Category: behavioral health care

In just one week…

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THE GRAND OPENING OF THE GEORGE ROSENFELD CENTER IS ONLY ONE WEEK AWAY!

We invite you to join us on Thursday, May 11th to celebrate the grand opening, tour the campus, and learn more about the services we offer. Click here for more information and to register. See below for directions.

The George Rosenfeld Center for Recovery (GRCR) is a residential behavioral health treatment center for women, families, and older adults located on Wards Island. Since 1967, Odyssey House has established a strong tradition of providing a place of sanctuary for clients and families to focus on overcoming addiction, develop coping skills, and build lifelong recovery.

In keeping with this tradition, and the treatment services offered throughout the Odyssey House system, residential care at GRCR embraces a holistic continuum of evidence-based behavioral health care, including medication-assisted treatment; counseling, group therapy, and case management services; educational and vocational training; and peer-supported recovery and housing programs.

 

Directions to the George Rosenfeld Center for Recovery

By public transportation: Take the Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 to 125th Street and transfer to the M35 bus at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue (in front of Duane Reade). Download the bus schedule here.

By car: All vehicular access is via the RFK Triborough Bridge. Once on the Queens-bound leg of the RFK Triborough Bridge, stay to the far right and follow signs to Randall’s Island.

If navigating with Google Maps, please use “13 Hells Gate Circle, New York, NY 10035″ as your destination or click here for the GPS coordinates. MTA Bridges & Tunnels charge a toll of $8.50 to access the Island, but there is no toll upon exiting.

Download maps of our location and parking areas.

By foot: The 103rd Street Footbridge in Manhattan is open to pedestrians and cyclists 365 days per year, 24 hours per day, and connects the East River Esplanade/FDR Drive at 103rd Street with the southern end of Randall’s Island Park.

“Every minute I spent at Odyssey House was worth it.”

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In celebration of our 50th anniversary, each month we will be sharing a story that highlights one of our programs or treatment populations. Below is Ashley’s story, who recently completed residential treatment at Lafayette Avenue, our young women’s program in the Bronx.

Ashley 50th anniversaryAshley, 28, started using drugs and alcohol after graduating high school in Long Island. It started with the occasional use of marijuana and alcohol, mostly as a means of fitting in with her friends and dealing with low self-esteem. It also made it easier to ignore that she was directionless, in and out of college, unable to decide what to study or do with her life.

Her drug use developed into a full-fledged problem when she was 23. By then she was a new mother. To manage the trauma of escaping an abusive relationship with her daughter’s father and the stress of single parenthood Ashley, turned to cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol.

Her life became chaotic. She regularly left her daughter with her parents to go out with friends and started selling drugs. At various points, Ashley realized she had a problem and struggled to get help: she tried three different outpatient clinics over two years, but she never stayed clean for long.

Recognizing the dangers of her lifestyle, she sent her daughter to South Carolina to live with her grandmother for a little while. Shortly after, events took a serious turn. She was arrested for selling drugs. Because it was her first offense, the judge recommended Ashley get residential treatment and referred her to Odyssey House.

Ashley was admitted to the young adult women’s program in the Bronx last October. It took time, but once she adjusted to the structured environment, she began to feel herself change. Being in treatment “helped me open up to others, understand that the way I was living was wrong, and bridge the gap between me and my family,” she says. The groups were particularly beneficial in helping Ashley find peace. “The more I talked to my peers, the lighter my burden felt.”

Ashley says she now has better coping and communication skills and, thanks to vocational training, has a clearly defined career track she is passionate about. She was always interested in cooking – as a child, she could often be found helping her mom in the kitchen – so when it came time to choose a vocational training track, the culinary arts program was a natural fit. “My mom and I used to talk about opening a family-run Italian restaurant, so that’s what I’m working towards.”

Though she’s nervous about leaving treatment, Ashley has a few strategies to help ease the transition, by continuing treatment at a local outpatient program and finishing her culinary training. “I really benefited from the structure of the program, so I’m going to incorporate that into my day,” she says. Mostly, she’s motivated by the prospect of seeing her daughter again, and finally being the mother she deserves.

“I wish I could go back in time and tell my 18-year-old self ‘Slow down! There’s nothing but trouble ahead if you keep living like this.’ But all I can do is keep working on my recovery, and focus on my daughter. I can’t let her down again.

“If you have a problem, it’s okay to come to treatment. It gives you hope. Once you address certain issues, the pain goes away. You’ll come out a better person. I know I’m coming out a better person, a better mother. Every minute I spent at Odyssey House was worth it.”

The year ahead

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Experts’ Contributions: “Hopes and Fears” 2016

Leaders in the field of drug treatment share their predictions for 2016 and the challenges ahead. See Dr. Provet’s below. Click here for the full report. 

The escalating opioid epidemic among middle-class Americans drew unusual attention last year to our field across a wide public sphere of elected officials, leaders of medical and scientific communities, members of criminal justice and law enforcement agencies, and the mainstream media.

While this attention is welcome, we need to make sure the urgent need for treatment is reflected in the stabilization and expansion of services for vulnerable populations. As states (including New York, with high-need, disadvantaged populations) look to contain costs under Medicaid managed care, we must work hard to ensure that the federal block grant is maintained, the IMD [Institutions for Mental Diseases] exclusion is eliminated and parity under the ACA [Affordable Care Act] is fully enforced. Without these essential provisions built into federal and state budgets and policies, nonprofit organizations that provide the bulk of safety net services will find it harder and harder to meet the increased demands for care.

At Odyssey House, we have been preparing for the impact of managed care for quite some time and have established new systems to both contain costs and streamline care. These include: electronic health record keeping and linkages with hospital and other community-based providers; evidence-based practices and medication-assisted treatment; and extended outpatient and housing support services.

My hope as we look to 2016 is that we will not only continue to provide quality care for disadvantaged substance abusers (who often require intensive residential services in order to have a chance at achieving and maintaining a functional life), but that their needs will be reflected in the ongoing national debate on how best to treat addiction and its accompanying social ills.

Peter Provet, Ph.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer

Our Summer 2015 newsletter is now available!

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Odyssey House Newsletter Summer 2015


The Summer 2015 edition of Odyssey House News is now available online. Read about our renovated medical clinic, latest art show, new services and more. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments or on our Facebook wall. Click here to read it (pdf). If you’d like to receive a copy in the mail, please email your contact information to info(at)odysseyhousenyc.org.

Don’t Forget to join us for our Run For Your Life this Fall!

Integrated health care for older adults

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A $250,000 grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health will establish behavioral health care services for older adults through an internal partnership with our Article 28 clinic. The primary project objectives are to screen and assess older adult patients for mental health issues and substance use disorders using validated tools; implement patient navigation and care management services in the medical clinic; and improve mental and behavioral health in older adults. Odyssey Housewill be able to provide services to 80 older adults, ages 55 or older, with mental health and/or substance use disorders per year, for a total of 240 older adults over three years.
The goal of the program is to seamlessly integrate behavioral health care with physical health care for older adults through care management, patient navigation and treatment planning.  To that end, Odyssey House will hire a geriatric social worker, to be located at the Article 28 clinic, who will meet with older patients to discuss (as well as screen and assess for) unaddressed behavioral health care needs, which often take a toll on physical health. Together, the geriatric social worker and patients will work to develop a treatment plan outlining behavioral and physical health care goals and needs. 
Odyssey House is one of ten agencies that were awarded service demonstration grants authorized by the Geriatric Mental Health Act. These three-year grants will provide $4.1 million to the nonprofit providers and focus on health integration. Because previous projects demonstrated that collaborative partnership models of integrated health care increased the probability of creating and sustaining effective programs, applicants were required to engage in at least one formal internal or external agency partnership in order to assure the on-site provision of integrated services.

Total Wellness: The Key to Behavioral Health

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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEWS

By Peter Provet, PhD President & CEO Odyssey House

The term “behavioral health” is often used to describe the connection between behavior and the health and well-being of the body, mind, and spirit. Substance use disorders, mental illness, homelessness – these are all behavioral health problems that need a multi-faceted treatment approach. The path to recovery requires us to see the connection between substance abuse and related problems and to take the necessary steps to address these issues in a comprehensive and effective way. That is why Odyssey House provides high quality, holistic treatment impacting all major life spheres: psychological, physical, social, family, educational, and spiritual.

Established in 1967, Odyssey House is a nonprofit behavioral health care organization with a mission to provide comprehensive and innovative services to New Yorkers struggling with substance use disorders, mental illness, and homelessness. With 10 substance abuse, mental health and supportive housing facilities located in East Harlem and the South Bronx, Odyssey House provides a range of direct and supportive services, including residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment, trauma-informed services, case management, primary health care, dental care, mental health care, supportive housing, recovery coaching, housing assistance, vocational and educational support, and more.

Treating the Whole Person

At any one time, Odyssey House is home to more than 1,000 men, women, and children. Some of these residents are young mothers who enter treatment with their children, seeking a drug-free life for themselves and a brighter future for their families. Older men and women come into treatment to break a lifetime habit of addiction, while teens are attempting to get back on track and succeed in school and at careers. For all of these clients, Odyssey House provides a chance to recover from addiction and mental illness and, along with that, to experience the psychological and physical well-being that comes with recovery.

Throughout all programs, Odyssey House provides holistic care with wraparound services. Recognizing that there is no “one size fits all” treatment model, Odyssey House does not simply place clients in housing or treat them for their substance use disorders or mental illness. We provide ongoing, personalized support to teach daily life skills, reunite families through NYC Administration for Children’s Services mediation and family therapy, attend to educational needs through GED preparation and classes, and care for the body through our health clinics and on-site gym facilities.

This complete continuum of care stabilizes clients and puts them on the path to lasting independence. Through Odyssey House’s licensed medical clinic and dental clinic, clients of all programs are able to access a range of health care services, giving our clients a crucial opportunity to manage their health before their conditions degenerate into an emergency situation.

Managing Mental Illness

Men and women suffering from mental illness are especially prone to substance abuse. The effects of addiction combined with the challenges of chronic mental conditions can be devastating, isolating these men and women from family, making it almost impossible for them to lead productive lives in the community, and often rendering them homeless.

At Odyssey House, case managers and counselors enhance treatment in our supportive housing communities with intensive mental health services and coaching in life skills ranging from personal hygiene to financial management. Up to 250 residents, most referred from city and state psychiatric facilities, partake in supported community living plus group therapy, medication management, vocational counseling and job training—all part of preparing themselves to take control of their lives and re-enter the community.

When the time comes, Odyssey House helps these men and women make the difficult transition into permanent housing. Residents in treatment attend workshops that teach such real-life skills as budgeting, making rent payments on time, and grocery shopping. Once participants have successfully completed the workshops, a placement specialist helps them find affordable housing, accompanies them on interviews with landlords, and helps negotiate rental contracts. In this way, Odyssey House helps break the cycle of relapse and homelessness.

Beyond Treatment

At Odyssey House, recovery is more than just sobriety. Recovery includes engaging in regular physical activity, taking responsibility for your health, and expressing yourself creatively.

Research shows that exercise not only improves cardiovascular function and has other physical benefits but can also elevate mood, alleviate stress, and even improve brain function. Exercise makes us feel better, both mentally and physically, and that is why physical fitness is such a big part of the Odyssey House experience.

Facilities are equipped with exercise equipment and weights, and residents are encouraged to enjoy yoga, Pilates, basketball and other team sports. Especially popular is Run for Your Life, a program that brings residents of all ages together several times a week in New York’s Central Park to walk or run. Many clients also choose to participate in marathons and other races.

Creating art provides a way to access and express feelings, and helps relieve a sense of isolation. Residents at all Odyssey House facilities are encouraged to express themselves through art and writing, and also enjoy readings, film screenings, and museum visits. The Odyssey House Art Project engages residents in painting, sculpture, and other forms of expression. Every year, works by these residents are showcased in the Haven Art Gallery, occupying a handsome, lightfilled space in an Odyssey House facility on East 121st Street in Manhattan.

These activities provide residents with a chance to develop relationships with one another, improve their self esteem, gain control over their bodies, and get a change of pace from the strenuous, day-to-day routine of recovery. Most important of all, they introduce residents to yet another component of a richer, fuller, more satisfying substance-free life.