January Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press

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8 New York Nonprofi t Press www.nynp.biz January ‘10 CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION THE SOURCE FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS IN FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES WE SUPPLY FURNITURE TO: SRO’S, SCATTER SITES, HOMELESS SHELTERS HFPA 260 COMPLIANT HASSLE FREE 24 HOUR DELIVERY (ON IN STOCK ITEMS) CALL US: (718)-665-3700 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.APARTMENTFURNISHERS.COM INFO@APARTMENTFURNISHERS.COM The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies Presents THE TAIL THAT WAGS THE DOG: THE IMPACT OF INSURANCE ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH January 14, 2010 ❑ 10 AM to 5 PM At the Association of the Bar of the City of New York 42 W. 44th Street Join your colleagues, State and City officials, representatives of Managed Care companies, and our keynote speaker WENDELL POTTER, for a full day’s exploration and discussion of insurance reimbursement and its’ watershed effect on New York State’s Clinic Reform. For more information and to RSVP go to: WWW.Coalitionny.org Nassau County: Change Plus Change = ? The last change of administration in Nassau, when Tom Suozzi became County Executive in 2002, unquestionably had a significant impact on the delivery of human services and the county’s relationship with the nonprofit provider community. “For decades, the plexiglass barriers separating staff at the Department of Social Services from the people they were there to help had been symbolic of Nassau County’s approach to human services. They were there to protect workers – and county taxpayers – from assault by hordes of unwanted and presumably unworthy clients seeking public assistance. The barriers could also be seen as a metaphor for the County’s historic working relationship with the nonprofit, human service community. There was none! No communication with or input from nonprofit providers was sought or accepted.” That was how we assessed the status of Nassau County human services prior to Suozzi’s election when NYNP reported on his highly publicized “No Wrong Door” initiative to reform the system in a September 2005. There can be no question that Suozzi dramatically reversed that assessment during his eight years in office. The highly symbolic and much talked about Plexiglas barriers are gone. Seven separate county departments -- Social Services; Health; Senior Citizens Affairs; Youth Board; Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities; Office of the Physically Challenged; and Veterans Services – were united under the management of Deputy County Executive for Health and Human Services Mary Curtis. Their operations were relocated from a scattered series of dilapidated and often handicapped-inaccessible offices to a new, centralized and highly user-friendly “No Wrong Door Health and Human Services” facility in Uniondale. Their system now features a PATHHS online eligibility screening tool, digital client records and satellite offices beginning to sprout in high-need areas of the county. The HHS team continually strove to identify further opportunities for cross-system service enhancements and efficiencies through innovative “Case of the Week” meetings which gathered input from staff at all HHS departments as well as nonprofit service agencies. Suozzi also acted quickly to partner with the nonprofit community. “When I first came into office, my transition group for health and human services came straight from the nonprofit and academic communities,” Suozzi told NYNP in 2005. “They helped us to understand what the problems were and what some of the opportunities were. That is where the No Wrong Door concept came from.” He established a Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Curtis and the Executive Director of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island. And, he dramatically speeded up the timing of contracts and payments. However, some nonprofit leaders feel that over time, the administration’s ambitious initiatives in these areas gradually began to lose steam. “For whatever reason, there was some loss of energy,” says one long-time observer. “Maybe it was budget problems. Maybe it was loss of focus, but, contracts started to slip; payments started to slip.” Deputy County Executive Mary Curtis takes issue with this assessment. “I don’t think that is true,” she says, pointing to the recent “No Wrong Door II” roll-out of InterAgency Councils to coordinate planning and service delivery in ten high-need communities. “I think we have continued pressing right to the end.” Clearly however, the Suozzi administration’s record on health and human services must be viewed as overwhelmingly positive. “Tom Suozzi did a lot for Nassau County and we would be remiss if we didn’t take a look at how much things have changed,” says O’Shea. Looking ahead, nonprofit leaders are hoping that incoming County Executive Ed Mangano will take a similar, collaborative approach towards the development of and administration of human service policies and programs. “We look forward to working just as closely with his administration to make sure that the most vulnerable in the county are protected,” says O’Shea. “FEGS, like many other nonprofit human service providers had established a very good relationship with County Executive Suozzi and his team,” says Kathy Rosenthal, Vice President, Long Island Operatons at FEGS Health & Human Services System. “We look forward to the same being true with County Executive Mangano’s team.” First elected in 1995, Mangano is a seven-term County legislator from Bethpage. People in the nonprofit sector who know Mangano have good things to say about him. “He is an incredibly bright and fair guy,” says Theresa Regnante, President and CEO of United Way of Long Island. “Throughout my career in fundraising and development, he has always been approachable. I am sure he is going to surround himself with sound advisors.” “He is a very decent guy,” says Dr. Richard Dina, Special Assistant to the President of Adelphi University and former head of Family and Children’s Association. “He is very much concerned with services for people, for kids and for families.” For those who don’t know him personally, the future form and substance of a Mangano administration remains something of a mystery. His campaign reportedly had relatively little to say about the subject of human services, focusing instead on the need to “stop wasteful spending”, “freeze and fix Nassau’s broken tax assessment system”, “create jobs and opportunities”, and “repeal Nassau’s home energy tax”. This last campaign promise – to eliminate an estimated $50 million in desperately needed county funding -- is being seen as an important indicator of how the next four years may go. “This is huge for the county,” says HWCLI’s O’Shea. “Where is that $50 million going to come from? We are seeing an escalation of need among our residents. We have more people than ever going to soup kitchens and food pantries. If we are going to cut that health and human services infrastructure, it is going to have implications for everybody. That is the first thing people will be looking at. Where is he going to save that money?” Youth serving agencies -- a group which has often had contentious relationships with the Suozzi administration over budget cuts and moves to restructure services – believe they have a friend in the County Executive. “He is a strong supporter of youth services,” says Peter Levy, President of the Coalition of Nassau County Youth Serving Agencies. “We have been told that because we have been cut so many times in the past, even in good years, we will be the last ones they look to. We are hopeful that nothing damaging will happen to us in the new administration.” It still remains unclear, however, as to whom the new County Executive would continued on page 9
January ‘10 New York Nonprofi t Press www.nynp.biz 9 CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION Westchester County Separating Babies from Bathwater While New York City and Nassau County have been quite public about restructuring their health and human services, Westchester County was quietly doing some very, very innovative things. That’s the view of several nonprofit leaders we spoke to for an assessment of outgoing County Executive Andrew Spano’s administration. Spano, a Democrat who held office for twelve years, makes way for Republican Rob Astorino, another surprise victor in November’s taxpayer revolt at the polls. “These guys were pretty decent,” said one nonprofit executive. “There was a lot of stuff going on here. Andy Spano cared about human services.” Provider agency executives credit Spano for picking several good administrators in key spots, including Department of Social Services Commissioner Kevin Mahon, and then giving them the support and leeway needed to get the job done. Nonprofits point to significant investments in preventive services and a willingness to develop new programs targeted towards specific problems or populations in need. Several agency executives reported on exciting new initiatives developed at the request of, and in collaboration with, County agencies. What will the inauguration of Rob Astorino as County Executive mean for human service providers? Once again, it is a question that is hard to answer – at least so far. Astorino ran for County Executive and lost to Andy Spano four years ago, after serving one term in the County Legislature. Since then, he has worked as station manager and progam director of The Catholic Channel on Sirius- XM Satellite Radio and hosts a weekly show from St. Patrick’s Cathedral with New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan. “I have known Rob for as long as I have lived in this area,” says Christina Rohatynskyj, Executive Director of the Food Bank for Westchester. “He is a very, very decent man. He has always been kind, generous and concerned. He is very aware of what is going on in the community and I know he means well and wants to do the right thing.” Astorino’s campaign platform was one of streamlining government and re- continued from page 8 look to for senior leadership in the health and human services departments and how much input he will be soliciting from the nonprofit sector. Mangano is reportedly close to Patrick Foye, former President/CEO of United Way of Long Island and a partner and colleague at the law firm Rivkin Radler, LLP. Man- ducing taxes. Depending on the details, these may not be the most promising set of policy priorities for the human service sector. “It is a real challenge when you set yourself a goal of not allowing any increase in property taxes at all,” says one nonprofit leader. “How are you supposed to pay for services?” “We have to hope that his administration won’t throw out the baby with the bathwater,” says one executive director. “There are a lot of very good initiatives in place here. We don’t want to lose them.” Providers are hoping that “streamlining government” may translate into the continued creation of innovative and effective community-based programs. The Legislature’s recent approval of the County’s 2010 budget may offer some breathing room for Astorino to familiarize himself with the nuts-andbolts issues confronting county departments and services providers. It may also create a window of opportunity for human service advocates and providers to begin making their case on the best ways to structure services while continuing to meet critical needs. The new budget already includes some “streamlining” of government by merging the Departments of Health and Community Mental Health into one agency – a Spano budget proposal which had taken many service providers by surprise. “Is this a good thing? I don’t know,” said one agency executive. “If it means that the focus on mental health programs gets lost, that isn’t a good thing.” Providers are particularly concerned about any negative impacts given the planned restructuring of mental health services being undertaken by the State Office of Mental Health. Adding to concerns are complaints by New York City providers that a similar merger of the Health and Mental Hygiene Departments had contributed to a serious slowdown in the processing of nonprofit provider contracts. Also eliminated were a number of other administrative positions – although not as many as initially proposed by one group of legislators following the election. Finally, the budget documents referred to the “transfer of gano is also reportedly interested in sitting down with small groups of nonprofit leaders to hear their thoughts and concerns. As we went to press, Newsday reported that Mangano had held just such a meeting that included Amy Hagedorn of the Hagedorn Foundation and Jennifer Rimmer of Sustainable Long Island. “I take that as a hopeful sign,” says Richard Dina. non-mandated programs to local providers.” Astorino reportedly has begun assembling advisory groups – including representatives of the nonprofit community -- to begin offering advice on policies and appointments. Providers and advocates are ready and willing to help. “We hope we can be useful to him in understanding the issues impacting children in our county,” says Cora Greenberg, Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Association. “We want to be helpful in any way we can,” says Jeremy Kohomban, CEO at The Children’s Village. “It is essential that the County and nonprofit agencies work together for the benefit of the children and families of Westchester.” For the moment, there is no need to rush on finding a replacement for Department of Social Services Commissioner Kevin Mahon. His contract runs through 2013. Will he stay? Or, will he go? Nonprofi t Seminar Center for Nonprofi t Strategy and Management and Personal Democracy Forum Present “How Non-Profi t Organizations Can Take Advantage of Online Videos” Moderator: Andrew Rasiej, Founder of Personal Democracy Forum Speakers: Volunteers Wanted WomenCare Mentor Program Women’s Prison Association WomenCare is a mentoring program for women making the transition from incarceration to society. WomenCare recruits and trains volunteer mentors. Our mentors are a broad range of women from the community. It’s a 10-month commitment between mentor/mentee. Mentor workshops occur monthly. Please contact: Brenda Pearson WomenCare Mentor Coordinator Women's Prison Association 175 Remsen Street 9fl. Brooklyn, New York 11201 718-637-6815-O 718-637-6988-F bpearson@wpaonline.org www.wpaonline.org Kate Albright-Hanna, Managing Editor, VBS.TV (formerly Director of Video, New Media, Obama for America) Jacob Soberoff, Executive Director of the non-profi t Why Tuesday? Sam Cartsos, Co-founder and senior partner at Frameweld “PDF participation is sponsored by Frameweld and Interpersonal Frequency, LLC” Tuesday, January 12, 2010 4:00-6:00 PM Baruch College Information & Technology Building, Newman Conference Center, 7th Floor, Room 750, 151 East 25th Street (Lexington & 3rd Avenues) New York, NY RSVP By email at nonprofi t.workshops@baruch.cuny.edu Or by phone at 646-660-6743 Admission is free, Space is limited – RSVP Required Light Refreshments Served
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