WICHE Mental Health Report
December 03, 2007
Volume 1, Number 11
RECENT ISSUES: February 2007 . March 2007 . April 2007 . May 2007 . June 2007 . July 2007 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007
In this Issue:
Peace to you in this season of light !
In deference to the holiday season, we are suspending our usual article to wish you a wonderful December. Below we highlight the numerous staff changes that have occurred in the last few weeks at WICHE. Be sure to read through the FYI section as there are two webcasts upcoming in the next few days! In addition, there are several new job postings that close this month.
We are sad to announce the departure of one of our senior employees, Scott Adams. Dr. Adams is moving to Virginia to take a position as Chair of the Psychology Program at a small liberal arts school called Founders College. Please join us in wishing him the best of luck in his new endeavor! We will miss him.
TOP OF PAGERecent Staff Additions!
Nicole Speer, Ph.D.
The WICHE Mental Health Program welcomes Nicole Speer, Ph.D., as a new Research and Technical Assistance Associate. Nicole started in December, and joins the research side of our program. Nicole will be leading research and grant-writing initiatives.
Nicole moved to Colorado in 2005 after completing her Ph.D. at Washington University. For the past two years she was a NIH-supported post-doctoral fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Nicole is trained as a cognitive psychologist, and her research has focused on understanding how people are able to remember their everyday experiences, and correspondingly, how to improve people’s ability to remember the events in their everyday lives. Although Nicole’s work at WICHE is quite different from the work she has done to date, she is excited to have the opportunity to apply her writing, research, and teaching skills toward improving mental health services and training.
Nicole grew up in Oregon, received her undergraduate education in California, and her graduate education in Missouri. Nicole was happy to head west after finishing her graduate degree, and enjoys the proximity to the mountains and to her family on the west coast. Until her daughter was born five months ago, Nicole enjoyed Colorado’s many outdoor activities, especially cycling in the foothills, as well as cooking, baking, reading, and movie watching. Now her favorite hobby is catching up on sleep. Nicole can be reached via email at nspeer@wiche.edu.
Jessica Tomasko, LCSW - PIP
The WICHE Mental Health Program welcomes Jessica Tomasko, LCSW-PIP, as a new Research and Technical Assistance Associate. Jessica started in November, and will be leading the Systems of Care/Center of Excellence project in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Jessica is originally from Boulder, and recently relocated to Colorado after living in Aberdeen, South Dakota, for eight (cold and windy) years. While in Aberdeen, Jessica worked as a Clinical Supervisor for Northeastern Mental Health Center. She was responsible for supervising a team of therapists who provided services throughout a ten county catchments area (over 11,000 square miles). Jessica has a strong background in rural mental health and is passionate about the implementation of systems of care principles and high-fidelity wraparound services.
Jessica received her undergraduate education at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned a Masters of Social Work from the University of Denver. She is excited to be living in Colorado, again, and enjoys camping, boating, fishing, and hiking with her family. However, her free time is currently monopolized by her 11-month-old son, Jake, who is on the verge of walking. Jessica can be reached via email at jtomasko@wiche.edu.
Kyle Sargent, M.P.P.
Kyle W. Sargent, M. P. P. is a consultant with the WICHE Mental Health Program, as well as with the State of Colorado. Kyle is the former Planner for Colorado, where his primary responsibilities included the writing of the state’s federal Community Mental Health Services Block Grant Plan and Application. Also, he was responsible for providing strategic policy and legislative analysis and direction for the State Mental Health and Substance Abuse Authorities and the Department of Human Services regarding both the Medicaid and state general fund programs. Further, Kyle was the primary lead and author of Colorado’s Mental Health Transformation Grant, has authored several pieces of legislation, and has served as the co-principal investigator for Colorado’s Data Infrastructure Grant. He earned a Master’s Degree from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Kyle can be reached at ksargent@wiche.edu
Megan Raymond, B.A.
The WICHE Mental Health Program welcomes Megan Raymond, as the events coordinator for both WICHE Mental Health and WCET (Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications). Megan came on board in June and got her feet wet in the WICHE world with preparations for the November WCET Annual Conference. With that under her belt, she is diving into new projects including helping Jenny Shaw with the Mental Health webcast series.
Megan relocated to Boulder in May from Durango, Colorado where she was the Assistant Director of Student Housing and Conference Services at Fort Lewis College. Although she misses student affairs, she appreciates the diversity of projects and programs her dual roles at WICHE present. Megan has extensive meeting and event coordination experience from prior work as a conference coordinator at resorts and facilities throughout Colorado.
Megan has bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and is working on completing a Masters of Health and Nutrition Education from Hawthorn University. Despite school and work, Megan finds time to enjoy mountain biking, trail running and skiing (downhill and skate) with her husband. Megan can be contacted at mraymond@wiche.edu
FYI...
Webcast on Research & Dissemination in Indian Country: Indianonish, Email, and Other Surprises
This three-part presentation focuses on false assumptions and cultural differences that prevent effective research and dissemination on Indian reservations. The third part of the presentation summarizes research on the means by which individuals with disabilities and their families obtain information. The webcast is scheduled for December 14, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. CST.
Register for the Webcast: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/12291g2e606
Dr. AnnMaria De Mars has worked on reservations throughout North Dakota for over 17 years as a tribal college faculty member, evaluator for tribal grant-funded projects, and staff trainer. With Dr. Erich Longie, she developed the first Internet course ever offered by a tribal college. She is the author of numerous scientific articles; the main focus of her research is on family involvement of relatives of people with disabilities. Dr. De Mars is vice-president of Spirit Lake Consulting and a member of the faculty at Loyola Marymount University and at Pepperdine University.
Dr. Erich Longie is a "success story" of vocational rehabilitation, the first member of the Spirit Lake Dakota to earn a doctorate, a former college president, and co-founder of a technical services company headquartered on the Spirit Lake Nation. His primary research focus has been on Native American education, from elementary school through tribal colleges. Dr. Longie is president of Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc.
Bipolar Disorder: Considerations for Primary Care Providers in Rural and Underserved Settings
Wednesday, December 5th 2007
12:00 p.m. Mountain
(1:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Pacific)
This is a free training that uses internet‐based distance learning technology. You can attend from your home or office! This presentation, featuring a national expert on bipolar disorder, will cover the identification, treatment, and associated prescribing strategies related to this diagnosis in the primary care setting. While this presentation will not focus exclusively on providers in rural settings, the information will be useful to those practicing in more isolated settings, those who treat underserved populations, and those communities with limited access to behavioral health resources.
You will be asked to complete a brief post‐training survey in order to be eligible for free CME credits.
Questions: Contact Mimi McFaul, Psy.D. via email (mmcfaul@wiche.edu) or by telephone
at 303‐541‐0288.
To take the survey after you have viewed this web cast, please click here.
Dr. Michael H. Allen, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director Emergency and Consultation Psychiatry
Co-Director, Mood Disorders Program
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, Colorado
This presentation featuring a national expert on bipolar disorder will cover the identification, treatment, and associated pharmacological implications related to this diagnosis in the primary care setting. While this presentation will not focus exclusively on providers in rural settings, the information will be useful to those practicing in more isolated settings and those communities with limited access to behavioral health resources.
Registration:
PLEASE NOTE: YOU WILL NEED A JAVA APPLICATION to view this web cast live or asynchronously. It is highly recommended you go through the downloads prior to the start of the session.
Download this application ahead of time, at http://www.elluminate.com/support, click on "Get the Latest Software" link, and then follow the instructions for this specific web cast below.
ON THE DAY OF THE PRESENTATION: After you have downloaded the java application you can click on the following link (or cut and paste into your browser) https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=203&password=M.14A029EA73B4D584BCC74F8E3496B6 to join the webcast approximately 10‐20 minutes before the scheduled time. Enter your name when prompted for username. Please note: there is a 50‐ seat limit for the live webcast. To view asynchronously, please visit our web site at: http://wiche.edu/mentalhealth/ResearchCenter/research.asp one week following live broadcast.
Questions: Contact Mimi McFaul, Psy.D. via email (mmcfaul@wiche.edu) or by telephone at 303-541-0288.
You will be asked to complete a brief post-training survey in order to be eligible for free CME credits.
Funded by the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)/Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dr. Allen attended Florida State University, received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and trained in psychiatry at the Institute of Living where he served as Chief Resident. He went on to serve on the faculty of Cornell and later NYU. While at NYU, he developed the model Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Bellevue Hospital, mentioned in New York Magazine’s “Best Hospitals in New York.” Currently he is director of the psychiatric emergency and consultation services and is co-director of the Mood Disorders Program at the University of Colorado. He is a principal investigator in the NIMH Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder and other studies in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; he has served as a research trainer internationally and recently received a NARSAD Independent Investigator award. He has served as president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, chair of the APA Task Force on Psychiatric Emergency Services, panelist for the Expert Consensus Guideline for Bipolar Disorder and the Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative Depression Program, lead expert for the Expert Consensus Guideline for the Management of Behavioral Emergencies, member of the American College of Emergency Physicians clinical policy committee and reviewer for the Cochrane Collaborative. He is the author or editor of three books and associate editor of General Hospital Psychiatry. He is board certified in psychiatry with added qualifications in addictions.
New Homes For Mentally Ill Opened In Orangeburg
By JANE LERNER THE JOURNAL NEWS November 16, 2007
ORANGEBURG - A small sign that hangs over the front door of a new town home-like residence explains how much the place means to the people who live there. "Having some place to go is home," the sign says.
Many of those living in the 12-room residence have been waiting more than 20 years to call such a place home. They are adults who are both deaf and mentally ill. Many have languished in a special unit for deaf patients at Rockland Psychiatric Center for decades. Others have tried - unsuccessfully - to live in group homes and other arrangements not specifically for the deaf.
Now, the residence that opened earlier in the fall represents a new opportunity for a group of people who might not be able to live in other places. "Our goal is to have an entirely deaf environment," said Ferne Lurie, supervisor of the residence. The home is one of three built by Community Link-Up Experience, or CLUE, a nonprofit agency providing residential programs for 48 people with mental illness.
When the group opened its first residences in the 1970s, the idea of people recovering from mental illness living apart from the hospital yet close enough to access services was revolutionary, recalled Marty Langer, who recently retired as director of the Rockland Hospital Guild, a not-for-profit organization that runs the CLUE program. "No one knew if it could be done," he said. "We showed that it could."
Langer and other people who worked for years to support the goal of moving people from beds in psychiatric hospitals to less restrictive environments gathered last week to celebrate the opening of the three new residences. They were built on land sold to CLUE by the state, which has been selling off large parts of the Orangeburg campus.
Two of the homes will replace residences opened in the 1970s in buildings formerly used by the psychiatric center. The third residence - the home for people who are deaf - is entirely new. "It's something we have dreamed of doing for years," said Langer, who was in charge of the deaf patients' unit at Rockland Psychiatric while an administrator there for many years.
The first six people moved into the deaf-only residence several weeks ago. "It's like a family here," Jacob Nathansohn, 58, said in sign language, which was interpreted by Lurie. "I feel very safe."
The home has been adapted for use by the deaf in several ways. A large television in the living room has continuous closed captioning. The fire alarm flashes lights to alert residents to danger. There are two video phones, which enable people who can't hear to communicate on the telephone via sign language.
Frank Knapp, 65, has tried living in other homes not designed for people who are deaf. "It's hard," he said in sign language. "The communication is difficult. Here, it is easy." Similar care was taken when designing the other two residences. One consists of four four-bedroom townhouses, where people who are recovering from mental illness live.
The other has 16 single occupancy rooms, also for people who need some degree of support.
Residences such as the ones recently built by CLUE are becoming even more important as fewer people are receiving long-term treatment in psychiatric hospitals, said Bruce E. Feig, executive deputy commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health. He attended last week's celebration of the opening of the new homes.
In the early 1960s, there were nearly 9,000 patients in the hospital at the Rockland Psychiatric Center, he noted. Now there are less than 500. Most people with mental illness now live in more community-oriented settings. "We have embraced a new model of recovery," he said. "We have raised our expectations."
There is still a great need for more residences like the ones opened by CLUE - new, clean, safe and attractive, said Mary Ann Walsh-Tozer, director of the Rockland Department of Mental Health. "This is a wonderful opportunity for the 48 people who are lucky enough to be here," she said. "But there are many, many more people in our community who need an opportunity like this and don't have it."
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071116/NEWS03/711160378/1027/NEWS11
Jobs in the West
Recent Job Announcements Webpage
On this page you will find recent job announcements pertaining to either the WICHE West or to rural mental health areas.
Research Assistant/Data Analyst Position at the Aurora Research Institute
(Subsidiary 403© Corporation of the Aurora Mental Health Center).
Seeking a .5-1.0 FTE Research Associate/Data Analyst to join an up and coming mental health research institute. This position requires at least a Master’s level social-behavioral science degree (or equivalent) with a proficiency in SPSS, EXCEL and other data analysis software and a working knowledge of research design and statistical analyses. Preference for someone with IT experience with SQL Reporting Services (stored procedures). Knowledge of VB.NET and ASP.Net are a plus. Please send letter of interest and a copy of your vita to Richard M. Swanson richardswanson@aumhc.org by December 17, 2007. Salary is competitive and is dependent on background and experience. Funding available through June 30 with continuing funding likely after July 1, 2008.
Mental Health Program Administrator for the Office of Consumer Partnerships
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, HRSA, Mental Health Division
The mission of the Office of Consumer Partnerships is to include "consumer voice" to support individual, organizational and system quality improvements. The qualified candidate has personal experience as a consumer of mental health services and an understanding and respect for diversity in the workplace and community.
This position directly provides customer service and supports to citizens in Washington. This position will utilize personal experience as a mental health consumer, clinical experience and a belief that people with mental illness can and do recover in order to provide excellent customer service and support to constituents.
Utilizing excellent verbal and written skills, this position is familiar with interpretation and implementation of Washington Administrative Code and DSHS policies and procedures as they relate to mental health issues. Extensive knowledge of Federal and State mental health statutes is required to respond to the MHD 1-800 constituent line. Knowledge of the national consumer survivor movement and mental health recovery efforts in Washington State is required to further the goals and objectives of the OCP strategic plan.
This position will also serve as a liaison and advocate for consumer concerns and opinions by being accessible to individuals and advocacy groups. Conduct training and educational forums on issues to relevant consumer groups (including the MHD) and the general public. Understanding of and experience with the operations of adult consumer, and family advocate organizations such as NAMI, is important.
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
The North Dakota University System (NDUS)
The CIO, who oversees operations located in Fargo and Grand Forks, is responsible for providing overall leadership, vision, strategy,management, and accountability for system wide information technology services. The CIO reports directly to the NDUS Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs and is charged with management of departments with an annual budget of over $21 million and 95 FTE positions.
The NDUS seeks an individual with a bachelor’s degree; a minimum of 10 years progressively responsible experience managing information technology, with a minimum of five years experience in the higher education sector; demonstrated strong written, oral and listening skills, including translating complex technical issues to lay audiences; demonstrated experience in strategic information technology planning and implementation; and, a minimum of five years experience and demonstrated ability to effectively manage staff. An advanced degree, demonstrated experience effectively managing complex higher education ERP systems; demonstrated experience building and leading a customer service-focused information technology organization within a multi-institutional system and experience supporting academic systems is preferred.
Review of applications will begin December 7, 2007, with the position remaining open until filled. Upon becoming a candidate, the North Dakota open records laws apply. For more information on the position, see www.ndus.nodak.edu and/or contact:
Joe Tykwinski, VCSU CIO,
Search Committee Chair
701) 845-7332
joe.tykwinski@vcsu.edu
Applicants should submit a letter addressing the qualifications, a current resume, and the names and contact information of at least three professional references. Applications and nominations should be addressed to:
Laura Glatt
Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs
600 East Boulevard Ave., Dept. 215
Bismarck, ND 58505-0230
laura.glatt@ndus.nodak.edu
WICHE MH Personnel - *NEW*
Dennis Mohatt, MA,Vice President for Behavioral Health
Mimi McFaul, Psy.D., Associate Director
Chuck McGee, MA, Project Director
Candice Tate, Ph.D., Research Associate
Fran Dong, Statistical Analyst
Nicole Speer, Ph.D., Research and Technical Assistance Associate
Jessica Tomasko, LCSW - PIP, Research and Technical Assistance Associate
Christa Smith, Psy.D. Postdoctoral Fellow
Jenny Shaw, Administrative & Project Coordinator
Megan Raymond, Events Coordinator
Debra Kupfer, M.H.A., Consultant
Kyle Sargent, M.P.P. Consultant
Tell Us How the WICHE Mental Health Program Has Impacted You
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education is seeking your comments on how our services have affected mental health services in rural communities. Please send an e-mail telling how WICHE has influenced you to Candice Tate . We would also love to hear your nominations for promising rural practices. Feel free to also contact us with requests for state-specific rural assistance or to just ask us a question about our experience with rural mental issues and public policy.
Subscriber Services
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the WICHE Newsletter send an e-mail to Editor Candice Tate
