Queens/Nassau to receive useful information 

and to help improve conditions for those with mental illness. I will receive 

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Nassau County NAMI Affiliates Meeting Info 

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NAMI LAMP/ 

SW Nassau 

NAMI Long Island 

Regional Council, Inc. 

NAMI North Shore 

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NAMI Nassau University 

Medical Center 

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Please send form and check made payable to NAMI Queens/Nassau, 1981 

Marcus Avenue, Suite C117, Lake Success, NY 11042. 

Peninsula Counseling 

Center 

50 W. Hawthorne Ave, 

Room 211 

Valley Stream 

North Shore University 

Hospital 

888 Old Country Rd. 

Plainview 

North Shore Hospital 

Building 400, Rm. 74 

Community Drive 

South Oaks Hospital 

400 Sunrise Highway 

Amityville 

2201 Hempstead Tpke. 

East Meadow 

2nd Wed. of Month 

6:30 p.m. Support 

7:30—9:00 p.m. 

3rd Thursdays 

7:00 p.m. Support 

7:30 p.m. Business 

8:00 p.m. Speaker 

3rd Tuesday 

7:30 p.m. 

4th Thursdays 

7:00—9:00 p.m. 

2nd Tuesday 

7:00 p.m. 

Sydelle Wolfsohn 

(516) 623-7871 

Barbara Roth 

(516) 694-7327 

Al Dunlop 

(516) 671-3957 

Una Ward 

(631) 264-4000 

Ext. 1-2004 

Elsa Perez, CSW 

(516) 572-6888 

2

August/September 2010 NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways Page 

By JANET SUSIN 

Perhaps no topic 

so clearly divides the 

advocacy community 

as what to call the 

class of illnesses that 

we advocate about. 

Gertrude Stein may 

have argued 

otherwise, insisting 

that “A rose, is a 

rose, is a rose,” and Shakespeare’s Romeo 

opined that “A rose by any other name 

would smell as sweet,” but when it comes 

to the class of psychiatric disorders 

commonly known as mental illness, many 

mental health advocates passionately argue 

that terminology plays a significant role in 

how we are viewed as a group and 

individuals. 

A wide range of terms currently in vogue 

Should we use the term mental health 

rather than mental illness? What about its 

variants, mental health disorders, mental 

health issues—much in vogue these days— 

or mental health conditions. That last one is 

a new term I learned about just recently 

from Darcy Gruttadaro, head of the NAMI 

Child & Adolescent Action Center 

(CAAC). In launching NAMI’s new 

website for transition-age youth, Strength 

of Us, CAAC discovered through focus 

grouping the topic that mental health 

conditions was the term preferred by this 

age group. 

Then there is the biological approach. 

Advocates argue that the brain is part of the 

body. If we truly believe that mental illness 

is just like any other physical illness then 

we should use terminology that reflects that 

belief. What about brain disorders, or 

neurological disorders, or neurobiological 

disorders, or neuropsychiatric disorders. I 

recall vividly that during the '90s NAMI 

favored this approach and used the phrase 

biologically based brain disorders, or just 

brain disorders, interchangeably with 

mental illness. This was an approach also 

favored by Yale researcher Dr. Enid 

Peschel, who coined the phrase 

‘neurobiological brain disorders’ and 

advocated strongly for its usage until her 

untimely death in 1994. 

Having just returned from the NAMI 

From the President 

The Debate Continues: What to Call Mental Illness 

education conference in Washington, I was 

struck by a new twist on this controversy. 

Dr. Thomas Insel, head of the National 

Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), argued 

that we should stop separating mental 

illness from other brain disorders. He 

prefers the inclusive term ‘neurological 

disorders,’ lumping mental illness with 

autism, mental retardation, stroke, and 

Alzheimers, really anything that affects the 

brain. And speaking of the NAMI 

convention, as I listened to researchers 

speak I was struck by how interchangeably 

they used all the terms—mental health, 

mental illness, neurobiological disorder, 

psychiatric disorders, brain disorders, really 

the whole gamut. 

I’m reminded of the time in 1945 when 

Congress was considering what to call what 

eventually became the National Institute of 

Mental Health. It was originally supposed 

to be called the National Neuropsychiatric 

Institute, but according to E. Fuller Torrey 

in his book Nowhere to Go: The Tragic 

Odyssey of the Homeless Mentally Ill, that 

name was considered “too narrow, too 

medical for the tasks it would be asked to 

do.” Eventually the name National Institute 

of Mental Health won the day and 

according to Torrey, that gave the term 

mental health “official status.” 

Is this really the time for a name 

change? 

As for me, I take a historical approach. 

During the 19 th century when the great 

reformer Dorothea Dix crisscrossed the 

country raising awareness about the 

appalling way people with mental illness 

were housed and treated, the term in vogue 

was lunacy, and people exhibiting 

psychiatric symptoms were called lunatics. 

Dix eventually succeeded in creating 32 

“mental hospitals,” which formed the basis 

for the state hospital system that still 

survives today. But less well-known is the 

fact that she also advocated for a change in 

terminology. Believing that lunacy and 

lunatics were derogatory terms, she wanted 

to replace them with “mental disease” so 

that people would view insanity as a 

medical condition, not a character flaw. 

Eventually, when tuberculosis became 

rampant and “disease” synonymous with 

contagion, the term morphed into the 

familiar phrase we use today, mental 

illness. 

Why the history lesson? Because it 

seems to me that no matter what phrase we 

use to describe the condition, eventually 

some will find it offensive and 

stigmatizing. But when it comes to the term 

“mental illness,” I am not one of them. In 

fact, when I first heard those words applied 

to my son I found it a relief. At last I 

understood where all those strange 

symptoms and the horrifying downward 

spiral were heading. My son had an illness 

– a mental illness – and it could be treated. 

The term mental illness is shedding its 

stigma 

That was 23 years ago. In the interim 

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many 

high school and college students about 

mental illness. What I’ve found is that over 

the years the term has become less 

stigmatized, not more. When I speak to 

classes and ask students if they know 

someone with a mental illness I don’t hear 

any giggles. And when I ask them if they 

have a family member with a mental illness 

they don’t turn around to see who’s raising 

their hand. And, most surprisingly of all, 

when I ask them if they themselves have a 

mental illness inevitably someone raises 

their hand and discloses – I have bipolar; I 

have OCD; and, yes, even schizophrenia. If 

anything, I think there may be even a little 

glamour associated with mental illness 

these days. Maybe it’s all those stars who 

have disclosed that they have bipolar. Or 

the sports heroes who speak about their 

depression. Or maybe young people are 

just becoming more tolerant and accepting. 

Who knows? But I certainly see a trend in 

the right direction. 

I guess you can also say I believe in 

calling a spade a spade. Psychiatric 

disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar 

disorder, major depression, OCD, and 

panic disorder are medical conditions and 

calling them mental health conditions when 

they’re quite the opposite takes me back to 

the days when cancer was spoken of in 

hushed tones as “the big C.” When they 

start referring to cancer as a “healthy cells 

condition” and diabetes as an “insulin 

issue” then, maybe then, I’ll become more 

sympathetic to this terminology. But until 

then I’m sticking with mental illness. 

3

August/September 2010 NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways Page 4 

A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Made the Long 

Island/Queens NAMIWalks Such a Big Success! 

What a great day! This year’s walk was 

truly a celebration and the spirit was infectious 

as we greeted long time supporters, 

made new friends, and congratulated one 

another on the real strides we’re making in 

changing the face of mental illness. There 

are so many people to thank for making 

the 6th Annual NAMIWalks for the Mind 

of America such a special day. 

NAMIWalks Sponsors - Thanks to all 

our fabulous sponsors. (For a complete list 

go to www.nami.org/namiwalk/ny/ 

longisland) 

NAMI Queens/Nassau Walk Partners 

– Kudos to NAMIWalks co-sponsors, 

North Shore-LIJ Health System Zucker 

Hillside Hospital and their CEO, Joe 

Schulman for their great support. Many 

thanks to Zucker for being our top sponsor 

and fundraiser. Their Zucker Hillside super 

team raised over $19,000. We are so grateful! 

Also, a special thank you to Deb 

Mayo, team captain of the Central Suffolk 

Crusaders, for involving so many Suffolk 

County mental health agencies in the walk. 

NAMIWalks Behind the Scenes Team 

- Hats off to our NAMIWalks staff, including 

HJMT’s Kristie Galvani, our NAMI- 

Walks manager, who did so much to inspire 

great fundraising this year; Cheryl 

Fischetti for giving us such wonderful office 

support; Amy Lax for all the super 

publicity; Chrissy Thornton, NAMI National 

Walk manager, for urging us ever 

onward. A huge thank you to our Walk 

Day Team led by Al Dunlop and Larry 

Kenny, with Jessyca Berkman, Gloria 

Cohen, Rich De Martino, Sheila Gaeckler, 

Liz Reilly, Eugene Valkov, Ted Vecchio, 

and Bob Woods, for all the great behind 

the scenes planning, organizing, and walk 

day help. A special thank you to John 

Shorter, who joined our team this year and 

was a godsend with hanging banners, setup 

and take-down. Thank you, too, to 

Bruce Cohen, who was so helpful with setup 

walk morning. Also a big thank you as 

always to Gloria Cohen and the Meadowbrook 

Women’s Initiative (formerly the 

Brandees), who get us all those wonderful 

volunteers every year for registration. We 

couldn’t do it without you! 

Music & Sound - Kudos to Jessyca 

Berkman and Eugene Valkov for getting 

us such wonderful bands and sound. Our 

gratitude to super bands Big Daddy & the 

Bulldogs and Breakaway for donating their 

time and exceptional talent, courtesy of the 

Long Island Blues Society. They really 

rocked! Thanks to Gloria Cohen for getting 

us an amazingly talented high school 

band, Lazy Bird. Hats off to J & H Production 

for great sound. It couldn’t have been 

better. Drumming by Gaia Drum Ministry, 

thanks to Sharon Nanos and Sheila Gaeckler, 

was a special treat on the walk route. 

Food & Drink – Great snacks, drinks, 

and water, and all of it donated by local 

stores - Whole Foods of Manhasset; 

Costco of Westbury; Pat’s Farm of North 

Merrick, Stop & Shop, North Bellmore. 

Special thanks to NS-LIJ Zucker Hillside 

Hospital for supplying apples and snacks 

at registration. And thanks as always to 

Friendly’s, who once again treated the first 

1500 walkers to hot dogs, hamburgers, and 

drinks. 

Media & Theatre – Thanks to News 12 

for publicizing the walk. It really helped! 

Angela Anton for those wonderful fullpage 

ads in Anton Community News. We 

really appreciate the great top of the column 

and front page coverage we got in 

Anton’s Healthy Living Section. Thank 

you, Dan Rosset! Many thanks to Cablevisions’s 

Neighborhood Journal for covering 

the walk and spending so much time with 

us. A special thank you to Tom D’Ambrosio, 

publicist for Next to Normal for the 

free tickets and the opportunity to speak to 

cast members. Your show means so much 

to us! 

Artwork – Recovery Panels by SAIL, 

FEGS, and Mercy Haven Horizon PROS 

were inspirational artistic creations. Signs 

for bands, food, etc. were beautifully designed 

by the multi-talented Jessyca Berkman. 

Face painting by Teddy Wegner and 

her clown partners added to the fun of the 

day. 

Warm-up – A high intensity warm-up 

courtesy of Esther Feldman of Sport Time 

Pro Health Fitness, led by our very own 

Gloria Keyloun, was incredibly energizing 

and got the walk off to a great start. 

NAMIWalks Heroes – Our heartfelt 

thanks to those special team captains and/ 

or individuals who raised $2,500 or more. 

(In alphabetical order.) 

Jerry Chang/Anoopinder Singh, Zippy 

Zuckers 

Alice Cohen, The Friendship Network A 

-Team 

Gloria Cohen, Meadowbrook Women’s 

Initiative 

Denise Coscia/Tara Mandel, ZHH Racing 

Researchers 

Teri Herzog/Lin Kaplan, Our 2 Sons 

Dr. Isak Isakov, Jamaica Hospital 

Medical Center 

Lorraine Kaplan, Breaking the Silence 

Al Landau, Randi’s Cyclones 

Linda Manzo, Silent No More: Weber 

Cares 

Deb Mayo, NAMI Central Suffolk Crusaders 

Lynne McGrail, Don’t Just Talk..Walk 

Diane Nisito, Shawn’s Soldiers 

Andrea Perkins, Hofstra Rehab Counseling 

Rocks 

Janet Reilly, P.A.M. ( Parents Against 

Mental Illness) 

Janet Susin, Breaking the Silence 

Ted Vecchio, NAMI Queens/Nassau 

Carol Ann Viccora, Tina Marie’s Hope 

Ruth Wolosoff, Breaking the Silence 

NAMIWalks Stars – Finally a big 

thank you to all those who met the goal of 

$1,000 we set for every team. You made 

it! 

Linda Barone, ZHH Day Steppers 

Jessicamarie Brennan, Family and Children’s 

Association 

Sandie Biondi, ZHH Racing Researchers 

Kieran Cassilli, Shawn’s Soilders 

Bruce Cohen, The “A” Team 

Carmine DeSena, ZHH Dept of Psychiatric 

Rehabilitation 

Evan Feuer, ZHH Dept Of Psychiatric 


Barbara Garner, The “A” Team 

Judith Gold, The Karen Team 

Janine Haynes, The Straight Jackets 

Maria Karamitsos, Hillside Highsteppers 

Ken Klassert, ZHH Dept of Psychiatric 


Lisa Lumia, ZHH Dept of Psychiatric 


(Continued on page 5)


Thousands Walk to Change the Face of Mental Illness 

By AMY LAX 

Press Release 

Long Island, NY-June 2010—Over 

4,000 people walked in the 2010 LI/ 

Queens NAMIWalks on May 23 at Jones 

Beach. In addition to local corporate sponsors, 

over 100 teams registered and helped 

raise over $200,000 to support services 

and programs for NAMI (National Alliance 

on Mental Illness) Queens/Nassau 

and other local NAMI chapters while raising 

awareness about mental illness. 

NAMIWalks team captains led the way 

and spoke movingly about why they 

walked. 

“We walk as a family in support of my 

niece Randi. A high achiever, she received 

her MBA from Georgetown University 

and had a competitive NYC job. But Randi 

began to have difficulties and no one knew 

why. Eventually she was hospitalized and 

diagnosed with mental illness. Luckily, she 

accepted and shared her illness with us. 

Today Randi gets the help she needs, is a 

teacher, and accepts each day as it comes. 

We hope to inspire others to tear down the 

barriers of stigma, silence, and fear that 

surround mental illness,” shared Randi’s 

uncle, Al Landau, Randi’s Cyclone team 

captain. 

“I met my co-team captain, Lin Kaplan, 

at a Hospice Bereavement group for parents 

who have lost a child. Although my 

son’s passing was not due to mental illness, 

I met other parents who lost children 

to mental illness. NAMIWalks was the 

perfect way to support those families and 

honor the memory of my son Jordan,” explained 

Teri Herzog, Our Two Sons coteam 

captain. 

“NAMIWalks is an important venue for 

generating awareness about mental illness 

within our community. We must provide 

opportunities for those with mental illness 

to be heard and respected. I will continue 

to walk with NAMI, creating dialog, 

awareness, and understanding among patients, 

doctors and the community,” said 

Isak Isakov M.D., Jamaica Hospital Medical 

Center team captain. 

“I formed Shawn's Soldiers because my 

dear friend Shawn Cassillo struggled with 

both mental illness and substance abuse 

issues from the time we were teenagers 

until his tragic death three months ago. 

NAMIWalks draws attention to the silence 

that is imposed upon the mentally ill community; 

lifting that burden from their 

shoulders. NAMIWalks is a commitment 

to those suffering and offers an opportunity 

to change personal perceptions and 

public policies relating to the treatment of 

individuals with mental illnesses. We 

walked in the hopes that our presence and 

the funds we raised might prevent other 

individuals with mental illness from suffering 

the same fate as Shawn”, offered 

Diana Nisito, Shawn’s Soldiers team captain. 

NS-LIJ Health System/the Zucker Hillside 

Hospital, NAMIWalks Major Sponsor, 

had 13 walk teams that raised $18,600. 

Anton Community Newspapers was the 

Gold Sponsor. 

NAMIWalks is a national walk campaign 

to raise awareness about mental illness 

and funds to support NAMI programs 

and services. NAMI is a nationwide, grassroots, 

nonprofit organization dedicated to 

making a better life for all those affected 

by mental illness through support, education 

& advocacy. 

Thank you to everyone who made the L.I./Queens Walk a success... 

(Continued from page 4) 

Victoria Lupo, Hillside Highsteppers 

Jennifer Mark, No Such Thing as Normal 

Gina Molinet, The ZHH Ambulators 

Diana Nisto, Shawn’s Soilders 

Maryann Riccardo, The ZHH Ambulators 

Lisa Robbins, ZHH Day Steppers 

Shawn’s Soldiers 

Shawn’s brothers Kiernan and Alec Cassillo 

Our Two Sons 

(l. to r.) Teri Herzog, Peter Herzog, Alan Gordon, 

Joe Goldman, Susan Rosenthal 

Randi’s Cyclones 

Robet Savitt, Walk With Bob 

Richard Staab, South Shore Association for Independent Living 

Alison Tomlet, Concern 

Pauline Walfisch, The ZHH Ambulators 

Jamesetta Williams, The Hot Steppers 

Marilyn Vallejo, Creedmoor Stars


Thanks to Our NAMI Walk Sponsors…. 

Major Sponsor Gold Sponsor Kick-Off Luncheon 

NS-LIJ Health System, The Zucker 

Hillside Hospital 

Bristol Myers Squibb 

Ann Allen Cetrino 

Family Fund 

Arnold & Pearl Gould 

Central Nassau Guidance & 

Counseling Services 

Eli Lilly 

FEGS 

Family Residences and 

Essential Enterprises (FREE) 

Grant Thornton 

Great Neck Rotary 

Age LOCK 

Astoria Savings 

Hofstra University Rehab 

Counseling Program 

Neil & Louise Slater 

Anton Press Friendly’s 

Silver Sponsor 

Michael & Helen Schaffer 

Foundation 

Start/Finish Line Sponsor 

The Holliswood Hospital 

Jamaica Medical Center 

Kassoff, Robert & Lerner 

Larry & Mary Kenny in honor of 

Christopher 

Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in 

memory of Joel 

Melrose Credit Union 

Mental Health Association of 

Rotary of Manhasset 

Venture House 

All for His Glory 

Beth Nuskin 

Kenny Moscowitz 

Bronze Sponsor 

Supporter 

Kilometer Sponsor 

The Susin Family 

Nassau County 

Nassau Radiologic Group 

North Shore-LIJ Plainview 

Hospital 

NS-LIJ Syosset Hospital 

Options for Community Living 

Queens Hospital Center 

SAIL/South Shore Assn. for 

Independent Living, Inc. 

Queens County Psychiatric Society 

The Rubin Family 

Apple Bank 

Greater New Hyde Park Chamber 

of Commerce 

Elmhurst Hospital 

Wolkow Braker Roofer 

Suffolk Clubhouse 

Susan Watson 

Ted & Marie Vecchio 

Kiwanis Club of Merrick 

The Magazanick Family 

The Reilly Family 

Vigilant Volunteer Fireman’s 

Benevolent Assn. GN 

Neal & Carole Stuber 

Randazzo, LLC 

The Staheli Family in memory of 

Christopher


By JOHN L. KENNY, 2nd Vice President 

I began writing this article in my mind while I was holding the 

north side of the Start/Finish banner. On the south side was my 

good friend and NAMI advocate Bob Woods. 

We held the poles of the banner firmly as the banner resisted 

the strong wind that developed. The crowd of walkers began 

gathering behind the blue and gold ribbons. The crowd of walkers 

increased, and among them were a group of happy, smiling 

teenagers who were laughing and joking and having a good time. 

At 12:05 pm we cut the ribbons and NAMIWalk 2010 began. 

The walkers began moving down the boardwalk and the air was 

filled with the sound of their enthusiasm. 

The crowd was a composite of people of various ages, races 

and genders. Some of them pushed carriages and strollers while 

others walked with canes, and the positive spirit of hope resounded. 

As they passed under the banner I looked at their faces, 

each face was different, and behind each face was a different life 

story. My mind focused back on the laughing, happy teenagers. 

Why did they come to the Walk? What did they know about 

mental illness? Perhaps they came because they know someone 

who has mental illness, or maybe NAMI’s Breaking the Silence 

program was presented to them in school. 

What is important is that they attended the Walk and their 

demeanor was positive and outreaching. So many of our loved 

ones who have psychiatric illness have never experienced the 

happy, joyful feelings that these teenagers displayed. 

NAMI is all about saving and improving the lives of those 

who we advocate for, including the families who must cope with 

their loved ones’ complex illness. NAMI is the bright beacon of 

light and hope that illuminates the dark funnel of despair that 

many of our clients face every day of their lives. 

By L. DUFFY 

Feedback from NAMIWalk Participants 

I'm new to NAMI and all the good that this organization 

does. My sister chose to end her own life this past November. 

We wanted to do something that could change a negative into 

a positive on some level. One way was to raise money for a worthy 

cause like NAMI. If you are a family member of someone 

who suffers with any kind of mental illness, you know that there 

is an invisible yet ever present heightened sense of awareness to 

protect those who cannot protect themselves. It's a part of you 

that you don't really talk about, but continue to try to make the 

situation better even when it doesn't look like your making any 

progress! 

What's great about having NAMI is that it brings to light a 

secret that everyone knows about but doesn't dare speak of. The 

support of other walkers that walk next to you and your group 

may not have the same story. But I'm sure they feel the same 

way, in need of support, acknowledgement that there could be an 

answer. 

The importance of these walks are paramount. Bringing people 

together for a common cause results in progress. There may 

never be a cure for certain mental illnesses, but we can certainly 

keep trying to move forward, one step at a time. 

By LINDA BARONE, LMSW 

NAMIWalk provides an opportunity for mental health consumers, 

their family members and treatment providers to contribute 

to the cause that links them all. At the Zucker Hillside Adult 

Day Hospital we wanted our patients to be able to feel like they 

could be a part of the magic; an unbridled spirit that comes from 

joining others in support of a worthy cause. However, with obstacles 

such as fixed incomes and symptom management, many 

patients find themselves less able to contribute and raise funds. 

But the recovery process has taught our patients many things 

about adversity; sometimes another path must be taken. And so 

we did. For over one month before the walk our patients used 

their creative touch to make beaded bracelets and trinkets of all 

sizes. Some shined with vibrant glass colored beads, while others 

boasted warm wooden textures. The staff at Zucker Hillside was 

informed of our efforts and we visited different departments with 

our merchandise. With a warm welcome the patients were able to 

sell their inventory. Within a few days their fundraising total was 

at $150.00. Astonished by their sum and empowered by their 

contribution, our patients are proud to have participated in the 

NAMIWalk in a way that they may not have been privy to otherwise. 

By ISAK ISAKOV MD 

Psychiatrist, and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center NAMI 

WALK team captain 

When I ask myself why I walk the NAMIWalk my memories 

take me back to my first year of residency training in the Department 

of Psychiatry at North Shore Medical Center, Manhasset, 

NY. While doing my Community Service rotation in the Day 

Treatment Program, the patients were encouraged to voice their 

concerns on different issues in their life. Unfortunately, the voice 

of those with mentally illness often goes unheard. People with 

mental illness are not always listened to and their views are not 

always taken into consideration. One young fellow, sounding 

very desperate, shared that no one in his family ever listened to 

him. His plea to be heard touched my heart, stuck in my mind, 

and taught me to not only hear but to listen to my patients. Listening 

helped me understand that with the right care and attention 

those with mental illness can have fulfilling careers, engage 

in healthy relationships, and be fully functional adults. I decided 

to make it my goal to spread this message and show that with 



By JOHN WAGNER 

I had participated in NAMIWalks in the past. I had received at 

least a half dozen emails dating back to October 2009 inviting 

me to participate in the May 23, 2010 event to be 

held at Jones Beach. I saved the emails, intending to 

get involved somewhere along the line. But as happens 

from time to time in almost everyone’s life, 

there seemed to be too much on my plate during the 

late winter and spring of 2010 for me to take on anything 

else. The country’s economic downturn, the 

pressure, stress and time constraints of trying to do 

my job (I’m a lawyer in a small law firm), maintain 

my house (mow the lawn, prune the bushes and trees, 

vacuum the rugs, mop the floors, pay the bills), and 

attend to my various family and civic responsibilities 

(I have a mother who needs some help, an immediate 

family member who is mentally ill, and I volunteer 

some of my time to work on village matters), left me 

tired, frustrated, and a bit angry at how my life was 

proceeding. A series of unanticipated events in mid-May found 

me frantic in my efforts to take care of other people, to help them 

deal with critical situations. This was mostly thankless work 

which had to be done, and with no one else to do it, I trudged 

forward, spreading myself thin, wondering whether I was accomplishing 

anything positive for my efforts, and more exhausted 

than ever. 

Someone told me I needed to get away and recharge my batteries, 

or at least I should take a day or two and do something for 

myself. I just couldn’t see how this was possible—there was just 

too much to do and not enough time within which to do it. Then, 

on Thursday May 20, when I was on the verge of pulling out 

what few hairs I have left on my head, I received an email from 

Kristi Galvani, my local Walk manager, reminding me that there 

were only a few days left before the Jones Beach event. Within 

minutes of receiving Kristi’s email, I received a phone call from 

my friend and neighbor, Mitch Cooper, who had supported my 

walks for NAMI in the past. “What’s the deal?” asked Mitch. 

“Are you walking this year or what? Because if you’re walking, 

you know we want to support you.” 

Suddenly, it seemed so clear. I knew what I needed to do. I 

needed to do something that I wanted to do, not something I had 

to do; something for myself; something that would make me feel 

good about me. “Yeah,” I told Mitch, “I think I’m gonna walk 

this year.” Everything else would have to wait. 

“Why don’t you wait ‘til the last minute?” asked Mitch with 

more than a little sarcasm in his voice. “Just send me the information 

and I’ll make a donation.” 

They were waiting for me. My friends, colleagues and relatives 

knew that I had walked for the cause in the past, and they 

were waiting for me to sign up and walk again for something that 

meant something to me, something important, very important. 

They knew how much mental illness in my family had reshaped 

my life. They knew about the stigma which I always decried. 

They knew because they saw it. They knew because I told them. 

They Were Waiting for Me 

They wanted to support me and my cause, NAMI. They were 

waiting for me, and I wasn’t doing my piece. 

I immediately signed up to walk and sent out a bunch of 

emails, with a slightly modified version of one of 

the letters Kristi had sent to me. Inasmuch as there 

were only 2 ½ days left before the event, I set a very 

low target for myself and tried to pick carefully 

those to whom I would send my emails—caring, 

sensitive and fearless people, people who knew me, 

people who I believed could afford to stand with me. 

The response was immediate and, to me, overwhelming. 

Mitch Cooper wasn’t even the first to 

make a contribution, and he was waiting for me. 

Some of the donations were accompanied by notes 

of encouragement and respect; others were anonymous. 

With each responsive email that I opened, I 

was touched and, well, I got a little emotional. 

The day of the walk was perfect—just enough 

cloud cover to keep it comfortable for the hundreds, 

make that thousands, who met at the boardwalk, stretched out, 

and walked. A few of my friends met me in the parking lot and 

walked with me. Imagine my surprise and delight when I 

bumped into my own son, his girlfriend, and another of his 

friends, who were walking for the cause. I felt great, and I was 

proud of what I had done. I managed to raise over $3,200 for the 

cause in just a few days. 

All I had to do was ask. They were waiting for me. 

NAMIWalks feedback... 


medication and/or therapy, people with mental illness live 

quite functional and healthy lives. 

This was my third year with NAMIWalks. Our Jamaica 

Hospital Medical Center team grew each year, and we raised 

more than $3000 this year. The Grand Round that I conducted, 

together with seventeen patients in Jamaica Hospital 

Medical Center, highlighted the patients’ creativity and talents. 

Patients read their poems and essays, sang songs, performed 

comedy and puppet shows and presented their art 

work. I saw the tears in the audience when the author of an 

essay said, "If you have to label me something, how about 

‘human being’." 

Next year my team will walk again and use this quote from 

a patient on our banner. 

Reach across your family and friends, 

Reach across your neighborhood, 

Reach across your faith community and social 

networks, 

Reach across your office, 

Stand up and say, 

“I am supporting the NAMI Walk—a community 

walk to fight against the stigma of mental illness.


The Black Community is in the Midst of a 

Mental Health Crisis 

By MARC LAMONT HILL | 

TheLoop21 

Last week, while celebrating his first 

NBA championship, Ron Artest made a 

different kind of history within the Black 

community. During his post-game interview, 

the mercurial Los Angeles Lakers 

star gave a public shout-out to his psychiatrist, 

whom he credited for helping him 

successfully navigate the pressures of 

playing on one of the biggest stages in 

professional sports. In doing so, as Mychal 

Denzel Smith brilliantly points out in his 

recent essay, Artest may have created new 

space within the public sphere for discussing 

Black mental health without fear and 

shame. 

The need for reshaping and reinvigorating 

the public conversation on Black mental 

health could not come a moment 

sooner. Despite comprising only 12 percent 

of the United States population, Black 

people represent more than 25 percent of 

the nation’s mental health needs. Over the 

past 30 years, Black male suicide rates 

have climbed by more than 200 percent. 

The depression rate among Black women 

is 50 percent higher than their white counterparts. 

Rates of somatization — the 

emergence of physical illness related to 

mental health — occur at a rate of 15 percent 

among both Blacks and women, as 

opposed to 9 percent among Whites. 

The rising mental health needs among 

Black people are further compounded by 

the continued lack of mental health service 

utilization within the community. While 

only one-third of all Americans receive 

care for mental illness, Blacks remain statistically 

less likely to access proper mental 

health services than other racial groups. 

These numbers suggest that the Black 

community is in the midst of a full-fledged 

mental health crisis. 

Social misery 

Although it is necessary to shake the 

cultural stigmas that enable the current 

crisis— the view that mental health maintenance 

is anti-Black, anti-masculine, and 

anti-Christian— such work must be accompanied 

by an equally engaged effort to 

address the structural issues that compromise 

Black mental health. We must begin 

to spotlight the connection between mental 

health and other social problems plaguing 

the Black community. We must understand 

the collective power of social, cultural and 

institutional forces in producing, intensifying, 

and concealing the unique mental 

health issues confronted by Blacks in the 

United States. 

While all racial and ethnic groups suffer 

from mental health issues, Blacks are a 

particularly high-risk population due to 

their overrepresentation in contexts of social 

misery. Currently, Blacks account for 

40 percent of the country’s homeless population 

and nearly 50 percent of the prison 

population. Black children represent nearly 

50 percent of all foster care and adoption 

cases. Additionally, almost 25 percent of 

Black youth are exposed to enough violence 

to meet the diagnostic criteria for 

post-traumatic stress disorder. These conditions 

not only play a direct role in producing 

and exacerbating mental illnesses, 

they also create new levels of social marginalization 

and isolation that further distance 

vulnerable populations from the services 

that they need. 

Poverty's affect on mental health 

Black mental health is further compromised 

by economic inequality. While 16 

percent of the nation is uninsured, nearly 1 

in 4 Blacks live without health insurance, 

thereby making it difficult to access appropriate 

mental health services. Blacks with 

health insurance still have average employer 

based coverage rates of only 50 

percent, compared to 70 percent for their 

White counterparts. These conditions, 

combined with the disproportionate absence 

of living wages within the Black 

community, make mental health services 

financially nonviable for many Blacks. 

While economically disadvantaged 

Blacks have access to government-run 

mental health resources, individuals often 

have to navigate an extremely bureaucratic 

and fragmented maze of mental health 

services. Those who ultimately receive 

services often do not obtain them through 

the actual health care system, but through 

agencies like public schools, welfare offices, 

and the court system— none of 

which have the appropriate resources. As a 

result, many poor Blacks receive uncoordi- 

nated, inconsistent, and ineffective levels 

of care that ultimately discourage them 

from utilizing the system. 

Many of those in prison suffer from 

mental illness 

In addition to poverty, the impact of the 

prison industrial complex on the current 

Black mental health crisis cannot be overstated. 

Beginning with President Reagan’s 

aggressive efforts to close mental hospitals 

and cut off federal aid to community mental 

health programs in the 1980s, the 

United States has witnessed a dramatic 

increase in its homeless population. Concurrent 

with this neo-liberal assault on the 

welfare state, neo-conservative lawmakers 

successfully aimed to criminalize ostensibly 

anti-social behaviors like panhandling, 

public drinking, and public urination, all of 

which are routinely linked to mental illness. 

(As with nearly all criminal justice 

matters in the United States, arrests, convictions, 

and sentencing for these offenses 

are disproportionately assigned to poor 

Blacks and Latinos.) As a result, many 

individuals who would have previously 

been under medical supervision for their 

mental illnesses (including drug addiction) 

are now chattel within the for-profit prison 

industry. 

The Department of Justice reports that 

nearly 16 percent of all prisoners are mentally 

ill. Also, many states, such as New 

York, have literally transformed mental 

health facilities into prisons, as well as 

devoted billions of dollars to the construction 

of criminal psychiatric wings within 

existing prisons. In addition to being fundamentally 

immoral, the incarceration of 

the mentally ill is largely ineffective, as 

federal and state prisons routinely fail to 

even identify, much less support or treat its 

mentally ill patients. As a result, many 

prisoners fail to comply with prison rules 

and norms, thereby subjecting them to 

further punishment, social isolation, and 

abuse from both authorities and other prisoners. 

Many ultimately finish their prison 

sentences and re-enter the world with intensified 

illnesses due to prison trauma, 

making them a greater danger to society 

and themselves. 

Read the full article online, http:// 

theloop21.com/society/ron-artest-reshaping-the 

-conversation-black-mental-health


What’s It All About, Alfie? 

By LARRY KENNY, 2nd Vice President 

It is 7:45a.m. Sunday, Father’s Day, and I am driving east on Southern 

State Parkway to the cemetery to place a single rose on the graves of my 

father and father-in-law, both of whom passed on too young. It is an absolutely 

beautiful day, sunny with a bright blue sky and a slight wind. The 

convertible is moving effortlessly at 60mph, the top is down and the roar 

of the wind feels good. 

Both my father and Mary’s father passed on before our son, Chris, developed 

his severe mental illness. They were not here to see our daughter, 

Judy, get married, have two beautiful daughters, and develop severe Lymes 

disease. I often wonder what advice they would have given us. 

Nothing in my education and training prepared me to be the ongoing 

father that I must be. I just do the best that I can, but I do ask, “Why me?” 

There is no definite answer. It is life; you meet the challenge head on; 

you don’t complain; you just do your best. 

What’s it all about, Alfie? Only God knows, and I wish he would let me 

know his game plan for my children. 

This article began in my mind as I was driving to the cemetery and I 

wanted to dismiss it from my mind, but it would not go away. This article 

is an expression of compassion and concern for those who suffer from 

chronic illness. 

In conclusion, my deeply religious neighbor said this in regard to Judy 

and Christopher’s illnesses, “You and Mary will go straight to heaven 

when you pass on for all that you are doing.” My answer to this was thank 

you, but I don’t want to go straight to heaven; I want to stop in at least six 

Irish bars on the way. 

What’s it all about, Alife? 

It’s all about people belonging to each other. It’s all about love and 

compassion. It’s all about life. 

To Janet Susin: 

Thank you for putting my “talks” into the newsletter. 

Since then, I gave two additional talks at one location in Jamaica at 

PSCH and at (what was Schneider Children’s Hospital) Cohen’s Children’s 

Hospital—to their inpatient medical social workers. Both of 

these were about NAMI Queens/Nassau. 

I also attended one of three sessions of Camp Isabella Friedman 

with mentally ill adults and held a session with both patients and staff 

about NAMI and how camp originated through NAMI Queens/Nassau. 

From, 

Rosalie Weiner 

Support Group Leader 

NAMI Queens/Nassau gratefully 

acknowledges the following 

donations: 

Jerry & Florence Fox in memory of Lizzie Parker 

Rena & Steven Klosk in memory of Judy Shapiro 

Newdorf 

Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in memory of Glenn Roberts 

Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in memory of Kitty Kulesza 

Nancy Goldfarb in memory of Christina Kulesza 

Lorraine & Eli in memory of Lawrence Newdorf’s 

mother 

Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in memory of Florence Fox’s 

niece Judy 

Rosalie Weiner in memory of Karen Schwartzman 

Arnold & Pearl Gould in memory of Jerome Kaleko 

In memory of Lawrence Weinstein: 

Rosalie Weiner; Patricia Gmerek; Doris Brill; Pat 

Rella; Eleanor & Mike Gosset; Magdalena 

Relyea 

In honor of Heide & Tony Magosi’s 50th Anniversary 

Elke & Arthur Plaggemeier; Elfriede Sepssey; Annemarie 

Seeliger; Mr. & Mrs. Friedrich Klaar; 

Cathy Johnson; Mary Lou & Jack Wohlhieter 

General Donations: 

Andrew Ojeda; Franz Loderer; Elissa Silverman 

The Friendship Network gratefully 

acknowledges the following 

donations: 

Sondra Cohen in memory of Hilda Dubinsky 

Joan & Stuart Kaufman in honor of Zachary Goldstein’s 

Bar Mitzvah 

Buddy Cohen & Barbara Garner in honor of Zach 

Goldstein’s Bar Mitzvah 

Alice & Nancy with get well wishes to Al Chwick 

Esther Cohen in memory of Bryna Tandertnick’s 

daughter, Judy 

Alice & nancy in memory of Andrew Chwick’s 

mother 

Alice & Nancy in memory of Mary Lenihan’s 

mother 

Julie Rubinstein Bronder in honor of the Friendship 

Newtork


NAMI Queens/Nassau Receives $100,000 Grant 

for Police Training 

NAMI Queens/Nassau gratefully acknowledges 

receipt of a $100,000 grant from the Large Grants 

Program of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation 

at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, NY. It will be used to 

train members of the Lynbrook police department in 

the Memphis Model of Crisis Intervention Training 

(CIT), an intensive 40 hour training that is widely 

used in other states to prevent psychiatric crises 

from spiraling out of control, but has not yet taken 

hold in New York State. 

Far too many mentally ill individuals end up in prison rather 

than in psychiatric hospitals because the police are unable to deescalate 

a sensitive situation. In the most tragic circumstances a 

law enforcement encounter with a person with mental illness 

leads to violence, resulting in injury or death to officers, the individual 

himself or even innocent bystanders. 

We greatly appreciate the opportunity to bring CIT to Long 

Island and hope it will serve as a model for other local police 

departments. We are especially indebted to the caring members 

* * * New Support Group Forming * * * 

For Families Whose Loved 

Ones Lack Insight Into 

Their Mental Illness 

Getting a loved one to accept treatment can be difficult 

under any circumstances but it is a special 

challenge for those who do not recognize 

that they’re ill. Learn how to overcome this 

obstacle and share coping strategies with 

others who truly understand what you’re 

going through. 

Led by Linda Manzo, parent and teacher, the 

evening support group will begin in August on 

Thursdays at 7:30 in the NAMI office. To sign-up, 

email namiqn@aol.com or call (516) 326-0797 or 

(718) 347-7284. 

of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, who 

chose mental health as a priority area for their generous 

grants program and gave us the opportunity to 

apply for this significant grant. 

Seeking Volunteers for 

CIT Advisory Panel 

Have you or a loved one ever had a run in with the 

police that ended badly? Or a good experience when a crisis 

was successfully averted by police action? We’re looking for 

individuals who have personal experience with the police, both 

bad and good — family members and consumers — to serve on 

an advisory panel for our grant. Interested? 

Contact Maureen or Cheryl at (516) 326-0797 or (718) 347- 

7284. 

NAMI Family to Family 

This education program is a free 12-week course for 

family caregivers of individuals with a severe mental 

illness. The course is taught by trained family 

members. 

Over 115,000 families have graduated from this national 

program. For more information about the 

class go to www.nami.org/familytofamily. 

Register today: Classes will begin in the Fall 

and will be held at Zucker Hillside, Queens 

Hospital Center, Greater Allen AME Cathedral, 

and Adelphi University. 

Call Charlotte Driver at (516) 385-1400 to register 

or for more information..


Miniature Golf at Spring Rock Golf 

Center 

by STEPHEN C. 

It was a sunny day when I arrived at Spring Rock 

Golf Center and met the Friendship Network on 

May 16 th . Cliff and Alice greeted members under 

the tent and divided us into two groups. One group headed to the 

Romeo putting greens and the other group to the Juliette putting 

holes. I went to the Romeo section, where we divided into three 

groups and started at the first hole. 

I was playing with Janine and Sam. The object of the game is 

to get the fewest strokes possible under par or par to receive a 

good score. We each had some impressive plays, and in the end 

all three of us had a good time. The holes were challenging in a 

variety of ways: there were twists and turns on several holes; one 

hole deposited the ball from a top section of three holes to a bottom 

section of one hole; another hole represented a grotto with a 

waterfall. 

Afterwards the group drove over to Charlie Brown’s steakhouse. 

I sat at a round table with Janine, Alice, Andrea, Jeff and 

Barbara. We helped ourselves to a salad bar, which we enjoyed. 

Alice and I took two servings at the salad bar. There were lots to 

choose from. Three bean salad was my favorite along with the 

chick peas and several other legumes. We each chose a different 

entrée, which came with a baked potato with either butter or sour 

cream. We got onion rings also! For dessert, Alice treated us to a 

chocolate layer cake and cheesecake. At the end of the evening 

we said goodbye; all the members had a good day filled with 

entertainment and dining. I’m sure all of us will attend the next 

golf and dinner get together. 

What Friendship Network Means 

to Me 

By ADRIENNE M. 

A friendship can be like a flower, beautiful 

and sweet. It only needs a warm hello to start out and make it 

grow. Throughout the year I’ve been with Friendship Network 

I’ve made many new friends and enjoyed some fun and exciting 

events. For me personally, it’s been a long time since I’ve had so 

much to do. Because of this, the loneliness faded and blossomed 

to brightness and hope—the sun came shining through. 

I know others may have similar feelings. 

Friendship Network is an organization that really creates 

friendships and enjoyment. It can keep you busy and help you 

stay away from the negative feelings that brought you to the 

group to begin with. I hope Friendship Network stays in existence 

for a very long time because the smiles and happiness it 

can bring is truly something to be cherished. 

My thanks to Friendship Network and all those involved with 

it that make it the special and fun place that it is. 

Friendship Network News 

A Cool Evening At Citifield 

While Met star Jose Reyes was boiling mad in 

the 7 th inning, we were all freezing upstairs. He 

was ejected from the game, and we started filing 

out early as the Mets took a hard 3-2 loss. Pitcher John Maine 

started what ended as a close game. It seemed as if the Mets were 

trying too hard. 

The whistling wind saw them attempting to come back, but 

even my favorite Met, David Wright, didn’t do too well at the 

plate. All in all, it was an interesting night as we did our best to 

enjoy the game and the music during the innings at the same time 

as fighting the cold at Citifield. 

Special thanks go to Rosalie and the Friendship Network for 

their great effort of putting together a memorable night of baseball 

and fun! 

Luncheon at Jani’s and Bowling 

By JANINE B. and ROSINA L. 

Today a group of us met at Jani’s, a Japanese-Chinese 

restaurant in Mineola. We 

started the afternoon with Wonton soup, fried noodles and duck 

sauce. Everyone was hungry – you could tell by the empty 

plates. Next they served us egg rolls as an appetizer. It seemed 

everyone was enjoying the lunch. The waitress was very nice and 

the service was very good. Each of us had a chance to order from 

the menu. And everyone seemed to be pleased. 

After our meals, a few people ordered ice cream for dessert, as 

the rest of us were on our way to meet up at the bowling alley. 

Everyone had a good time and enjoyed talking with each other. 

At the bowling alley, as the teams were setting up for good 

bowling action, one friend thought he could not play because he 

did not have socks to wear with the bowling shoes. Well, goodhearted 

J. to the rescue, no problem for her – she went to the 

nearby discount store and bought him a pair of socks. A few 

minutes later C. came in and declared she couldn’t play because 

she did not have socks – J. directed her to the discount store and 

C. purchased socks and enjoyed being a player rather than just a 

spectator. 

Everybody was now set for great bowling. There was good 

energy, a true spirit of joy!! We cheered each other through the 

games. I personally played one game because I chose a heavy 

ball, a ball that had power to knock down those pins. It got me a 

few strikes and a good score, but my hand hurt from the weight, 

so I bowed out of a second or third game. 

Some friends had bowling fever and did bowl two and three 

games. There were hoorahs when the pins were knocked down 

and aahs when the ball curved into a gutter ball. Everybody gave 

it their best effort. 

A good time was had by all. Thank you goes to Alice, Nancy 

and Barbara for arranging that special day.


Homes, Not Jails or Prison, Are What's Needed for 

People With Mental Illnesses 

By DEBORAH DE SANTIS, President 

and CEO of the Corporation for Supportive 

Housing 

Huffington Post, June 2, 2010 

Homeless and severely mentally ill, 

Lavelle has been arrested more than 150 

times in the last decade, traveling between 

Chicago's littered skid row and the Cook 

County Jail without ever getting any meaningful 

treatment. A recent study issued by 

the National Sheriff's Association and the 

Treatment Advocacy Center, entitled 

"More Mentally Ill Persons Are in Jails 

and Prisons Than Hospitals: A Survey of 

the States," shows that Lavelle is not 

alone. 

The study describes the shocking fact 

that there are now three times more mentally 

ill persons in American jails and prisons 

than there are in hospitals. In many 

urban areas, it's much worse. In California, 

it's about four times worse, in Florida, the 

figure is five times, and in Arizona, there 

are nine times more people with mental 

illness imprisoned than in psych wards. 

The human and financial implications of 

this worsening national trend are frightening. 

People with mental illnesses should 

have mental health treatment and a safe 

place to live instead of languishing in already 

overcrowded jails and prisons. 

Shockingly, in the end, it's the taxpayers 

that get stuck. In California alone, more 

than $100,000 a year is spent to incarcerate 

a single person with mental illness. 

Today, I'm joined in this blog by Martin 

F. Horn of John Jay College of Criminal 

Justice, former Commissioner of NYC 

Department of Correction 

and Probation, and 

the Honorable Evelyn 

Stratton of the Ohio 

State Supreme Court, 

both co-chairs of CSH's 

Returning Home Advisory 

Committee, to say 

that there is a better 

way. And the Sheriff's 

Association report provides 

a road map. It 

calls for more mental 

health courts like the ones in Ohio that get 

people into community treatment programs 

rather than imprisoning them. It calls for 

overhauling our mental health laws and 

improving community-based services as is 

happening in states like New York. And 

we also need supportive housing -- safe, 

affordable housing that is closely linked to 

the mental health services and other supports 

people with mental illnesses need to 

thrive in the community and stay out of 

jail. Communities across the country are 

proving supportive housing works. 

These communities are making certain 

that people with serious mental illness 

move into apartments and get the services 

they need when they are released from jail, 

rather than being dumped homeless on the 

streets. By making supportive housing 

available, cities have been able to drastically 

reduce the number of days people 

with mental illness stay in jail. In New 

York, the reduction has been 53%, in Denver 

the reduction is 76% and in Rhode 

Island it is 79%. A recent study by John 

Jay College of Criminal Justice found that 

supportive housing not only broke the cycle 

of incarceration and homelessness, but 

also is expected to begin saving tax dollars 

after three years by reducing stays in jail 

(which costs $129 a day) and reliance on 

homeless shelters (which costs $68 per 

day). 

Lavelle adds a human face to this story. 

After his last stint in jail, he moved into 

supportive housing, was enrolled in treatment, 

got re-connected to his family, and 

has remained out of jail since then -- something 

that even he thought would be impossible. 

The National Sheriff's Association and 

the Treatment Advocacy Center's disturbing 

report has sounded yet another alarm 

about our need to stop incarcerating people 

who are seriously mentally ill, homeless, 

and suffer from co-occurring disorders 

such as alcoholism and drug addiction. For 

those who listen the report demonstrates 

that addressing the housing needs and providing 

services to Lavelle and the thousands 

more like Lavelle is the right solution. 

NYAPRS Seeks Queens-Based Peer Wellness Coach 

NYAPRS is pleased to announce it is hiring for 

a Peer Wellness Coach in Queens to work in its 

cutting edge collaboration with OptumHealth, 

aimed at helping to engage and support Medicaid 

beneficiaries with mental health, substance abuse 

and major medical conditions to receive access to 

more personalized, better coordinated package of 

care and to advance their own self care and recovery. 

This is a paid, part-time position for a peer in recovery from 

mental health and substance abuse challenges. The person hired 

will be an employee of NYAPRS and will work with Optum- 

Health staff in a special ‘chronic illness demonstration project’ 

developed by the NYS Department of Health. 

It requires up to 20 hours a week in a varied schedule, 

including evenings and weekends. The person 

hired must have a valid NYS driver license and have 

access to a legally registered vehicle. 

Responsibilities 

•Using provided contact information, seek out identified 

Medicaid recipients to explain program, encourage 

them to enroll in program, and complete initial enrollment 

forms 

•Engage enrolled individuals to form trust-based relation- 



NAMI Queens/Nassau’s Korean Family Support Group 

By JENNIFER LIM, LMSW 

I have been facilitating the Korean Family 

Support Group since October 2009. It 

used to meet monthly, but since moving 

from Zucker Hillside Hopsital to Flushing 

Hospital, the primary Korean community 

in this area, we now meet bi-monthly to 

meet the increased needs of the participants. 

Some of the same challenges Korean 

families talk about in the group are the 

social stigma associated with mental illness, 

lack of understanding of the nature of 

these illnesses, and their endless battles 

with their mentally ill family members 

regarding compliance with their treatment 

modalities. These challenges affect the 

families tremendously in their daily lives. 

Many families and patients are frustrated 

due to lack of understanding of what the 

patients are going through. Some families 

tell their family members with mental illness 

to just get up and move on like nothing 

had ever happened. Patients feel 

judged and criticized by their own family 

members. Families express their frustration 

due to their mentally ill family member’s 

noncompliance. These issues often 

cause relationship problems, noncompliance 

with treatment, illicit substance 

use, or decompensation, etc. 

Some challenges that are unique to Korean 

families are related to cultural differences 

and the language barrier. The cultural 

differences I have learned about from 

the Korean Family Support Group are not 

NYAPRS Seeks Wellness Coach... 


ships that foster hope for positive change and personal empowerment 

•Examine lifestyle factors that impact health and wellness 

with enrolled individuals 

•·Utilize tools with enrolled individuals to discuss and plan 

for changing to behaviors that will lead to improved health self 

-management 

•Help enrolled individuals identify and engage with a range 

of community-based supports 

•Travel in own car throughout Queens, transporting 

coachees to appointments or activities as the need arises 

only between the Korean culture and the 

American culture, but also more between 

the parents and the children in Korean 

families. 

Whether the parents are mentally ill or 

the children are mentally ill, there are culture 

gaps; they don’t understand each 

other. Children are Americanized and the 

parents are less acculturated. Korean parents 

expect more from their children than 

American parents do and visa versa. Korean 

families tend to have a higher tolerance 

about their mentally ill family member’s 

inappropriate behaviors such as violent 

behaviors, withdrawn behaviors, and 

threatening behaviors. They hesitate to call 

911 on their loved family members until 

it’s almost too late. 

Culturally it’s a huge shame to seek 

outside intervention for family problems. 

One of my former colleagues questioned 

me as to why most Korean cases are extremely 

severe. I answered him that is because 

Korean families hesitate to admit 

their family members to a psychiatric unit 

or even to receive outpatient treatment. 

One elderly couple that attends the group 

on a regular basis finally refused the housing 

option for their son with a long history 

of noncompliance, because they felt bad 

for the son, although there’s a good chance 

of decompensation based on the history. 

In addition, Korean families have to 

encounter cultural differences with the 

American system. We use a big portion of 

the group time for educating them about 

the system. Due to the extremely limited 

number of Korean-speaking psychiatrists, 

psychotherapists, and programs to cover 

the huge population, many families are 

suffering because of limited resources and 

remain on long waiting lists. They are extremely 

overwhelmed with a very limited 

support system. A lot of them don’t even 

have any relatives in the U.S. and look for 

some support through religious organizations 

like churches and temples. 

Unfortunately, there is only one Korean 

ICM (Intensive Case Manager) and no 

Korean/Asian ACT (Assertive Community 

Treatment) team in NYC. 

Overall, Korean families are struggling 

even more than others with a poor support 

system, a language barrier, culture gaps, 

poor entitlements, and so on. I am confident 

that the Korean Family Support 

Group can provide help and hope for these 

struggling families. 

•Complete detailed written record of activities 

•·Maintain personal wellness 

•Report to and meet with NYAPRS supervisor on a regular 

basis 

•Communicate on a regular basis with OptumHealth contacts 

•Attend trainings as required 

•Additional duties as assigned 

For addition information contact:Elizabeth R. Stone, MA, 

CASAC, NYAPRS Downstate Peer Services Coordinator, 

elizabeths@nyaprs.org 631-849-2232


2010 NAMI-NYS 

Educational Conference 

November 5—7 

The Desmond Hotel & Conference Center 

Albany, New York 

Conference Highlights: 

• Plenary Session with Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Chairman, NYS Psychiatric Institute 

• Keynote Speech with Dr. Lloyd Sederer, Medical Director, NYS Office of Mental Health 

• Plenary Session with Dr. Phyllis Harrison Ross, Commissioner, NYS Commissioner of Correction 

• Panel Discussion on Results of Gov. Paterson’s Appointed Task Force on Juvenile Justice 

» Panelists include NYS Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Judge Michael Corriero, and 

Meredith Wiley 

»Moderated by NYS OCFS Deputy Commissioner Joyce Burrell 

• Eleven Interactive Workshops 

New York State 

• Ask the Commissioner, featuring NYS OMH Commissioner Michael Hogan 

» Commissioner Hogan will also host a session on How the New Federal Health Care 

Act Will Impact Mental Health 

• Ask the Dr. Session 

For more information contact Matthew Shapiro via e-mail, matthew@naminys.org, 

or call (518) 462-2000. 

Visit www.naminys.org


NAMI Queens/Nassau Support Groups 

GROUP LEADER/PHONE DATE/TIME LOCATION 

Sharing & Caring 

Evening Family/Sibling/ 

Adult Children 

Afternoon Family & Friends 

Family/Friends 

Families of Children & 

Adolescents 

For Those Suffering from 

Anxiety/Depression 

Parents of Children & 

Adolescents with Emotional or 

Psychiatric Disorders 

Those with Bipolar Disorder 

Keeping Hope Alive 

Family to Family 

12-week Psycho-education 

Course 

NAMI Basics 

6-week Course for Parents of 

Children 

For Families Whose Loved 

Ones Lack Insight Into Their 

Mental Illness 

Korean Family Support Group 

Hillside Hospital 

Social Worker 

Rosalie Weiner, LMSW 

(718) 776-4790 

Please call first 

Rosalie Weiner, LMSW 

(718) 776-4790 


Christine Scotten, CSW 

(516) 521-8341 


Joan Ambrosio, CSW 

(516) 633-3544 


Lori Kalman, LMSW 

(718) 746-3092 


Amy Maximov 

(516) 884-6996 


Sandy Kalman, LCSW 

(718) 470-9552 


Dr. Frances Cohen Praver 

(516) 676-1594 or 

drpraver@cs.com 

Charlotte Driver 

(516) 385-1400 

Ceceile Green (718) 704-8690 

Liz Hutner (718) 366-6742 

Linda Manzo 

(516) 680-5480 

Jennifer Lim, LMSW 

(917) 346-4038 


3rd Wednesday of each month 

6:00—7:15 p.m. 

2nd & 4th Mondays 

7:30—9:30 p.m. 

1st Tuesday of each month 

1:30—3:00 p.m. 

2nd & 4th Wednesdays 

7:30—9:30 p.m. 

2nd & 4th Tuesdays 

7:30—9:00 p.m. 

1st & 3rd Thursdays 

7:00—8:30 p.m. 

Saturday mornings 

10:00 a.m. 

1st & 3rd Tuesdays 

7:00—8:30 p.m. 

2nd Sunday of the month 

10:00 a.m.--Noon 

Call to register 


Dates to be announced 

Call to Register 

Every Thursday 

7:30 p.m. 


2nd Thursday of each month 

7:30—9:00 p.m. 

The Zucker Hillside Hospital 

Sloman Auditorium 

266th St. & 76th Ave. 

Glen Oaks 

NAMI Queens/Nassau office 

1981 Marcus Ave, Suite C117 

Lake Success, NY 

Advanced Cntr for 

Psychotherapy 

103-26 68th Rd. 

Forest Hills 



Zucker-Hillside Hospital 

Kaufman Bldg, Rm 204 


Zucker-Hillside Hospital 

Ambulatory Care Paillion 

Room 1202 

Lattingtown 

Zucker Hillside Hospital, 

Queens Hospital Center, 

Greater Allen AME Church, 

Adelphi University 

Holliswood Hospital 

87-37 Palermo Street 

Jamaica 


Flushing Hospital Mental 

Health Clinic

PATHways Newsletter.pub - NAMI

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